SOCIETYChapter 4

WHAT IS SOCIETY? Collection of interacting

individuals sharing same way of life & living in same territory

Building blocks: statuses, roles, groups, & institutions

STATUS: ASCRIBED VS. ACHIEVED Is a position in society; you behave

according to this Ascribed – status that is given to us

regardless of what we do (i.e. race & gender)

Achieved – status we have to earn (i.e. graduate, jobs, etc)

PLEASE PASS THE ‘ROLES’ Role performance – people play same roles

very differently for many different people Sometimes you come into a conflict with all

your different role performances & you have to play two roles at the same time – role conflict.

Can lead to role strain – stress caused by too many demands from the different roles (can be relieved by hanging out with your own social group)

SOCIETY CONTROLS US Social Control – controls through law,

police, courts, & prisons All the people we meet control us –

ready to embarrass, scold, or hurt us if we don’t behave “appropriately” or meet expectations

Durkheim called these “social facts” or “something beyond us”; prisoners of society

BUT WE HAVE TO CONSENT! With social control comes social

consent – we play along with rules as long as it seems reasonable or fair

We learn this from our social institutions This is how humans interact with each

other – by actively & creatively interpreting each other’s actions