Chapter 4:Chapter 4:Social Social

InteractionInteraction

Melanie HatfieldMelanie Hatfield

Soc 100Soc 100

What is Social What is Social Interaction?Interaction?

Social interaction: Involves people Social interaction: Involves people communicating face-to-face or via communicating face-to-face or via computer, acting and reacting in computer, acting and reacting in relation to other people. It is relation to other people. It is structures around norms, roles, and structures around norms, roles, and statuses.statuses.

The Structure of Social The Structure of Social InteractionInteraction

Status: A recognized social position Status: A recognized social position that an individual can occupy.that an individual can occupy. Status set: The entire ensemble of Status set: The entire ensemble of

statuses occupied by an individual. statuses occupied by an individual. Role: A set of expected behaviors.Role: A set of expected behaviors.

Role Set: A cluster of roles attached to a Role Set: A cluster of roles attached to a single status.single status.

Role Set and Status SetRole Set and Status Set

Role Conflict and Role Role Conflict and Role StrainStrain

Role conflict occurs when Role conflict occurs when two or two or more statusesmore statuses held at the same time held at the same time place contradictory roe demands on place contradictory roe demands on a person.a person.

Role strain occurs when Role strain occurs when incompatible role demands are incompatible role demands are placed on a person in a placed on a person in a single statussingle status..

Role Conflict Role Conflict Role StrainRole Strain

Laughter and HumorLaughter and Humor Robert Provine’s 2000 laughter study findings:Robert Provine’s 2000 laughter study findings:

Speakers laugh more often than listeners do.Speakers laugh more often than listeners do. Women laugh more often than men.Women laugh more often than men.

The gender differences of laughter fit a general The gender differences of laughter fit a general pattern:pattern: Laughter is unevenly distributed across status Laughter is unevenly distributed across status

hierarchy.hierarchy. People with higher statuses get more laughs, and People with higher statuses get more laughs, and

people with lower statuses laugh more.people with lower statuses laugh more. Sociologically, jokes enable us to see the Sociologically, jokes enable us to see the

structure of society that lies beneath our structure of society that lies beneath our laughter.laughter.

Emotion Management Emotion Management

Emotion ManagementEmotion Management

When we manage our emotions, we When we manage our emotions, we usually follow certain cultural scripts.usually follow certain cultural scripts.

Emotion managementEmotion management involves people involves people obeying “feeling rules” and responding obeying “feeling rules” and responding appropriately to the situation in which appropriately to the situation in which they find themselves.they find themselves.

Norms and rules govern our emotional Norms and rules govern our emotional life. life.

Emotion LaborEmotion Labor

Emotion labor is emotion management Emotion labor is emotion management that many people do as part of their job that many people do as part of their job and for which they are paid.and for which they are paid. NursesNurses TeachersTeachers ClerksClerks

The emotional life of workers is The emotional life of workers is increasingly governed by the increasingly governed by the organizations for which they work and is organizations for which they work and is therefore less spontaneous and authentic.therefore less spontaneous and authentic.

Emotions in Historical Emotions in Historical PerspectivePerspective

Looking at historical studies can help us Looking at historical studies can help us see additional evidence of the impact of see additional evidence of the impact of society on our emotional life.society on our emotional life.

Feeling rules take different forms under Feeling rules take different forms under different social conditions which vary different social conditions which vary historically.historically.

Three examples:Three examples: GriefGrief AngerAnger Disgust.Disgust.

Emotions in Historical Emotions in Historical Perspective: Perspective: GriefGrief

In Europe as late as 1600, life In Europe as late as 1600, life expectancy was only 35 years.expectancy was only 35 years.

Many infants died at birth or in their Many infants died at birth or in their first year of life. first year of life.

People invested less emotionally in People invested less emotionally in their children than we typically do. their children than we typically do.

As health conditions improved and As health conditions improved and the infant mortality rate fell over the the infant mortality rate fell over the years, emotional investment in years, emotional investment in children increased. children increased.

Emotions in Historical Emotions in Historical Perspective: Perspective: AngerAnger

Industrialization and the growth of Industrialization and the growth of competitive markets in the 19th-competitive markets in the 19th-century North America and Europe century North America and Europe turned the family into an emotional turned the family into an emotional haven from a world perceived as haven from a world perceived as heartless.heartless.

Anger control became increasingly Anger control became increasingly important for the establishment of a important for the establishment of a harmonious household.harmonious household.

Emotions in Historical Emotions in Historical Perspective: Perspective: DisgustDisgust

Manners in Europe in the Middle Ages Manners in Europe in the Middle Ages were disgusting by our standards.were disgusting by our standards.

As times began to change, good As times began to change, good manners also served to define who manners also served to define who had power and who lacked it.had power and who lacked it.

The rules about the different between The rules about the different between good manners and improper or good manners and improper or disgusting behavior were created to disgusting behavior were created to signify the distribution of power in the signify the distribution of power in the family by age and gender.family by age and gender.

Interaction as Competition and Interaction as Competition and ExchangeExchange

As we interact, we are often competing As we interact, we are often competing for attention in the interaction.for attention in the interaction.

Turn-taking is one of the basic norms Turn-taking is one of the basic norms that govern conversations; people take that govern conversations; people take turns to make the conversation possible.turns to make the conversation possible.

Research has shown that Americans Research has shown that Americans usually try to turn conversations toward usually try to turn conversations toward themselves.themselves.

Conversation typically involves the Conversation typically involves the exchange of attention. exchange of attention.

Three Modes of Social Three Modes of Social InteractionInteraction

Exchange theoryExchange theory - social - social interaction involves trade in interaction involves trade in attention and other valued resourcesattention and other valued resources

Rational choice theoryRational choice theory - - interacting people always try to interacting people always try to maximize benefits and minimize maximize benefits and minimize costs. costs.

Dramaturgical analysisDramaturgical analysis- social - social interaction is constant role-playinginteraction is constant role-playing

EthnomethodologyEthnomethodology

Ethnomethodology is the study of Ethnomethodology is the study of the methods ordinary people use, the methods ordinary people use, often unconsciously, to make sense often unconsciously, to make sense of what others do and say by of what others do and say by adhering to preexisting norms.adhering to preexisting norms.

The Social Context of The Social Context of LanguageLanguage

Language is a very social, cultural Language is a very social, cultural phenomenon.phenomenon.

Our shared norms and Our shared norms and understandings help us to understandings help us to understand each other far better understand each other far better than just the words themselves.than just the words themselves.

Social interaction typically involves a Social interaction typically involves a complex mix of verbal and nonverbal complex mix of verbal and nonverbal messages.messages.

Status Cues and Status Cues and StereotypesStereotypes

Status Cues: Visual indicators of other Status Cues: Visual indicators of other people’s social position.people’s social position.

Status cues can quickly create Status cues can quickly create stereotypes, or rigid views of how stereotypes, or rigid views of how member of various groups act, regardless member of various groups act, regardless of whether individual group membership of whether individual group membership really behave that way. really behave that way.

Stereotypes create social barriers that Stereotypes create social barriers that impair interaction or prevent it impair interaction or prevent it altogether.altogether.

Theories of Social Theories of Social Interaction Interaction

Conflict Theories of Social Conflict Theories of Social InteractionInteraction

Conflict Theories of Social Conflict Theories of Social Interaction: Theories which Interaction: Theories which emphasize that when people interact, emphasize that when people interact, their statuses are often arranged in a their statuses are often arranged in a hierarchy. Those on top enjoy more hierarchy. Those on top enjoy more power than those on bottom. The power than those on bottom. The degree of inequality strongly affects degree of inequality strongly affects the character of social interaction the character of social interaction between the interacting parties.between the interacting parties.

Types of InteractionTypes of Interaction

DominationDomination - nearly all power is - nearly all power is concentrated in the hands of people of concentrated in the hands of people of similar status.similar status.

CooperationCooperation - power is equally - power is equally distributed between people of different distributed between people of different status. status.

CompetitionCompetition - power is unequally - power is unequally distributed, but the degree of inequality distributed, but the degree of inequality is less than in systems of domination. is less than in systems of domination.

Big Structures, Small Big Structures, Small ProcessesProcesses