Micro and Macro Sociological
Perspectives, Social Structure, the
Social Construction of Reality
Macrosociology
Focuses on broad features
of society
Conflict theory,
functionalist viewpoints
part of the
macrosociological
perspective
The goal is to examine the
large scale influences of
society
Microsociology
Examines social
interaction
Focus on face to face
interaction
This approach is favored
by symbolic
interactionists
Macrosociological Significance of Social Structure pages 97-101
Social structure framework society has laid out
before you were born, surrounds us
Consists of relationships- people and groups to each
other
Gives directions to and sets limits on our behavior
The differences of attitude and behavior are not
biological- but to our location on the social structure
Social Structure- Culture
Languages, belief systems, values, behaviors,
gestures, material objects a group uses
Broadest framework that determines what kind of
people we will become
On the outside we look like a product of our culture,
on the inside we think and feel like most people
raised in our culture
Social Structure- Social Class
Social Class
Based on income, education and occupational
prestige
People who rank close to each other in these
categories make up a social class
Influences our behavior, ideas and attitudes
Social Status pages 97-101
All of us occupy
several positions at
one time
Status Set all of the
positions we occupy,
changes as we change
Types of status-
ascribed and
achieved.
Ascribed and Achieved Status
Ascribed Status
involuntary, some are
inherited at birth, some are
because of the life course
Achieved Status earned,
what you accomplish.
They can be positive or
negative
Social status sets limits on
what we can or cannot do
Master Status and Status Symbols
Status Symbols material items we use as signs
to display our status.
These symbols can be positive or negative
announce our status and smooth our
interactions in everyday life
Master status is one that cuts across all other
status you occupy- race, age, gender (ascribed)-
some are achieved- wealth, disfigurement,
handicap
A contradiction in status is called status
inconsistency
Status has built in norms that guide our
behavior- status inconsistency upsets these
expectations
Roles
Roles behaviors, obligations and privileges attached
to status- sociologists see roles as essential to social
life
Roles are already set up at birth- gender,
socioeconomic status
Occupy status, play a role
Roles indicate what is appropriate and expected
As individuals play their roles they mesh together
and form society
Groups
Members of a group share
similar values, norms and
expectations
gives others the right to
make certain decisions about
our behavior
member has to conform to
the expectations and play
their role within the
structure of the group
Social Institutions pages 101-105
Organized, standardized ways that a society develops
to meet its needs
Social institutions- family, government, education,
military, politics, law, science, medicine, mass media-
figure 4.2 page 102
Social Institutions
Industrialized societies- more formal
Tribal society- more informal
Mass Media as a Social Institution
Influences our attitudes toward social institutions
How we view people
Shapes our self-concept
Mass media relatively new – the invention of the printing
press changed views on religion and politics
Two Perspectives
Functionalist perspective- mass media represents the varied
interests of the many groups that make up the nation
Conflict perspective- represent the perspectives of the elite
The question –who controls the media?
Comparing Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives in
Social Institutions
Functionalist
No society can exist without social institutions, perform
vital functions for society (functional requisites)
What are the basic needs of social institutions?
Replacing members- relationships
Socializing new members- education, religion, family
Producing and distributing goods and services-
economics
Preserving order- law
Providing a sense of purpose- all parts of society
Conflict Perspective
Social institutions do not work harmoniously for the
good
Powerful groups manipulate other institutions to
maintain positions of wealth and power
Small groups control a majority of wealth and exert
influence on political institutions and lawmakers
Gender- society divides males and females into groups
and each has unequal access to societies resources
Social Structure pages 104-106
Social Structure is not
static
Changes in response to
technology and evolving
values
Social classes impacted by
economy, racial and ethnic
relationships, social needs
and priorities changing
What holds society together?
Social integration degree to which members
are united by shared social bonds and shared
values
Durkheim called this organization
mechanical solidarity, a shared
consciousness that people feel as a result of
performing the same or similar tasks
There is little diversity in attitudes, beliefs the
unity of the society depends on similar
thinking
What holds society together? Pages 105-106
As societies grow larger the division of labor becomes
more specialized.
This division makes people depend on each other – their
work contributes to the whole
This interdependent relationship is called organic solidarity
This change caused societies to tolerate many differences
among people to manage as a whole
What holds society together?
Ferdinand Toinnes called these
changes in different societies
Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft
Gemeinschaft society where
life is intimate, the community
shares a sense of togetherness
Gesellschaft society is
dominated by impersonal
relationships, individual
relationships and self interest
Assignment
On page 107 “The Amish: Gemienschaft Community in a
Gesellschaft World” describes the way of life for the
Amish. The rising cost of lands has kept many young
Amish families from buying their own land, so many
Amish men do other jobs. Many Amish women have
opened their own businesses, manufacturing and selling
items to tourists. Why does non-farm work challenge the
Amish way of life?
Microsociological Perspective: Social
Interaction pages 106-110
Symbolic interactionists- most important part of society
is social interaction and the symbols they use.
How people perceive things, effects on attitude,
behavior and orientations in life
Examples of interaction- stereotyping, personal space,
touching and eye contact
Stereotypes, Touching, Eye Contact
Stereotypes
First impressions set the tone for interaction
Race, age, gender, clothing are thing we all notice
These things affect how we interact with that person
and how that person reacts to you
Touching
Frequency and meaning vary from culture to culture
In general higher status individuals do more
touching
Eye Contact
One way to control our personal space bubble
Personal Space
We surround ourselves with a “personal bubble” and we
let in our intimates and keep others out
We extend our space by placing personal items around
us
The amount of space we need varies from culture to
culture
North Americans have four different “distance zones”
1. Intimate distance- 18”
2. Personal distance- 18” to 4’
3. Social Distance- 4’ to 12’
4. Public Distance- beyond 12’
Dramaturgy pages 110-114
Social Life is analyzed in terms of drama
or the stage. (Erving Goffman 1959)
Birth ushers us onto the stage and
socialization consists of learning to play
on that stage
The self - center of these performances
ideas how we want others to perceive us
and we use roles in everyday life to
communicate ideas
Goffman called the efforts impression
management
Front stage, where we perform, back
stage, reflect and plan for future
performances
Dramaturgy
Our style is known as role
performance
Role Performance is defined by social
limits the role provides
Sometimes what is expected of us in
one role is not compatible with
another role.
Role conflict- conflict between roles.
We avoid role conflict by segregating
our status
Role strain is the conflict within a
role
We tend to become the roles we play,
our roles become part of our self
concept. Leaving a role (role exit)
threatens a person’s identity
Dramaturgy
To communicate information about the self we use
sign-in vehicles
Three types of Sign- In Vehicles
Social Setting- where the action unfolds, where you
interact with others. Includes the scenery, things you
use to communicate messages
Appearance- props, what we use to decorate our
person
Manner- attitudes we show as we play roles
Dramaturgy
Good role players receive positive
recognition from others
We use teamwork to receive this
recognition
When a performance fails we use
face saving behavior
Studied nonobservance is a face
saving technique that allows the
performance to go on
Ethnomethodology
We give meaning to things by placing them in
categories and classifying them. We place them in
categories provided by our culture- it helps us interpret
our world
Ethnomethodology is how people use common sense
understandings to interpret life
These interpretations begin with background
assumptions (deeply embedded common
understandings of how the world operates and how
people ought to act)
These interpretations provide us basic directions for
living
The Social Construction of Reality
Symbolic Interactionists stress how ideas shape our
reality
The definition of the situation, or the Thomas
Theorem, if people define situations as real they are real in
their consequences
Social construction of reality- the social groups we
belong to hold particular views on life, specific ways
of looking at it. This is the use of background
experiences and assumptions to define what is real