Groups, Statuses, Roles

HW: Read Joel Charon's Should We Generalize?

Reviewing yesterday
Yesterday, we discussed the Abandon Ship simulation.  We examined how the simulation can be an example of both macrosociology and microsociology.
1.  Can you explain how each of these apply to the simulation?
2.  How do they apply to your research?

The simulation can also be analyzed using the theories of sociological imagination and social construction of reality.
3. Can you explain how each of these can be used to analyze the simulation?


Sociological Literacy: Groups and Social Structure

Groups
Yesterday's simulation can also be an example of groups.  The group was the people on the boat.  That group was an aggregate, which is just a random group of people like a crowd or people waiting in line at a store.  A group can be as few as two or as many as millions of people.  On your notes page titled "Social Network", put yourself in the center and then around the outside,  list the most important groups that you are a part of.  What are the groups that influence you?  Remember that groups can be as small as two or as large as millions.  Some groups interact with you and others simply shape your perception of who you are.  One way to think about this is who do you spend your days with?  You are not alone.  Think about who you are with in the morning, daytime, afternoon,  and evening.  And then who are you with during the week, on weekends, and in different seasons?

Status
Status is our position within each group.  For example, in the boat simulation, the descriptions of each person was made up of statuses: father, captain, student, elderly, etc... Next to each group list your status within it.  Note that in some groups, like family, you might have multiple statuses such as son, brother, uncle.

Master Status
After you list all of your statuses, choose your master status.  A master status is an individual's most important, most defining status.  It is a status that he/she takes with them everywhere they go.  It might be a status that is always present in his/her mind, or it might be a status that everyone else sees her/him with.   Put a star next to your master status.

I am always interested by all of the groups that students are influenced by and especially the unexpected groups that surprise me along the way. Sometimes it is someone who I never thought to be religious and they list a religion or sometimes it is someone who I never realized was black who lists her race as an important influence on her. All of these groups we belong to are the complex way we as individuals are made up and that is the way sociologists understand individuals; through their groups.  For example, I am part of a family, a school, a group of friends and a neighborhood. In each of these groups I have a status (dad, teacher, friend) and each of these statuses comes with a role that is expected of me (make dinner, show up prepared for class, return a phone call, etc...).

These groups shape my life. Each group creates expectations for your actions.  These expectations are called roles.  For example after becoming a dad I will never be the same. I can't help looking at kids through the eyes of a parent; I think about music lyrics differently; I am overly critical and cognizant of my own behavior and manners etc... These groups can also come into conflict in an individual's daily life.  For example, if I have to go home and cook dinner and my daughter demands attention, it is very difficult to get grading and lessons prepared for the next day, and if a friend calls to socialize or to get together, that becomes a third conflict.  My roles as a parent, teacher and friend are all conflicting. This is called role conflict.  There are also times when I experience what sociologists call role strain.  That is when I am having difficulty meeting the expectations of one role.  An example of this might be parenting. I have never been a parent before and so when my daughter is challenging me, I am not always certain how to react; do I give in, ignore or punish her?  Some statuses we choose (achieved statuses) like those I already mentioned, but sometimes we are not given a choice (ascribed statuses) like that of being bald, or white, or a son.


I hope this exercise helps students see that our class might seem homogeneous but really it is quite diverse. The unique diversity comes from each person's membership in different groups. I hope this is another way we can become sociologically mindful of each other in the class; that is, we can appreciate each person's unique membership in different groups.  This way we can be more understanding of each other and more compassionate for each other.