Sociology Exam #2 Study Guide
Exam #2 Study Review
Chapter 4
social interaction • The process by which we act and react to those around us.
microsociology • The study of human behavior in contexts of face-to-face interaction.
civil inattention • The process whereby individuals in the same physical setting demonstrate to one another that they are aware of each other’s presence.
impression management • Preparing for the presentation of one’s social role.
social position • The social identity an individual has in a given group or society. Social positions may be general in nature (those associated with gender roles) or may be more specific (occupational positions).
status • The social honor or prestige that a particular group is accorded by other members of a society. Status groups normally display distinct styles of life— patterns of behavior that the members of a group follow. Status privilege may be positive or negative. Pariah status groups are regarded with disdain or treated as outcasts by the majority of the population.
social role • Socially defined expectations of an individual in a given status, or occupying a particular social position. In every society, individuals play a number of social roles, such as teenager, parent, worker, or political leader.
impression management • Preparing for the presentation of one’s social role.
Erving Goffman was a highly influential sociologist who created a new field of study called microsociology, or social interaction. Goffman believed that sociologists needed to concern themselves with seemingly trivial aspects of everyday social behavior. Goffman argued that the study of such apparently insignificant forms of social interaction is of major importance in sociology and, far from being uninteresting, is one of the most absorbing of all areas of sociological investigation.
Types of Interaction:
unfocused interaction • Interaction occurring among people present in a particular setting but not engaged in direct
Chapter 4
social interaction • The process by which we act and react to those around us.
microsociology • The study of human behavior in contexts of face-to-face interaction.
civil inattention • The process whereby individuals in the same physical setting demonstrate to one another that they are aware of each other’s presence.
impression management • Preparing for the presentation of one’s social role.
social position • The social identity an individual has in a given group or society. Social positions may be general in nature (those associated with gender roles) or may be more specific (occupational positions).
status • The social honor or prestige that a particular group is accorded by other members of a society. Status groups normally display distinct styles of life— patterns of behavior that the members of a group follow. Status privilege may be positive or negative. Pariah status groups are regarded with disdain or treated as outcasts by the majority of the population.
social role • Socially defined expectations of an individual in a given status, or occupying a particular social position. In every society, individuals play a number of social roles, such as teenager, parent, worker, or political leader.
impression management • Preparing for the presentation of one’s social role.
Erving Goffman was a highly influential sociologist who created a new field of study called microsociology, or social interaction. Goffman believed that sociologists needed to concern themselves with seemingly trivial aspects of everyday social behavior. Goffman argued that the study of such apparently insignificant forms of social interaction is of major importance in sociology and, far from being uninteresting, is one of the most absorbing of all areas of sociological investigation.
Types of Interaction:
unfocused interaction • Interaction occurring among people present in a particular setting but not engaged in direct