IPP-ITS-Lecture-06-08102025-095559am.pptx

social interaction and social structure

1. Lecture: 06 Social Interaction and Social Structure Edited by: Baqir Ali

2. 1. Social Interaction and Negotiated Order Social Interaction is the process by which people act and react in relation to others. It is the core subject of Microsociology (Symbolic Interactionism). Negotiated Order Coined by sociologist Anselm Strauss , a negotiated order refers to the dynamic and fluid nature of social structure that is continuously being created, maintained, and modified through ongoing social interaction and negotiation. Core Idea: Even within seemingly rigid institutions (like a hospital, courtroom, or school), the rules are rarely absolute. People constantly negotiate the meaning of rules, roles, and tasks to get things done.

3. Past Context (Total Institutions): In a traditional psychiatric hospital (a total institution), staff and patients informally negotiate the enforcement of rules (e.g., granting small, unauthorized privileges) to maintain a semblance of peace and cooperation, illustrating that the official structure is always moderated by interaction. Present Context (Workplace): The "return to office" debate following the pandemic demonstrates a negotiated order. Companies (macro structure) set rigid policies, but employee interactions, collective resistance, and individual appeals force management to continually negotiate the actual terms of remote work.

4. 2. Concepts and Elements of Social Structure Social Structure refers to any relatively stable pattern of social behavior. It is the framework that organizes and limits our choices and behavior in society. This is the domain of Macrosociology (Functionalism and Conflict Theory). Elements of Social Structure Social structure is built from several fundamental components: Status: A socially defined position that a person occupies in society. It is a label that comes with certain expectations and rights. Ascribed Status: A social position received at birth or involuntarily assumed later in life (e.g., race, gender, being a "son" or "daughter").

5. Achieved Status: A social position that a person assumes voluntarily and reflects personal effort and ability (e.g., college graduate, doctor, criminal). Master Status: A status that has exceptional importance for social identity, often shaping a person's entire life. (e.g., "President," "disabled person," "Olympic athlete"). Role: A set of expected behaviors, attitudes, and responsibilities associated with a particular status. Status is a position; role is the behavior expected of that position

6. Role Dynamics and Conflict The performance of roles is central to social life but is often complex. Role Conflict: Results from the incompatibility among roles corresponding to two or more different statuses. Example (Present Context): A female executive (achieved status) experiences role conflict when she is expected to attend a late-night business meeting (executive role) while simultaneously being expected to pick up her sick child from daycare (mother role).

7. Role Strain: Tension among roles connected to a single status. Example (Past Context): A factory foreman (status) may experience role strain, feeling pressured to meet production quotas (management role expectation) while also needing to maintain solidarity and morale among the workers he supervises (team expectation). Role Exit: The process of disengaging from a role that is central to one's self-identity. It typically involves a four-stage process: doubt, search for alternatives, action stage (leaving), and creating a new identity.

8. 3. Sociological Theories on Structure and Interaction Structural Functionalism (Macro Perspective) Functionalists view social structure as essential because it provides stability and predictability. View on Status/Role: Social structure is a large, integrated system of complementary statuses and roles. Every status (e.g., mother, teacher, doctor) has a role that fulfills a function necessary for the survival of the society. Global Context: The traditional caste system in India (a highly rigid, ascribed status structure) was viewed by early functionalists as functional because it provided a stable, predictable division of labor and reduced competition, thus maintaining social order (though at a cost to individual freedom).

9. Conflict Theory (Macro Perspective) Conflict theorists view social structure as inherently unequal, benefiting the powerful while disadvantaging others. View on Status/Role: Social structure is maintained through power, privilege, and inequality. Ascribed statuses like race and gender often become master statuses that limit opportunities regardless of achieved efforts. Contemporary Context: Conflict theorists analyze the current global economic structure where certain nations (Western societies) maintain economic dominance, making it difficult for developing nations (Eastern/Global South) to achieve higher status, thus perpetuating a global structure of inequality.

10. Symbolic Interactionism (Micro Perspective) Interactionists focus on how individuals create, maintain, and change social structure through their everyday interaction (the negotiated order). View on Status/Role: Roles are not merely scripts to be followed; they are raw materials that actors interpret and perform. The interactionist focus is on role-making (how we shape the role) rather than just role-taking (how we learn the role).

11. 4. Social Structure in Global Perspective: Tönnies' Dichotomy Sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies offered a seminal model for comparing the types of social structure found across societies, often used to contrast traditional and modern forms of social organization. Concept Characteristic Past/Eastern Context Present/Western Context Gemeinschaft (Community) Characterized by personal, close-knit, informal social ties based on kinship, tradition, and shared values. Social control is maintained through moral pressure. Past/Traditional Societies: Villages, small religious communities, and the clan-based structures historically dominant in many Asian societies. Isolated Pockets in Modern Societies: Amish communities in the US or small, remote tribal groups.

12. Gesellschaft (Society) Characterized by impersonal, practical, and functional social ties based on self-interest, formal organization, and contract. Social control is maintained by formal laws. Present/Modern Societies : Large cities, corporations, and the highly complex, bureaucratic states of the West. The Dominant Global Structure: Financial markets, global logistics, and multinational corporations are entirely Gesellschaft in nature.

13. Synthesis: All real-world societies are a blend of both Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. The global trend, however, is a shift toward Gesellschaft structures driven by industrialization, urbanization, and technology. This sociological framework helps us analyze how, for instance, a first-generation immigrant from a Gemeinschaft society in rural Asia adapts to the Gesellschaft environment of a Western city.