SociologyLesson 3 of 3 in the course Society and Social Interaction

Social Construction, Status, and Role Performance in Society

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Society may seem like a fixed part of the world, but sociologists explain that it is continually made and maintained through human interaction. This lesson introduces how repeated actions become social habits, how shared understandings create institutions, and how beliefs can shape real outcomes.

In The Social Construction of Reality (1966), sociologists Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann argued that society is created through human activity and interaction. People develop recurring patterns of behavior, and those patterns can come to seem natural or inevitable.

All flashcards

Role strain
Difficulty meeting competing demands within a single social role.
Role conflict
Tension between expectations attached to different roles held by one person.
Impression management
Efforts to influence how other people perceive oneself.
Role performance
The way a person carries out a role in a particular situation.
Looking-glass self
The idea that perceived judgments from others partly shape a person's sense of self.

Quiz questions

  1. In sociology, what is the difference between a status and a role?Answer: A status is a social position; a role is behavior expected of someone in that position.
  2. Which is an example of an ascribed status?Answer: Being a child, a position received rather than chosen.
  3. What does the term role-set refer to?Answer: The array of connected roles associated with one social status.
  4. What does Goffman's dramaturgical approach compare social interaction to?Answer: A theatrical performance in which people perform roles for others.
  5. According to Cooley's looking-glass self, how can other people affect a person's self-concept?Answer: Perceived reactions from others can influence how the person views themself.

Based on Introduction to Sociology 3e by Tonja R. Conerly, Kathleen Holmes, Asha Lal Tamang (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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