Jaymie Ticknor Intro Sociology 1510 Sect 900 1 October 2013 Chapter 5 Social Interaction and Social Structure What is Society Culture general way of life including norms customs beliefs and language Society system of social interaction that includes both culture and social organization Social Interaction behavior between two or more people that is given meaning by them how people relate to each other and form a social bond Emile Durkheim described society as sui generis Latin phrase meaning a thing in itself of its own particular kind society is more than just the sum of its parts saw society as an organism comprising different parts that work together to create a unique whole point central to sociological analysis is that society takes on a life of its own that takes on shape and structure beyond immediacy of any given group of people basic idea that guides sociological thinking Macro and Microanalysis Macroanalysis sociological approach that takes the broadest view of society by studying large patterns of social interaction that are vast complex and highly differentiated Microanalysis focus on the smallest most immediately visible parts of social life Social Organization describes the order established in social groups at any level brings regularity and predictability to human behavior Social Institutions Social Institution established and organized system of social behavior with a recognized purpose broad systems that organize specific functions in society cannot be directly observed but impact and structure can still be seen family religion education etc how they take on life on their own institutional role practices and people surrounding were also shaped by the social institution that is involved Functionalist Theorists socialization of new members of the society is primarily accomplished by the family but involves other institutions Production and distribution of goods and services economy generally the institution that performs this set of tasks but may involve the family Replacement of society s members societies must have a means of replacing members who die move or migrate away Maintenance of stability and existence certain institutions government police force and military contribute toward stability and continuance of the society Providing the members with an ultimate sense of purpose creating national anthems and by encouraging patriotism in addition to providing basic values and moral codes through religion family and education Conflict Theorists social institutions of society do not provide for all its members equally Social Structure Social Structure organized pattern of social relationships and social institutions that together compose society look at society in which the sociologist analyzes the patterns in social life that reflect and produce social behavior social class distinctions are examples Marilyn Frye describes the concept of social structure using the metaphor of a birdcage if you look closely at only one wire in a cage you cannot see the other wires and then wonder why the bird within does not fly away there are people who are caged whose motion and mobility are restricted and whose lives are shaped and reduced What Holds Society Together Central question in sociology was first addressed by Emile Durkheim argued that people in society had a collective consciousness body of beliefs common to a community or society that give people a sense of belonging and a feeling of moral obligation to its demands and values gives groups social solidarity because members of a group feel they are part of one society argues that it stems from people s participation in common activities work family education and religion in short society s institutions Mechanical and Organic Solidarity Mechanical Solidarity arises when individuals play similar rather than different roles within the society particular kind of cohesiveness is weakened when a society becomes more complex Organic Solidarity occurs when people play a great variety of roles and unity is based on role differentiation not similarity Division of Labor relatedness of different tasks that develop in complex societies central concept because it represents how the different pieces of society fit together Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft Gemeinschaft German word that means community characterized by a sense of we feeling a moderate division of labor strong personal ties strong family relationships and a sense of personal loyalty social control need not be imposed externally because control comes from the internal sense of belonging that members share Gesellschaft means society increasing importance is placed on the secondary relationships people have less intimate and more instrumental relationships such as work roles instead of family or community roles characterized by less prominence of personal ties a somewhat diminished role of the nuclear family and a lessened sense of personal loyalty to the total society solidarity and cohesion remain and come from an elaborated division of labor organic solidarity greater flexibility in social roles and the instrumental ties that people have to one another Social solidarity is weaker than in the gemeinschaft society more likely to be torn by class conflict because class distinctions less prominent in gemeinschaft racial ethnic conflict more likely within gesellschaft societies because the gemeinschaft tends to be ethnically and racially very homogeneous E pluribus unum unity within diversity national motto embodies this idea this idealistic motto has only been partly realized Types of Societies Preindustrial Societies Preindustrial Society directly uses modifies and or tills the land as a major means of survival Four kinds of preindustrial societies foraging hunting gathering pastoral horticultural and agricultural societies Foraging hunting gathering societies technology enables the hunting of animals and gathering of vegetation technology does not permit the refrigeration or processing of food must search continuously for plants and game most are nomadic since hunting and gathering require large amounts of land constantly travel as they deplete the plant supply or follow the migrations of animals central institution is the family which serves as the means of distributing food training children and protecting its members gender division of labor varies occasionally wage war with other clans or similar societies use spears bows and arrows as weapons generally employ the