Symbolic Interactionist TopicsWhy do people do stupid things when they’re in groups?Lose sense of self when in a crowdCollective behavior- Herbert BlumerSomeone does something that is breaking a normPeople don’t feel as inhibited when doing that norm violationDiminishing identity and self awarenessWhat is the procedure for order food at a restaurant?Customer socializationRobin Leidner- observed McDonald’s workersHow efficient were they?Customers socialized at young age how to order foodSo engrained in us, we know how it’s doneNo dilly-dallying!McDonald’s in Russia- had to teach people how to orderPeople assume the longest line is the best lineResocializeUncouplingMethodsQuantitativeQualitative- interviewsStatisticsObservationsGeneralizabilityVerstehen- deep understandingTo PredictTo Give VoiceFindingsImplicationsStage model of uncoupling1. Secretsbegins with secretsecret make relationships possibledissatisfied partner unwittingly creates a power imbalance2. The display of discontentInitiated/dumper (poop)Both going through different transitionsInitiator is unable to approach partner in direct way that allows partner to address the issueInitiator cannot be accused of doing something unacceptablePartner can be cluelessInitiator will find transitional personBridge between old world and new world they want to get toNegotiate emotions on that journey3. mid-transitionphase initiator goes throughexploratory socialization- looking at different lifestylesenvy friends and acquaintancesTime of stress for glue that is holding couple togetherReligion- weekly commitment; initiator doesn’t want to go; different thoughtsPoliticsi.e. removal of wedding ring“doesn’t fit”“reaction to metal”no more Christmas cardsopen separate checking account4.Signals, secrecy, and collaborative cover-upPartners remained full-fledged partners in one endeavor: suppressing info about status of relationshipOccurring within routine of relationshipCollaborative: initiator sends out signals; partner is being willfully dumb towards identity as a couple5. The breakdown of cover-upinitiator’s certainty results not only from recognition but form sense of belonging elsewherepartner loves somebody elseout of left fieldhighest flaring of emotionboils down to direct confrontationinitiator can use indirect methodsfatal mistake: wait for partner to do somethingdecreased interaction: more time with friends and hobbies and less time together; hopes partner takes the hintviolates spoke/unspoken rule about the relation: purposefully break a rule about a relationshipgo carrie underwood on their ass6. Tryingchange appearancechange habitssuck-uphave exact opposite effects: come off across as needyinitiator tries to develop independent identityinitiator is already gone; has been in progress for sometime7. The initiator’s advantagesad music stagestage where partner’s life falls apartmarnie in Girls has mental breakdownhold on to symbolic tokensmovie tickets; old photosmourn loss of relationship8. going public (and the function of gossip)telling key person in social networkfamily and friends take sidescan be unpredictableword gets around9. the partner’s transition (my friends all hated her)people watching relationship from distance can assess relationship for what it really ispartners try to catch up with initiatornew life10. uncouplingparticipants become observersall contribute to each partner’s redefining self and other as separateimplications of uncouplingpatterns from chaoscouples as micro-organizations – coupling and uncoupling is a social processcan make the familiar strange and strange familiarcoupling and uncoupling is a social processsociology as therapy and self-helpnew directionsPatterned behaviorSociology is possible because human behavior is patternedFacing specific way in elevatorApplauding at appropriate times during a performanceOrganizations can lead to disfunctionCouples are micro-organizationsCouples involve several other people- friends family etc.Being able to locate ourselves in other relationships in 10 stage motto and being able to reflect on other relationships allow us to have a better understanding of ourselves and where we standRead miserable experiences and realize we’re not aloneWhat affect do online relationships have on uncoupling?Online and offline worlds not two separate realmsVery much combinedDifferent stages of uncoupling imply different gender strategiesMasculinityIs the man or woman more likely to display discontent to co-workersSymbolic interactionism- sociology is interpretation of social meaningPositivism- *Sociologist reject idea that Jones brainwashed peopleLook at organization of it and call it “religious movement”Jones “inner core” committed altruistic suicideOuter core committed fatalistic suicide (hopeless)Conversation analysis- bits of recorded information that are transcribed with high levels of detail and uses transcription to uncover details we weren’t able to notice in the moment.Not unusual for journal article to be about a 5 minute transcriptBlumer- understand the experience of peopleWhat’s Eddie Haskell doing when he tells Mrs. Cleaver that she’s wearing a lovely dress?Eddie is engaging in “impression management” to convey to Mrs. Cleaver that he’s a responsible and respectful teenWhich sociologist fist used ethnography to demonstrate the framework of symbolic interactionism?Herbert blumerA prisoner who has just been released from prison cannot cope with situation has the potential to commit what kind of suicide?Anomic- too much freedomWhich of Goffman’s dramaturgical concepts does this behavior show?Impression managementWhich of the following would not be considered part of the early “secrets” phase of marital breakup or partner separation, according to Uncoupling?The initiator engages in deep emotional labor in an effort to re-frame the partner more positivelyIn chapter 3, Vaughn argued that several things occur during the mid-transition period of a break up. According to Vaughn, which of these does not occur during this time?The couple engages in repeated cycles of trying to salvage their relationshipSociologists claim the psychological explanations for Jonestown are inadequate for all of these reasons except:The underemphasize the role of the client population is planning the mass suicideAccording to Vaughan, an initiator’s use of indirect methods to incite confrontation is a problem because:These methods shift the
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