Download Sociology, grade 122016/2017Aliaa El Sawy Unit One: Culture and

Sociology, grade 12
2016/2017
Aliaa El Sawy
Unit One: Culture and Social Structure
Chapter 4: Social Structure
Section One: Building Blocks of Social Structure
Sociological Terms and Definitions:
1 ) social structure: the network of interrelated statuses and roles that guide human interaction
2 )status: a socially defined position in a group or in a society
3 ) role: the behavior (the rights and obligations) expected of someone occupying a particular status
4 ) ascribed status: a social status based on a person’s inherited traits or are assigned automatically when a
person reaches a certain age
5 ) achieved status: a social status achieved through a person’s own direct efforts
6 ) master status: a social status that tends to take rank above all other statuses
7 ) reciprocal roles: corresponding roles that define the patterns of interaction between related statuses
8 ) role expectations: the socially determined behaviors expected of a person performing a role
9 ) role performance: people’s actual role behavior
10 ) role set: the different roles attached to a single status
11 ) role conflict: when fulfilling the role expectations of one status makes it difficult to fulfill the role
expectations of another status
12 ) role strain: when a person has difficulty meeting the role expectations of a single status
13 ) social institutions : groups in which social statuses and their related roles are organized to satisfy one or
more of the basic needs of society
Self Evaluating Questions
A) Answer the Following Questions:
1) What are the two major building blocks of social structure?
2) Identify: Give an example of an ascribed status and an example of an achieved status.
3) Explain: How are status and role related?
4) Identify Main Ideas: What is the situation called in which contradictory expectations arise from a single status
held by an individual?
5) Identify Cause and Effect: Why do role conflict and role strain occur?
6) Find the Main Idea: What purpose do social institutions serve?
7) Contrast: What is the difference between ascribed status and achieved status?
8) Draw Conclusions: Why do individuals have many different statuses?
9) Make a Judgment: Do you think a society can exist without a social structure? Why or why not?
10) No, without a structure a society would break down in chaos; people would not know how to
interact.
B ) TRUE/FALSE Mark each statement T if it is true or F if it is false. If false explain why.
_____ 1. When a father leaves a demanding job in the middle of an important meeting to attend his daughter’s
first soccer game, he is experiencing role exit.
______________________________________________________________
_____ 2. The socially determined behaviors expected of a person performing a role are called role performances.
______________________________________________________________
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Sociology, grade 12
2016/2017
Aliaa El Sawy
_____ 3. Master status plays the greatest role in shaping a person’s life and determining his or her social identity.
______________________________________________________________
_____ 4. Sociologists call the different roles attached to a single status a role set.
______________________________________________________________
_____ 5. Gender, race, and family heritage are examples of achieved statuses.
______________________________________________________________
C ) Write The Sociological Terms:
1 ) _______________________: the network of interrelated statuses and roles that guide human interaction
2 ) _______________________: a socially defined position in a group or in a society
3 ) _______________________: the behavior (the rights and obligations) expected of someone occupying a
particular status
4 ) _______________________: a social status based on a person’s inherited traits or are assigned automatically
when a person reaches a certain age
5 ) _______________________: a social status achieved through a person’s own direct efforts
6 ) _______________________: a social status that tends to take rank above all other statuses
7 ) __________________: corresponding roles that define the patterns of interaction between related statuses
8 ) _______________________: the socially determined behaviors expected of a person performing a role
9 ) _______________________: people’s actual role behavior
10 ) _______________________: the different roles attached to a single status
11 ) _______________________: when fulfilling the role expectations of one status makes it difficult to fulfill
the role expectations of another status
12 ) _______________________: when a person has difficulty meeting the role expectations of a single status
13 ) _______________________: groups in which social statuses and their related roles are organized to satisfy
one or more of the basic needs of society
Answers
A) Answer the Following Questions:
1) Status: a socially defined position in a group or in society, has attached to it one or more role // Role: the
behavior expected of someone occupying a particular status
2) ascribed status—teenager // achieved status—friend
3) Role is the behavior attached to a status.
4) role strain
5) Contradictory expectations occur within and between role sets.
6) provide physical and emotional support for members, transmit knowledge, produce goods and services,
maintain social control
7) Ascribed status are assigned status according to qualities beyond a person’s control. // Achieved status are
acquired through own direct efforts.
8) They belong to more than one group.
9) No, without a structure a society would break down in chaos; people would not know how to interact.
B ) TRUE/FALSE Mark each statement T if it is true or F if it is false. If false explain why.
(1. F; role conflict ) // ( 2. F; role expectations ) // (3. T) // (4. T) // (5. F; ascribed status)
C ) Write The Sociological Terms: Refer to your sheet.
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