status inconsistancy, role conflict, and social structure
...awake at 8:00 a.m., I go to work to play the role of a cook. At 5:00 p.m. my role switches into being a student. Again my role changes when I receive a phone call from my parents, I take in the role of a son. Each of these roles asks of a different aspect of me, some share the same concepts. For example, when there is extra work that needs to be done at my job it creates a conflict for me to fulfill my role as a student; it overlaps within the time I am a student. This is known as role conflict. “Conflicts that someone feels between roles because the expectations attached to one role are incompatible with the role expectations of another role.” (Pg. 116) While role conflict is struggle between several roles; role strain is conflict within a role. Occasionally, at work I see someone sneaking food, this is against the rules at Molly McGee’s. This creates a role strain for me that I must choose whether to look the other way or report this theft to my management. Question IV: Pgs. 99-104 According to James M. Henslin in Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach “ The sociological significance of social structure is that it guides our behavior.”(Pg. 100) Henslin defines social structure as “The framework that surrounds us consisting of the relationships of people and groups to one another, which give direction to and set limits on behavior.”(Pg. 99) There are seven different elements to social structure; culture, social class, social status, roles, groups and social institutions. As we already know, Henslin defines culture as “groups, language, beliefs, values, behavior and even material objects that are passed from one generation to the next.” (Pg. 39) Culture helps define each individual’s social structure by giving them limits between the acceptable and the taboo. An example of this is how the women in the Middle East must cover their faces with scarves lest they be stoned for breaking a cultural taboo. Their culture helps define their social structure by placing women at a lower level then the men. Another significant part of social structure is social class. Social class is based on income, education, and occupational prestige. An example of this was the presidential race. If I were to run for president I would not get past the primaries; this is because I am a cook and my father is a network salesman. However, President George W. Bush benefits from his family “name” because of its recognition to his father, former president of the United States of America. Social class is an important part of social structure because it makes us want to be better than we already are. However, social status helps us know who we are at the moment. Social Status is “the position that someone occupies in society or a social group.”(Pg. 101) This helps direct our conduct, such as a rock star. Some in this group feel that they may act however they desire. They might trash a hotel room, molest children or even get away with murder. “The difference between social status and social roles is that you occupy a social status and you play a social role.” (Pg. 103) A social role is “the behaviors, obligations, and privileges attached to a status.” When attending my grandmother’s cousin’s funeral, I played a role of grieving grandson. Even though I never met her, I played this role because it is sociably acceptable in this situation. While roles are important to social structure groups are also v...