SOCIOL 41 Lecture Notes - Lecture 60: Symbolic Interactionism, Minority Influence, Sick Role
Document Summary
Focus on how people negotiate the meaning of social life during their interactions with other people. Meaning is derived through social interaction among individuals. Humans are goal seeking, and in formulating their plans of action they must establish cooperation with others. When people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences. We are not bound by instincts like animals/insects/etc, we can create our own symbols (arbitrary) = focus on the connections between larger societal conditions (social structure) and the individual. Social structure = persisting patterns of action and interaction between people or social positions. Social role = set of normative thought, feeling, and behavior (action) patterns structured around the rights and obligations attached to a particular status. Ex: sick role, do nothing, stay in bed so you heal and get better, when you are sick you are suppose to rest, stay in bed, etc, you are allowed to make an exam up.
