Social Performance and Interaction Rituals

Transcription

1 9 Social Performance and Interaction Rituals Chapter Summary Socialization is an ongoing lifelong process, and humans must constantly affirm and re-adjust their presentation of self. To understand how everyday social interactions create reality, sociologists use concepts such as social actor, status, and role. A social actor is an individual who shares a common frame of reference with other social actors; status refers to the culturally-defined position an actor has in a social interaction; and a role is a behaviour performed by an actor who holds a particular social status. An example of how social interaction shapes the lives of social group members is Kerr and associates study of the local drug scene in Vancouver, BC and the everyday activities of drug users. Their study illustrates an ongoing process of socialization and how anchors from downtown Vancouver elaborate social networks and social practices. Judson Everitt s 2013 study of the socialization of new teachers also examines the process of social interaction. Everitt explains that new teachers must be active agents who both contribute to and are simultaneously constrained by the same social structures. Erving Goffman drew parallels between the everyday activities of social actors and the performance of a stage actor. Using this dramaturgical metaphor, Goffman argued that a performance, as presented by an individual social actor on a given occasion, is intended to influence other participants. Goffman was interested in the various methods social actors used to manage the impression they give others, compared to the impressions they unconsciously give off. According to Goffman, social actors must maintain a certain impression consistent with face, an activity referred to as face work. Face work tends to incorporate the officially accredited values of a society. If the expected behaviour patterns are disrupted, social actors will take ritualized steps to correct the mistake, an interchange referred to as interpersonal ritual behaviour. In his book Interaction Ritual, Goffman does not clearly define what constitutes an interaction ritual, but it has since been described as the routines by which the actions of social actors are channelled by historical and contextual expectations. These ritual interactions use symbols to produce a sense of belonging and solidarity among members of a social group. Interaction rituals give individuals a sense of identity and common purpose. According to Randall Collins, those who have gone through a successful ritual feel energized. An example of such an interaction ritual is a bridal shower, which serves to highlight family and friendship networks coming together in a show of solidarity. Learning Objectives In this chapter you will come to understand socialization as a lifelong process;

2 be introduced to basic concepts sociologists use to understand social interactions, including social status, role and role strain, achieved and ascribed statuses, prospective sense-making, and priming events; gain a clearer understanding of how social interaction shapes the lives of members of social groups; consider the transitional steps that adolescent youth go through in being initiated into a downtown drug scene; study the theories of Erving Goffman on the presentation of self in everyday social interaction; learn about the notion of social interaction as a performance; become familiar with the concepts Goffman used to explore the hidden aspects of human social interaction; reflect on the personal transformations that occur during the process of becoming a physician in Canada; and think critically about interaction rituals. Key Concepts/Terms Achieved status (p. 223) A status that is assumed voluntarily, usually reflecting some ability or at least some effort. Ascribed status (p. 223) A status that is involuntarily assigned to an individual regardless of her abilities or inclinations. Backstage (p. 230) Goffman s term for the actions or interactions not intended for public view but that support a public role performance. Emotional entrainment (p. 236) A situation in which participants in an interaction ritual become caught up in each other s emotions, leading to a mutual intensification of emotional energy, shared feelings, and common focus of attention. Front stage (p. 230) Goffman s term for the setting where social performances meant to be seen take place. The front stage defines the situation in a general way for both an audience and a performer. Impression management (p. 231) Goffman s term for the activity engaged in by a social actor in order to guard against unintended gestures, improper use of language, and other social faux pas. Master status (p. 223) A status that has exceptional importance in shaping an individual s identity and life chances. Outside (p. 230) Goffman s term for those areas irrelevant to the performance of a particular social role or to a particular social situation. Personal front (p. 231) Goffman s term for the props used by a social actor to make others believe that the role being played is genuine.

3 Priming events (pp. 227) Events through which people develop the values and perspectives shared among the members of a group in which one is not yet engaged but which one is likely to enter (Merton, 1968, p. 438, and cited in Everitt, 2013, p. 179). Role set (p. 223) All of the roles attached to a single status. Role strain (p. 223) A situation that can occur when there is tension among the various roles attached to a status, or even between the roles attached to different statuses. Self-control (p. 231) The ability to temper one s actions, particularly in the face of strong emotions and desires, especially in difficult situations. Sex work (p. 225) All forms of commercialized sex, including pornography, prostitution, stripping, and telephone sex. Social role (p. 223) The behaviour performed by an individual who holds a particular social status. Status (p. 223) The culturally defined social position that an individual holds in a social interaction, defining a person s identity and relationship to others. Study Questions Fill-in-the-Blank Questions 1. A(n) status is assumed voluntarily and usually reflects some ability or at least some effort. 2. Randall Collins considers to form the mechanism that holds society together. 3. Goffman observed that personal fronts frequently become. 4. Goffman used the term for the activity in which a social actor engages to guard against the unexpected. 5. It may be necessary for actors to conceal, which are tasks that are degrading. Short Answer Questions What did Brenda Beagan discover in her study of medical students? In addition to showing their care and support of the bride-to-be, what do friends and relatives get out of attending a bridal shower? What concepts did Goffman use to develop his dramaturgical metaphor further? Briefly describe each concept. What is a social role and when can role strain occur?

4 What is one of the first critical moments that occurs when young people are initiated into injection drug use? Annotated Resources Readings Collins, R. (1986). The Rising of Intellectual Generations: Reflections on the Death of Erving Goffman. Sociological Theory, 4(1): Randall Collins remembers Erving Goffman and reflects on Goffman s intellectual career and contributions to sociology. Rosenhan, D. L. (1973). On being sane in insane places. Science, 179, Rosenhan s famous study examines the validity of psychiatric diagnoses. But in doing so, Rosen also drew upon the work of Goffman to discuss the socialization process that occurs when one enters an asylum. Collins, R. (2005). The Sociology of Almost Everything: Four Questions to Randall Collins about Interaction Ritual Chains. CJS Online. This article is part of the Canadian Journal of Sociology s Review Forum, in which Randall Collins responds to Peter Baehr concerning his 2004 book Interaction Ritual Chains. Website Hope in the Shadows This website celebrates the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. The website contributors argue that traditional media only focuses on the drug addiction and despair of the Downtown Eastside and miss the strong social bonds and culture of acceptance that makes this community unique. Multimedia We Live in Public. Directed by Ondi Timoner We Live in Public is a documentary that profiles Internet pioneer Josh Harris, who became interested in the impact of media and technology on the self and how we trade privacy for social contact. The Codes of Gender: Identity and Performance in Pop Culture. Directed by Sut Jhally The Codes of Gender documents the role played by advertising and popular culture in the construction of gender identity as a means of social control.

5 Through a Blue Lens. National Film Board of Canada This film follows members of the Vancouver police force that have named themselves The Odd Squad. The film follows these police officers as they interact with and try to help many people who have found themselves addicted to drugs and living in poverty. Strombo. (2007, May 1). Ishmael Beah -- Child Soldier [Video file]. In this short clip from CBC s The Hour, Ishmeal Beah explains the socialization process he endured to become a child soldier during the Sierra Leon civil war.

6 Study Questions Answer Key Fill-in-the-Blank Questions 1. achieved (p. 223) 2. interaction rituals (p. 234) 3. institutionalized (p. 231) 4. impression management (p. 231) 5. dirty work (p. 232) Short Answer Questions 1. Brenda Beagan explored how medical students undergo a process of socialization, discovering that impression management was a central aspect of medical training and that students adopt a cloak of confidence associated with their attempts at playing the role of a physician. (pp ) 2. During a bridal shower, the friends and relatives get to demonstrate and reaffirm their commitment not only to the bride-to-be but also to the larger community. (pp ) 3. Goffman developed his dramaturgical metaphor further by introducing the concepts front stage, backstage, and outside. The front stage is where the performance takes place; the backstage is relevant to the performance, but the audience is excluded; and the outside is where neither performers nor audience are involved in the performance. 4. A social role is the behaviour performed by a social actor who occupies or holds a particular social status. Role strain can occur when there is tension among the various roles attached to a status, or even between the roles attached to different statuses. (p. 223) 5. Ethnographers who study adolescent drug users have learned that at some point in their initiation into injection drug use, the stigma around using injection drugs is replaced by curiosity about using the drugs. This can happen when a young person spends time in an area where drug use has been made a non-exceptional, normal event, and where the risk associated with the drug has been constructed as being acceptable. (pp )