Micro-Sociological Explanations in Daily Interactions - Coursework Example

Micro Sociological Explanations in Relation to Our Daily Interactions Name Instructor Institution Date Introduction Social life forms an ultimate aspect of social interaction. It defines the habits in which individual acts and responds to actions from other people. John Donne once said that ‘‘no man is an island’’, based on this, all individuals intermingle with one another virtually in numerous ways times (Bell et al., 2012). In order for social order to exist, effective social interaction is essential. In response, sociologists describe the social life of man by evaluating how and why individuals interact in certain ways. Therefore, Microbiology is a core branch of sociology that focuses on human social interactions. It is basically centered on interpretative analysis rather than empirical observation. Besides, microsociology is an umbrella term which highlights on agency and discrete techniques, especially regarding the American sociology (Buskens,et al.,2012). Social Roles Vs. personalities, conflicts and social interactions Sulek (2011) defines roles as expected behaviors depicted by individuals in certain status. In spite of personal differences, if one is entrusted with a certain position, they are often mandated to act in a certain way connected to the status. Hence, roles are fundamentals aspects when creating social interactions. However, if these roles are violated, social order will break down. For instance, a cahier working in a store cannot dare to enquire the customer about their sex life. Such questions are often asked by very close friends and not cahiers. Sandstrom (2013) argue that unanticipated actions like these frequently underscore how delicate social order is and as a consequence, individuals are continuously molding the social reality to fit the circumstances. For example, students were once asked to act like strangers to their parents. Not surprisingly, the parents were flustered and wondered what school was doing to their children. From the above, it is evident that social reality is often socially constructed. It is what one makes of it, and persons who interact tend to aid construct the reality of the circumstances in which they interrelate. This process is referred to us as the social construction of reality. Even though, we typically find ourselves in a situation with shared comprehension of what is about to take place, as the interaction continues to define the circumstance and hence to build its reality (Buskens,et al.,2012). Roles and personalities Daniel & Rod, (2011) argues that roles can shape one’s personality. Basically, this occurs when we assume new roles in the society. The anticipation of the role tends to change our way of interactions with others as well as the way we see ourselves. Stigma is a severe social disapproval that occurs as a result of deviance of social norms. Stigma may be identified into three main forms, namely; stigma related to body deformation, mental illness and stigma associated with identification with certain race, religion or ideology, among others. In addition, stigma can be a source of spoiling self-identity. Stigma can be avoided through social control and it is often based on the dynamic relationships that occur in our daily lives. Deviance on the hand can be defined as actions that disrupt both formal and informal cultural practices such as laws or public nose-picking. However, deviant behavior is often relative within societies. Deviance can be probabilistic, subjective or relative depending on the subject, people’s perceptions and social context respectively. Roles and conflicts According to Collins & Sanderson (2009) roles tend to improve our interactions with the society. However, roles may also result to various kinds of challenges. For instance, roles can lead to role conflict which occurs as consequence of conflicting statuses. For example, if one is a parent and also a student, and one day their one year old child falls sick. There will be a conflict between one’s role as a mother and a role as a student. For them to fulfill their role a parent, they must stay home with the sick baby. And at the time, to accomplish the role of a student, one should attend their classes and take the exams as scheduled. From the above example, it is obvious that one cannot accomplish both roles at ones. So, In order to solve the role conflict, one should customarily choose between the two roles of which turn out to be a hard decision. In the above example, if the one decides to take care of the sick baby, they will miss the classes and the exam, and leaving the child alone is an unacceptable and illegal behavior.in such a case, you should always find alternatives when handling conflicting roles. In the above example, one can find a friend to help with the baby as they get back to school. In the case of frequent and severe role conflicts, one can as well totally quit one of the statuses altogether (Buskens,et al., 2012). Secondly, role strain is another role related challenge encountered on daily interactions. This results from the inability to handle competing demands from various people. For instance, a high school principal handles individuals with different statuses such as students, support staff, school board members, teachers, the community as well as the custodial. These statuses frequently pose competing demands and as one tries to please each every one of them, they are more likely to experience role strain as shown below in the picture below (Hobbs, et al., 2012). Thirdly, another role challenge may occur when one occupies a certain status that demands for a specific personality contrast to one’s personality. For instance, can you imagine employing a doctor who is afraid of syringes, or an athlete who hates competing with other athletes? To avoid this kind of problems, one should always choose roles that best suit their personalities Dramaturgy and impression management From a sociological point of view, social interactions are linked to a performance in a play. For instance, Shakespeare in his prose once stated that the world is a stage, and that all men and women were simply players. He further explains that one man can play many roles. From this perspective, each person has distinct parts to play in life, and many of these parts often specify how one should interact in any given circumstances(Bell et al.,2012).This fundamental metaphor was created and made famous in 1959 by sociologist Erving Goffman. In his writings, he termed this as a dramaturgical approach. He argued that social interaction is like a theatrical performance. Individuals who interrelate are like actors on a stage, everything they do as well as say, are seemingly equivalent to roles played by the actors and the observers are like the audience in a play. Goffman further states that the presentation of self often directs social interaction the same way they guide behavior in a play. When individuals interrelate, they routinely try to show positive impression of themselves to other people whom they interact with just like the actors in plays. Our behaviors in a church vary greatly from our behavior in a club (Daniel & Rod 2011). As result, it is important to manage our impressions depending on the situations. One can act consciously or unconsciously to avoid evoking negative reactions from people we interact with. Emotions and social interactions Von, (2012) states that when we constantly interact with other people, one tends to develop some certain emotions that involves psychological changes that may lead to a desire to engage certain actions. Astoundingly, sociologists and the evolutionary biologists incline to differ in regard to the origin of emotions. Many evolutionary biologists argue that human emotions emerged as a result of human civilizations. On the contrary, sociological approach highlights that emotions are socially developed. It further explains that in order for individuals to display their emotions appropriately, one can learn from their own culture as well as from their social interaction with other people. In particular, various statuses and roles define specific emotions for certain status in a specific social surrounding. For example, one is anticipated to be mournful in a funeral and happy in a wedding. Emotions are therefore socially constructed as they are determined by the roles played and situations that surround us (Daniel & Rod, 2011). Emotions play significant roles in our social interactions and at the same time, social interactions lead to the rise of emotions. Consequently, sociologists have described several features of emotions in relation to social interactions. Sometimes, hypocritical displays of emotions are cast-off to manipulate a situation. For example, one may cry ‘‘crocodile tears’’ in order to gain sympathy or avoid social disapproval. Many are the time when we find ourselves in circumstances that calls for definite emotions that we merely do not feel. This process is termed as emotion work. Having to engage in this emotions against our wish often makes one develop other feelings such as anger or frustration (Sandstrom, 2013). Another aspect that greatly influences our emotions is gender. According to studies, women cry more intensely and frequently compared to men. On the other hand, men tend outwardly display anger more frequent than women. However, this may be influenced with certain factors such as culture, social origins and socialization. Last but not least, emotions may differ among various social classes. Notably, positive emotions are associated with successful social interactions that lead to positive outcome such as self-confidence that can make one gain a higher rank job position. A according to Hobbs et al., (2012), positive emotions are more prevalent among the wealthy whereas, negative ones are more common among the poor. The upper classes tend to gain from the positive emotions while the lower class experiences various problems as a result of the negative emotions. Therefore, to some extent, social classes may define one’s emotions. Nonverbal social interactions Social interactions can be both verbal and nonverbal. Nonverbal communication basically includes the use of gestures in communicating. It is often determined by the distance between the two parties. When talking to some someone, sometimes there tend to be much of nonverbal interactions past the gestures. In many cases, one may engage in facial expressions such as frowning, smile or laugh sometimes with or without their consent that may makes the other party realize how they feel about the topic in discussion. Sometimes, what is nonverbally communicated is more important than that which is verbally said (Von, 2012). Sulek, (2013) depicts that body gesture is a significant aspect of nonverbal communication. This is often combined with facial expressions to depict how one feels. For instance, individuals may cross their arms and glare at someone to show anger. Similarly, one may slouch in a chair to display boredom or comfort and neither of the posture is appropriate during an interview. Men and women may engross in specific postures when flirting with someone. They often consciously or unconsciously sit or stand in a certain way to show how interested they are in particular individual. Furthermore, gender tends to influence how people communicate nonverbally. According to studies, women tend to have more facial expressions compared to men. They are more likely to smile, nod or even cry than their opposite sex. Correspondingly, women tend to stare directly into the eyes of people when interacting more than men. Such gazing is intended to express interest rather than threats during the social interaction. On the hand, men are likely to glare at someone in a threatening way than women (Buskens et al., 2012). Conclusion Social interactions can be defined as series of efforts at impression management. Correspondingly, People are more likely to control their impressions during social interactions. Furthermore, various roles strains and challenges may occur as a result of the conflicting demands from the several statuses they occupy. Emotions and nonverbal communication are significant constituents of social interaction. References Buskens, V. W., Raub, W., & Assen, M. . (2012). Micro-macro links and microfoundations in sociology. London: Routledge. Sandstrom, K. (2013). Inside social life: Readings in sociological psychology and microsociology. New York: Oxford University Press. Daniel, C., & Rod, M. (2011). microsociology. Oxford University Press. Sulek, A. (November 17, 2011). The limits of experiment in macro- and microsociology. Studia Socjologiczne, 1, 139-156 Von, S. C. (March 01, 2012). The social calibration of emotion expression: An affective basis of micro-social order. Sociological Theory, 30, 1, 1-14. Hobbs, J. R., Sagae, A., & Wertheim, S. (December 01, 2012). Toward a commonsense theory of microsociology: Interpersonal relationships. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications, Bell, D. C., Atkinson-Schnell, J. L., & DiBacco, A. E. (March 01, 2012). Explaining Society: An Expanded Toolbox for Social Scientists. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 4, 1, 48-66 Read More

Stigma is a severe social disapproval that occurs as a result of deviance of social norms. Stigma may be identified into three main forms, namely; stigma related to body deformation, mental illness and stigma associated with identification with certain race, religion or ideology, among others. In addition, stigma can be a source of spoiling self-identity. Stigma can be avoided through social control and it is often based on the dynamic relationships that occur in our daily lives. Deviance on the hand can be defined as actions that disrupt both formal and informal cultural practices such as laws or public nose-picking.

However, deviant behavior is often relative within societies. Deviance can be probabilistic, subjective or relative depending on the subject, people’s perceptions and social context respectively. Roles and conflicts According to Collins & Sanderson (2009) roles tend to improve our interactions with the society. However, roles may also result to various kinds of challenges. For instance, roles can lead to role conflict which occurs as consequence of conflicting statuses. For example, if one is a parent and also a student, and one day their one year old child falls sick.

There will be a conflict between one’s role as a mother and a role as a student. For them to fulfill their role a parent, they must stay home with the sick baby. And at the time, to accomplish the role of a student, one should attend their classes and take the exams as scheduled. From the above example, it is obvious that one cannot accomplish both roles at ones. So, In order to solve the role conflict, one should customarily choose between the two roles of which turn out to be a hard decision.

In the above example, if the one decides to take care of the sick baby, they will miss the classes and the exam, and leaving the child alone is an unacceptable and illegal behavior.in such a case, you should always find alternatives when handling conflicting roles. In the above example, one can find a friend to help with the baby as they get back to school. In the case of frequent and severe role conflicts, one can as well totally quit one of the statuses altogether (Buskens,et al., 2012). Secondly, role strain is another role related challenge encountered on daily interactions.

This results from the inability to handle competing demands from various people. For instance, a high school principal handles individuals with different statuses such as students, support staff, school board members, teachers, the community as well as the custodial. These statuses frequently pose competing demands and as one tries to please each every one of them, they are more likely to experience role strain as shown below in the picture below (Hobbs, et al., 2012). Thirdly, another role challenge may occur when one occupies a certain status that demands for a specific personality contrast to one’s personality.

For instance, can you imagine employing a doctor who is afraid of syringes, or an athlete who hates competing with other athletes? To avoid this kind of problems, one should always choose roles that best suit their personalities Dramaturgy and impression management From a sociological point of view, social interactions are linked to a performance in a play. For instance, Shakespeare in his prose once stated that the world is a stage, and that all men and women were simply players. He further explains that one man can play many roles.

From this perspective, each person has distinct parts to play in life, and many of these parts often specify how one should interact in any given circumstances(Bell et al.,2012).This fundamental metaphor was created and made famous in 1959 by sociologist Erving Goffman. In his writings, he termed this as a dramaturgical approach. He argued that social interaction is like a theatrical performance. Individuals who interrelate are like actors on a stage, everything they do as well as say, are seemingly equivalent to roles played by the actors and the observers are like the audience in a play.

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