SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND SOCIAL

INTERACTION

You’ve learned how important groups, roles, statuses, and social

networks are in the structure of society. In this assignment, you will

complete a short answer activity in which you’ll demonstrate what

you’ve learned by identifying and describing examples from your

own life. Use the Assignment 2 template to complete this

assignment

YOUR STATUS SET, ROLES, AND ROLE PROBLEMS

1) Status Set:

a) List five statuses that you currently have.

• Remember: A status is simply a position you

fill in society. It may be a job title, but it could

also include a position you fill within a family

or a community. 

b) Label each status as either ascribed, achieved, or

master.

• Remember: An ascribed status is one you’re

born with and have no control over. An

achieved status is reached through your own

efforts or simply good or bad luck. A master

status is so important that it overrides your

other statuses. 

2) Roles:

a) Choose one status from your list.

b) Describe the role that is associated with the

status.

c) Describe how you learned that role.

• Remember: A role is the behavior expected

of someone with a certain status. For more

information, review Section 4.4 in your

webtext.

3) Role Conflict:

a) Describe a time when you experienced a conflict because of the

demands of two different roles associated with any of your statuses.

b) How did you resolve the conflict? (Discuss any

conversation or social interactions you had.)

c) List any active listening skills you used to resolve

the conflict. If you didn’t use active listening

skills, then list the skills you could have used to

resolve the conflict.