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Description


In class, we have reviewed social institutions, and theoretical explanations ,of human behavior through approaches of critical and conflict theorists, theories of symbolic interactionism, and structural functionalism. Write a paper that states your position in regards to

which social institution and/or ?theory best explains human behavior in global societies.


Social institutions include family, education, religion, economy and government (unit 2 of iBook)

As a position paper, the purpose of the paper is for you to provide your audience with your argument while also addressing the opposing side. [

Providing your argument while addressing the opposing side will assist you in the preparation for your first debate]

.

A few questions to keep in mind when writing your paper include but are not limited to:

  • Why is ______ social institution/ or theory best suited to explain human behavior in global societies?
  • How?
  • Why are other social institutions or theories not as effective?

Self & Society
200 Level
iBook
The Dialogues
of Self and Society
i
Acknowledgments
Dialogues of Self and Society
Level 200
5th Edition
Editors
Contributors
Debra L. Ainbinder
Professor of Psychology
Judith I. Adelson
Associate Professor of Dialogues
Sanne Unger
Associate Professor of Dialogues of Learning
Debra L. Ainbinder
Professor of Psychology
Series Editors
Roberto Cadilhe
Project Coordinator
Katrina Carter-Tellison
Chair, The Dialogues
Vice President for Academic A?airs
Karen Casey
Professor of Criminal Justice
Mike Petroski
Academic Dean
Gwendolyn Darjuste
Student of International Relations
Stephanie A. Jackson
Associate Professor of Communication Studies
Selina Keipert
Adjunct Professor of Self and Society
Anna Krift
Professor of International Relations
? All Rights Reserved
The Dialogues of Learning, Lynn University Core Curriculum
No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from Lynn University.
2
Mark Luttio
Professor of Philosophy and Religion
Wilson Onu
Academic Coach
Liz Ra?a
Graduate Student of Communication Studies
Antonella Regueiro
Assistant Professor of Self and Society
Daniela Santos
Graduate Assistant
Giancarlo Simpson
Instructor of Self and Society
Sanne Unger
Associate Professor of Dialogues
T?mea Varga
Assistant Professor of Dialogues
Robert Watson
Distinguished Professor of American History
Introduction to DSS 200 Self & Society by Dr. Sanne Unger, with closed-captions
3
SECTION 2
DSS 200: Self & Society
Course Description
Examine society and how it influences the self. These courses will
create awareness of the many ways the self is influenced by society
and the ways which individuals can a?ect and change society.
This course is presented from the global perspective, allowing
students to gather knowledge about the processes, conditions and
implications of cross- and inter-cultural interactions, providing an
understanding of global citizenship.
Technological Requirements
Students will access required materials through the corresponding
Canvas course (including the iBook).
Student Learning Outcomes
All students enrolled in Self & Society 200 level will be presented
with assignments, readings and assessment methods that provide
the opportunity to meet the following student learning outcomes:
?
Identify and define the most significant theories and perspectives
on what is a society from a historical, interdisciplinary and crosscultural perspective;
4
?
Identify and define the major forces that shape the development
of societies and social change;
?
Identify and explain how concepts of the self are interpreted in the
context of society.
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Dialogues of Self and Society (DSS) 200level iBook. This iBook will provide you with the fundamental
theories about society and how it impacts the self. You will need
these theories for not only this course, but as you move forward in
your studies in the Dialogues of Learning, as well as your journey
towards life-long learning. This is a resource developed for you to
be better able to apply these particular theories to the assigned
biography, as well as to apply these ideas to your own personal
identity development.
The Dialogues of Self and Society were developed with the
following premise:
For every individual and society, the most fundamental of all
questions is both the simplest and the most profound: who am I,
what is my purpose? The desire and need to ?know thyself,? as
Socrates recognized, is the root of all knowledge, wisdom and
virtue. To seek self-awareness and acquire self-knowledge
requires all of the skills, knowledge, and multiple perspectives
expressed in our learning outcomes for the 21st century. Individual
identity is a social as well as personal phenomenon (Patterson et
al. 16).
v
During the 100-level course of this Dialogue, you focused on
the chapter information, and provide you with additional learning
your individual identity as a personal phenomenon. Now, you will shift
experiences.
your focus to your identity as a social phenomenon. You will be
Chapters one through three provide an overview of sociological
exposed to basic theories of society and the interaction of society as
theories divided into three main groups: Critical or Conflict Theories,
a whole with the development of the individual.
Symbolic Interactionism, and Structural Functionalism. Readings here
The use of a biography or autobiography was chosen to help
are designed to give a general introduction to the historical and
you better understand and apply the theories of the development of
groundbreaking theories on which social research still builds today.
society. Biographies provide specific events that can be evaluated for
Chapters four through eight then apply the sociological theories
their fit to a certain theory, and also allow for continued dialogue
to specific social institutions: family, education, religion, deviance and
about the impact of events on society and on the individual?s life. This
social control, and the economy. These chapters will be a practical
will allow further extrapolation of the theory to your own experiences
application of the theories discussed in chapters one through three
and to your individual self-development.
and challenge you to find the connections to your own personal
Sociology posits many theories of the development of society
development and how it is a?ected by society.
and the self. This iBook covers the three main groups of theories:
Finally, chapters nine through fourteen contain case studies that
conflict theories, symbolic interactionism, and functionalism, after
incorporate most, if not all, of the information discussed in the
which these theories are applied to several social institutions that
preceding eight chapters, except it will be up to you to make the
impact the individual directly and in everyday life. Finally, a number of
connections. The case studies are short introductions that will set you
case studies will allow you to apply what you have learned to di?erent
on a path to discover how society and social institutions a?ect real
current topics.
people around the globe.
The iBook is set up in chapters, written by Lynn University
Enjoy your iBook!
faculty members. The readings were selected to inform your thinking
Dr. Debra Ainbinder and Dr. Sanne Unger
on the theory, as well as to give you application opportunities for each
of these theories. By no means are the theories and institutions
discussed in this book the only relevant ones to impact society and
the self, but they o?er a start that fits within the goals of this course.
Wherever possible, there are videos to help further your knowledge of
vi
SOCIOLOGICAL
THEORIES
In order to understand how society a?ects the self, you will
learn about the three di?erent approaches to social research:
Critical or Conflict Theories, Symbolic Interactionism, and
Structural Functionalism. Each of these three theoretical
perspectives looks at social phenomena and events, explaining
and interpreting it in a di?erent way.
vii
CHAPTER 1
?
CRITICAL OR
CONFLICT
THEORIES
Critical or conflict theories state that conflict and
inequality are a normal part of society and that
many of our actions are aimed at attempting to
gain influence over other groups of people.
According to these theories, conflict between
various groups is a major force that shapes society
and leads to social change. This chapter will
explain these theories and discuss the role of Karl
Marx, Barbara Ehrenreich, and Max Weber.
Critical or Conflict Theories
By Karen Casey, Ph.D. and Sanne Unger, Ph.D.
Analysis Questions
?
?
?
control resources maintain their power by establishing rules giving them advantage.
conflict theories?
Social change only occurs through conflict (Tischler, 2014).
Which examples does the chapter give
The same-sex marriage conflict provides an example of how social change occurs
through conflict. On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court made it legal for same-sex
couples to marry throughout the United States (Liptak, 2015). This followed a long
What are some choices that people
struggle at the state and federal level, in courtrooms and voting booths. The video below
who earn low wages need to make?
describes the homosexual struggle for civil rights.
Explain how ethnic conflict can be
ended.
?
society. Conflict theorists argue that inequality is built into the system and that those who
What are the main characteristics of
of social change caused by conflict?
?
Critical theories focus on the conflict inherent at many di?erent levels throughout
2013 was a break-through year for lesbian and gay rights.
Why is feminist theory part of conflict
theory?
9
and more capital. The proletariat, in the meantime, tries to find
Marxist Theory
ways to sell its labor to the bourgeoisie.
One of the most significant theorists in the history of
sociology, Karl Marx (1818-1883) originated the conflict or critical
[The proletariat is] a class of laborers, who live only so long as they
approach (McClelland, 2000). His best-known work, The
find work, and who find work only so long as their labor increases
Communist Manifesto, written with Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) in
capital. These laborers, who must sell themselves piecemeal, are a
1848, explains that society is broken into a ruling class and a
commodity, like every other article of commerce, and are
working class, and inequality results from the ruler?s capitalist
consequently exposed to all the vicissitudes of competition, to all
exploitation. Here, owners of the means of production exploit
the fluctuations of the market.
workers. Marx divided society into people who control the means of
(Marx and Engels, 1908, p. 31)
production, and people who sell their labor to them.
Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great
hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other:
Bourgeoisie and Proletariat. (…) The bourgeoisie has stripped of its
halo every occupation hitherto honored and looked up to with
reverent awe. It has converted the physician, the lawyer, the priest,
the poet, the man of science, into its paid wage laborers.
(Marx and Engels, 1908, p. 17-22)
By thus dividing society into two groups – bourgeoisie (boorzwah-zee) and proletariat, or owners and workers – Marx and
Marxist sociologists were able to explain many social phenomena
by pointing out the economic circumstances of society and of
groups within society. The bourgeoisie’s aim is to maintain and
Engels (left) and Marx with Marx?s wife and
daughters
increase control over the means of production by amassing more
10
Both classes also try to outsmart each other, by manipulating
is a constant tug-of-war between those who control the means of
the law, committing crimes, and using loopholes. However,
production, and those who depend on them.
according to Marxist theory, the bourgeoisie has the upper hand
because it controls money and the means of production.
A fundamental question to ask in any conflict theoretical
Read chapter 1 (pp. 7-23) of
The Manifesto of the
Communist Party here
matter is: who benefits? Who benefits from imprisoning thousands
of Americans for non-violent, drug-related crimes? Who benefits
from giving mortgages to people who don?t have a steady source of
income? Who benefits from athletes who use performanceenhancing drugs? The answers to these questions show that there
This video provides a brief overview of Karl Marx?s ideas:
11
Max Weber
A founder of sociology, Max Weber (1864-1920) expanded the
study of the causes and e?ects of capitalism. He added social
status as a major force shaping society, with a wider variety of
groups and inter-group conflicts. Weber introduced social
stratification ideas, based on status and political power. His studies
found that there are more ways to gain an advantage over others:
people can try to control the economic means of production, or they
can attempt to increase their social status by, for example,
becoming a local politician.
Weber also expressed disenchantment with capitalism. He
described the characteristics of bureaucracies as organizations
dividing jobs into specific functions arranged in a strict hierarchy.
Although bureaucracies create e?ciency, Weber notes that such
structures can be used to maintain power and domination over
others. He referred to this as domination through knowledge (Kim,
2012). He argued that the state monopolizes the use of force and
uses political leadership to sustain itself.
12
13
Dimed (2001) exposes the working poor?s di?culties surviving in an
economy that scorns poor people. She shows the negative e?ects
on individuals from the economic rules established by the powerful,
and she shows how being part of the working poor impacts one’s
concept of self.
When someone works for less pay than she can live on ? when, for
example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and
conveniently ? then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has
made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life.
The ‘working poor,’ as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the
major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children
Cleaners often earn $15 an hour, but usually don?t
have any benefits and need to cover travel time and
expenses from that pay as well
so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in
substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect;
they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices
high. To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous
donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else.
(Ehrenreich, 2014, para. 2)
Ehrenreich answers the important question in conflict theory of
Barbara Ehrenreich
who benefits: it?s us! Every time we buy a cheap burger, we take
A great example of a current conflict-theoretical project is
advantage of the underpaid fast food worker. Every time a medical
Barbara Ehrenreich?s attempt to live on minimum wage. A journalist,
aide helps us, we enrich ourselves at his expense.
Ehrenreich (1941) left her job to work low-wage jobs and explore
The video below is an excerpt from The American Ruling
conflict theories. She was a waitress, hotel maid, cleaning woman,
Class, a “dramatic-documentary-musical” featuring Barbara
nursing home aide and Wal-Mart sales clerk. Her book Nickel and
Ehrenreich and Harper’s Magazine editor emeritus Lewis Lapham.
14
Critical or conflict theories state that conflict and inequality are
This excerpt shows Barbara Ehrenreich while she
tries to make ends meet as a waitress.
Tap to watch the video.
a normal part of society and that many of people’s actions attempt
to gain influence over other groups. We are all part of competing
groups, through gender, religion, ethnicity, age, and many other
factors, and groups compete for limited resources. Therefore,
conflict influences all social relationships. Some groups benefit from
society?s rules, while other groups fall victim. According to these
theories, conflict between various groups is a major force that
shapes society and leads to social change.
Many of the distinctions we make between groups of people,
and on which we base ?us-against-them? conflict, are quite
random. Race, for example, is a ?social construct.?
The term race is used to denote what are perceived as biological
di?erences, such as skin color and facial configurations. But we
mean more than just biology; if we did not, we would make racial
Other Types of Conflict
distinctions between the tall and short races, the gray- and browneyed races, and similar rather trivial biological di?erences. In fact,
Marx?s ideas have been expanded to include many types of
we should probably never use the term ?racial? group because it
conflict including race, gender, sexual orientation and political
has no scientific basis. Where, for example, is the cuto? line in
power. So instead of seeing a perpetual conflict between
terms of biology between being ?black? or ?white,? Asian or
bourgeoisie and proletariat, theorists see a variety of conflicts
Caucasian? When we use the term ?race,? then, we really mean
between whites and non-whites, between men and women,
between straight people and gay people, between those that have
ethnicity, or those behavioral, cultural, and organizational
access to political power and those that don?t. The dominant group
di?erences that allow us to categorize members of a population as
distinctive. (Turner, 2005, p. 233)
tries to maintain and enhance the power it already has, while the
dominated group attempts to chip away at that power to get its own
needs met.
15
Ethnicity can then become another way to distinguish
Feminist Theory
ourselves from others, provide an excuse to believe in stereotypes,
Feminist theory, an o?shoot of critical theory, explains societal
and even lead to violence. On a global scale, ethnic conflicts in
life in terms of women?s experiences, with the assumption that
countries around the world have led to millions of deaths,
women are oppressed through a system of patriarchy. In patriarchy,
displacement of families, and brutality to people living in war-torn
men control women?s lives. Feminists initiated many social changes
areas.
through conflict?an early example is the su?rage movement when
In the following video, Stefan Wol? discusses how to end
women demanded the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)
ethnic conflicts.
compared the imbalance of power between men, who were allowed
to vote, and women, who were not, to the imbalance of power
between other groups:
Stefan Wol??s Ted Talk about ethnic conflict
16
To [women] this government has no just powers derived from
Feminists continue to struggle against unfair treatment in
the consent of the governed. To them this government is not a
society, and address issues such as equal pay for equal work,
democracy. It is not a republic. It is an odious aristocracy; a hateful
barriers to career advancement, sexual harassment, rape, violence
oligarchy of sex; the most hateful aristocracy ever established on
against women, and the feminization of poverty (Thio, 2000).
the face of the globe; an oligarchy of wealth, where the rich govern
The video below is fascinating talk by Zainab Salib, founder of
the poor. An oligarchy of learning, where the educated govern the
Women for Women International, about women?s role in war and
ignorant, or even an oligarchy of race, where the Saxon rules the
how they can contribute in peace negotiations.
African, might be endured; but this oligarchy of sex, which makes
father, brothers, husband, sons, the oligarchs over the mother and
sisters, the wife and daughters, of every household – which ordains
all men sovereigns, all women subjects, carries dissension, discord,
and rebellion into every home of the nation. (Anthony, 1872, para. 6)
Zainab Salib?s Ted Talk about women?s role in war
You can read more
speeches by Susan
B. Anthony here
17
Conclusion
Critical or conflict theory applies to individual, organizational
and global conflict. The original theorists focused on di?erences in
economic power. Karl Marx divided society up into two groups:
those who own the means of production, and those who need to
sell their labor to make a living. Max Weber added to this dichotomy
a third path to power: status.
Later writers expanded the ideas to other types of conflict.
Barbara Ehrenreich?s study showed that it?s not just the bourgeoisie
takes advantage of the workers. In fact, we all take advantage of
those who labor for wages that don?t cover living expenses, by
expecting our food to be cheap and our living quarters to be
spotless, without breaking the bank. Often without knowing it, we
are all part of groups that either work to expand their dominance
over others, or are chipping away at the domination under which
they su?er.
On the positive side, examples in this chapter show that
conflict is often the vehicle for social change. Women have
expanded their power by gaining the right to vote and by playing a
more active part in society and gays have conquered the right to
marry in the United States. Without awareness of the ongoing
conflict, these changes would not have been realized.
18
Quiz
Question 1 of 4
In the excerpt in this chapter, what does Barbara Ehrenreich call ?the working poor??
A.
Moochers
B.
?the deserving poor: respectable, virtuous folk who were believed to be poor through no fault of their own?
C.
?the major philanthropists of our society?
D.
proletariat
Check Answer
Sources used in this chapter
APA Citations for this chapter
19
CHAPTER 2
?
SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONISM
The second perspective on society is symbolic interactionism. This perspective is
preoccupied with how we create meaning from everyday occurrences by the way we talk,
dress, and behave. The following chapter will explain the origins of the symbolic
interactionist perspective and how you apply it on a daily basis.
Symbolic Interactionism
By Debra L. Ainbinder, Ph.D.
Symbolic interactionism, a theory in the field of sociology, is considered one
Analysis Questions
?
Briefly explain the principles of symbolic
interactionism.
?
What does George Herbert Mead mean by the
Generalized Other?
?
What are Mead?s stages of self? Can you give
an example of each stage?
?
?
the individual (the self) with the larger institutions of social structure (society).
Strong interconnections of this theory with other social science fields make it
pertinent in the self and society dialogue.
The symbolic interactionist approach to understanding the individual and the
individual in society reminds us that society does not only consist of large
organizations and social classes. Instead, society is something that is produced
and reproduced every day by assigning meaning to the actions of the people
around us as well as to our own actions. Meaning is di?erent for each individual
Briefly explain Go?man?s ideas of the front
based on personal reality. As we process interactions with others, our
stage and the back stage.
understanding of reality is fluid and therefore changing. This means that people
Based on the principles of symbolic
interactionism, give an example of how this
theory can be applied to the idea of culture.
?
of the primary theories from the social sciences, and explains the interactions of
Based on the principles of symbolic
continually observe, process and preserve their understanding of their environment
through their social interactions. Studying this influential approach to social
research will allow you to identify and explain how concepts of the self are
interpreted in society.
Symbolic interactionism studies relationships of individuals and groups
interactionism, give an example of how this
in society. These relationships form the individual?s concept of reality and the
theory can be applied to a topic not covered in
meaning they place on their interactions with others. This leads to understanding a
this chapter.
person?s actions and the actions of others based on these assigned meanings.
This perspective tells us that human behavior does not come solely from internal
21
sources (instincts, genetics) or external sources (the environment), but from a social interpretation of combined internal and external forces
(Burbank & Martins).
Christopher (2001) simplified the basic principles of symbolic interactionism. The following basic assumptions form the basis of
symbolic interaction theory:
?
Individuals strive to create and maintain meaning in their environments.
?
Meaning is created and modified in people?s interactions.
?
Individuals self direct their behavior rather than simply react to their environments.
?
Individuals self-reflect; examining their actions separate from themselves.
?
Individuals? behavior is motivated by how they view themselves. (Christopher, 2001, p. 5)
Dr. Judith Adelson explains Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolism in College
Many behaviors displayed by college students are entirely
symbolic, from the clothes they wear to the drinks they
order at a club. Try to remember the last time you saw
someone do something ridiculous, like showing up to class
in pajamas, or reading a novel at a party. Wearing pajamas
or reading novels are not ridiculous actions per se; they are
just ridiculous in the wrong environment. Knowing that you
ascribe meaning to other students? actions, you also know
that they are doing the same with you, so you tailor your
actions to fit the image you are trying to portray.
22
George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)
George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) provided the initial ideas leading to the theory of
symbolic interactionism. He described how individuals take on roles, anticipating others?
responses to their actions. Mead proposed a theory of both the self and stages of the
development of the self. He explained the progression of the individual through the
preparatory stage, play stage and game stage. These stages form the foundation of
understanding the symbolic interactionism approach. Mead?s stages of self theory present
the generalized other?groups of people whose response to individual action depends on
the group to which they belong. This could be family, peers, a basketball team, etc. Mead?s
theoretical concepts have been researched, enhanced and more fully explained by
sociologists, psychologists, and other social scientists. From these studies came varying
understandings of the principles and concepts of symbolic interaction and a variety of
applications of the theory.
The following
excerpt o?ers Mead?s
ideas and a look at his
writings:
The organized community or social group which gives to the
individual his unity of self may be called ?the generalized other.?
The attitude of the generalized other is the attitude of the whole
community. Thus, for example, in the case of such a social group
as a ball team, the team is the generalized other in so far as it
enters?as an organized process or social activity?into the
experience of any one of the individual members of it. (Mead, 1934,
p. 154)
23
Tap to watch a video explaining Mead?s stages of self
Generalized others can be found in all sorts of groups, like your
Roberto Cadilhe explains the e?ect of belonging to
a sports team
family, but also in a wide variety of other groups, because we all
belong to so many di?erent groups.
Some of them are concrete social classes or subgroups, such as
political parties, clubs, corporations, which are all actually
functional social units, in terms of which their individual
members are directly related to one another. The others are
abstract social classes or subgroups, such as the class of
debtors and the class of creditors, in terms of which their
individual members are related to one another only more or less
indirectly. (Mead, 1934, p. 157)
The way we see ourselves, therefore, depends in large part
on which groups we belong to.
Variations on Symbolic Interactionism
Erving Go?man (1922-1982), a sociological theorist,
expanded the work of George Herbert Mead?s symbolic
interactionism theory. Go?man explained the organization of
social action using the stage as metaphor. According to
Read an excerpt of
Mead?s Mind, Self, and
Society here
Go?man, individuals predict how their audience will perceive
their actions and create roles that match their purpose. They
then manage the impression they make on others. His theory is
called Dramaturgy, where individuals always perform their lives,
and behavior changes if an individual is on the front stage or
back stage. The front stage shows rehearsed social interactions
that include behaviors geared towards making others like us. In
24
the personal world of the back stage our guard is down and we can
rehearse social behaviors to act out on the front stage. Few know
the personal and private back-stage individual. Go?man calls frontstage behavior ?impression management.?
Go?man explains that some of the impressions we make are
more purposeful than others.
The expressiveness of the individual (and therefore his capacity to
give impressions) appears to involve two radically di?erent kinds of
sign activity: the expression that he gives, and the expression that
he gives o?. The first involves verbal symbols or their substitutes
which he uses admittedly and solely to convey the information that
he and the others are known to attach to these symbols. This is
Go?man?s Dramaturgy theory explained. Tap to watch
the video.
communication in the traditional and narrow sense. The second
involves a wide range of action that others can treat as
symptomatic of the actor, the expectation being that the action was
performed for reasons other than the information conveyed in this
way. (Go?man, 1959, p. 136)
In other words, the words people say are purposeful
impressions that they give, while the way they look, dress and
Read chapter 1 of Go?man?s
The Presentation of Self here
behave are (sometimes) accidental impressions that they give o?.
For example, in order to give the impression of being a good
student, it does not just matter that what you say in class is smart
or interesting. You also need to act the part: sit near the front,
scribble on a writing pad, look at the professor, read the slides. In
fact, sometimes just acting the part can be enough to persuade
others (even professors!) that you are indeed a good student.
25
26
Some sociologists, following Harvey Sacks (1935-1975),
Doing ?Being Ordinary?
summarize this idea of acting the part and managing all the
impressions that you give and give o?, in two words: ?doing
being.? We are all constantly managing these impressions, when
we are doing being a teenager, doing being a fun person, doing
being a couple, et cetera. In fact, often without realizing, we all
make an e?ort to do ?being ordinary?:
This brings me to the central sorts of assertions I want to make.
Whatever you may think about what it is to be an ordinary person
in the world, an initial shift is not think of ?an ordinary person? as
some person, but as somebody having as one?s job, as one?s
constant preoccupation, doing ?being ordinary.? It is not that
somebody is ordinary; it is perhaps that that is what one?s
Even maintaining your home (or your dorm room)
displays normality.
business is, and it takes work, as any other business does. If you
just extend the analogy of what you obviously think of as work as whatever it is that takes analytic, intellectual, emotional
energy – then you will be able to see that all sorts of nominalized
things, for example, personal characteristics and the like, are
jobs that are done, that took some kind of e?ort, training, and so
on. (Sacks, 1985, p. 414)
So, even being ordinary actually takes work, and we are all
constantly occupied by that work. ?Just act normal? is then what
loved one has died, you are not entitled to those same emotions.
In order to ?be normal? you need to constantly behave within the
confines of these and other rules.
we are constantly doing, and in fact it is an act. Sacks uses as an
example the emotions we are allowed to show in certain
situations. For example, when we hear that one of our loved
ones has died, we are entitled to cry, be upset, even take the rest
of the day (or week) o?. But when you hear that your neighbor?s
27
Try to think of other examples of behaviors that are fine under
Application of Symbolic Interactionism
certain circumstances, but not under other circumstances. You will
The

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