For this assignment we will be examining the relationship between individuals and the Social Structures they are a part of
Social Statues are separate and different from the individuals which hold them. Understanding this helps to make us aware of how we as individuals constantly need to adjust and adapt our behaviors to fit into certain positions. This occurs hour by hour, day by day, year by year, decade by decade. As the saying goes, “All the world is a stage and each of us acts a part”. For this assignment I would like for you to consider the vast range of Social Statues that you fill in your life and choose one and only one. This can be a bit tricky, but force yourself to isolate a single Status. This can be any Status you currently or previously occupied. I would like for you to use Erving Goffman’s Theory of Dramaturgy to examine and describe this status. The goal of this assignment is to consider and describe this status and the way you fill it as a play or social performance. A) Provide the sociological definition of a Social Status, and then describe the particular Status you will be examining for this paper. In your explanation of the Status be sure to include if it is an Achieved or Ascribed Status, and what socialization is required to occupy this status. What Rites of Passage facilitated the transition into the status for you and others who also hold this Status? B) What other Relative Statuses are used to define this position. In Dramaturgical terms, who else performs in the play? What other social positions are connected to this status which help to give it social meaning? How and when do you manage the transition between Front Stage (the times and places when you are fulling in the status and acting the part for the audience) and Back Stage (when you are not acting the status for the audience) as you assume this position? C) Describe what Social Roles go along with this status, good and bad. Provide an example of 1) a Role Strain; and 2) a Role Conflict that this position creates. As an individual occupying this social status how do you manage these Role Conflicts and Role Strains?
