How do ascribed and achieve statuses serve to identify who a person is in a culture?

What
are reference groups? How are reference groups experienced in society?
Both ascribed and achieved statuses refer to the social positions one might occupy relative to
others making them the elementary components of social structure. Ascribed statuses are
imposed upon us by society and bear significant meaning since they cannot be easily changed
and assign us membership to specific groups. Achieved statuses are granted to us based on our
actions with regard to their negative or positive nature. Examples of these two status types would
be a 65 year old Asian male, which are all descriptions of ascribed statuses since the man does
not get to decide those factors, who is also a grandparent and storyteller, which are descriptions
of achieved statuses since he had to take actions to earn them. Since statuses are social
constructs, they are subject to change over time based on the dynamic perceptions of society.
These statuses identify us in a culture because they categorize people and place them into
specific groups where they then can assume many different roles, defining their position in
society. Reference groups are the groups that people use to define a standard of how they behave
and think in order to identify belonging. They have normative functions which set standards that
people will try and abide by in order to fit into the group and they have a comparison function
which allows people to measure their belonging to different groups. Reference groups are
experienced in society through primary groups and in-groups because in setting a standard for
beliefs and behaviours, individuals will be influenced to determine their belonging. If they wish
to belong to a certain group, that group’s standards serve as a reference for how they must think
and behave in order to achieve that status of belonging. An example is if one wanted to join a
dedicated gaming circle, they would have to then look at that group and begin to playing the
games the group plays, use the same gaming technology, maybe dressing in a similar fashion,
participate in the same events and hang out in the same places, and most definitely use the same
gamer lingo or slang.

What is a social role (give examples)? How does one violate his or her role? What is meant
by role exit? And how does role exit relate to the socialization process? Distinguish
between primary and secondary groups (give examples).
Social roles are the expected standards of behavior for a given social status. If an individual has
the social role of teacher, they are expected to lecture students, assign homework and grade
papers. One might violate their role through role conflict which is the incompatibility of
expectations between multiple social statuses. Since individuals usually have multiple social
statuses, they then have multiple social roles which occasionally may conflict and the person
then must prioritize one of those roles, violating the other. If a single working mother tries to go
to college in order to better life for herself and her children, she may find that the new social role
of student conflicts with the role of parent due to a lack of time, violating the role. Role exit is
the disengagement from a role central to who we are in order to change our identity and assume a
new role. Role exit relates to the socialization process because there is a change in role and
identity which may affect the groups one belongs to and interacts with. These groups might be
primary groups or secondary groups. Primary groups being the small and intimate groups in our
lives that we share face to face interactions with such as our families or teammates. Secondary
groups being more formal and impersonal such as in large college classes or event rallys.

What is meant by in-group and out-group? How is in-group connected to primary group?
How is out group connected to secondary group?
In-groups are the groups individuals identify with and feel a sense of belonging towards while
out-groups are those that do not fit in, relative to the in-groups. In-groups are connected to
primary groups because primary groups involve an intimate and personal interaction creating a
sense of belonging and mutual understanding. Both groups are built around an idea of shared or
common identity and belonging. Out-groups are related to secondary groups because they are
impersonal and participation in them is usually goal driven meaning one can move in and out of
them as they need. Individuals may not identify as belonging to these groups because of this
dynamic. In this way individuals can also measure not only their belonging but the belonging of
others to a particular group.

Discuss the similarities between Gemeinschaft (“guh-MINE-shahft”) & mechanical

solidarity. Discuss the similarities between organic solidarity and Gesellschaft (“guh-
ZELL-shahft”). According to Gerhard Lenski, how has technology influenced
Gesellschaft/Industrial Societies?
Gemeinschaft are close communities with strong personal bonds and beliefs to unite the people
within them, often seen in rural areas. Everyone is close, usually sharing a sense of loyalty
towards the group with expectations of self sacrifice for it’s overall benefit. Mechanical
solidarity is the idea of unity based on shared ideas and experiences with little change over time.
The similarities between these two ideas is that Gemeinschaft are based on a close sense of
community with understood beliefs that are passed down, influencing the actions of the group
members with minimal change over time. Individuals often learn the same basic tasks involved
in their daily roles which they perform together leaving little room for individual variation so
that the group may survive as it always has. Gesellschaft is a larger society with limited
commitment and impersonal orientation towards completing a goal that is necessary for the
whole to function. This ties to organic solidarity because both ideas believe in the individual as a
small specialized part of a much bigger function with an individualistic perspective and interest.
There is an extreme interdependent relationship between all the individuals due to the
specialization and division of people within the Gesellschaft. Gerhard Lenski believes the
technological level of a society is critical to how it is organized and functions since technology
creates new social forms. In this way the development of the technology involved in product
production created the industrial society that specializes different needs and aspects of
manufacturing which is the fundamental idea of Gesellschaft society.