Soc 101

Social interaction and everyday life

 Civil inattention
‘Civil inattention’ identified by Ervin Goffman.
• Each individual recognizes other people’s presence but avoids any gesture that might be
taken as too intrusive.
• We engage in more or less unconsciously in civil inattention which is important in
social life.
• So civil inattention is the acknowledgement of another person’s presence, but the
shared nonverbal (generally) communication that there is no desire to be hostile or
have any direct sustained communication.
• civil inattention involves the unobtrusive and peaceful scanning of others so as to allow for
neutral interaction. Through brief eye contact with an approaching stranger, we both acknowledge their
presence and foreclose the possibility of more personal contact or of conversation.
 Why study social life?

Social life may refer to: an individual's interpersonal relationships with

people within their immediate surroundings or general public.
Three main reasons-
1. our day to day routines and constant interaction with others give
structure and form to what we do.
2. the study of everyday life reveals how humans act creatively to shape
social reality.
3. Studying social interaction shades light on larger social institutions.
 Nonverbal communication
Face, gestures and emotions: Facial expression of emotion
The German sociologist Norbert Elias’s (1897-1990) study. Biology over
culture.
Elias argues that the development of human face is closely linked to
the evolutionary ‘survival value’ of effective communication systems.
Elias contends that biology and social aspects both are inextricably
intertwined.
Paul Ekman and his colleagues developed a Facial Action Coding System
(FACS).
Charles Darwin on basic modes of emotional expression across the
human species.
Ekman and Frieson’s (1978) study supports Darwin’s study although
there are debates.
Study on an isolated community in New Guinea by Ekman and Friesen
(1978).
The human ethologist Irenaus Eibl-Eibesfeldt’s (1973) comparative study
on the facial expression of six children.
Ekman and Friesen study on distinctive facial muscle actions in newborn
infants that are also found in adult expressions of emotion using FACS.
Facial expression of emotion: biology vs culture.
 Gender and the body
Marcel Mauss (1973) – gestures and bodily movements are not simply natural but also have
social contexts.
Both verbal and non-verbal communications are gendered and there are also social class and
ethnic dimension.
Iris Marion Young (1949- 2006) -“Throwing Like a Girl” (1980- 2005).
Young argued that ‘half-hearted’ movements made by women are not biologically determined,
but the product of discourses and practices which encourage girl and young women to experience
their bodies as objects for others from an early age. (a video can be shown) . These embodies an
‘inhibited intentionality’ reflecting feminine norms of restricted bodily compartment and
movement.
Male-dominated societies produce physically handicapped women.
Gender differences in non-verbal communication: sitting difference between
men and women. Other studies show that women show their emotions more
explicitly through facial expression and seek and break eye contact than men.
Sociologists argument- micro level interactions reinforce macro-level social
inequalities. Men control more space when standing and sitting than women
and tend to control through more physical contact.
Non-verbal communication provides subtle cues which demonstrate men’s
power over women in the wider society.
Judith Butler in her ‘Gender Trouble’ argued that expression of gendered
identities are performative.
 Embodiment and identities
Richard Jenkins says identity is the human capacity rooted in language- to
know who is who.
Identities are made, not given. Despite that there are three aspects of identities-
Individual or personal- illustration of individual difference
Collective or social – display similarity . Can be a source of group solidarity,
pride or perhaps even shame at being part of a particular group.
Embodied- individual and social identities are tightly bound together within
embodied self.
Study on the linkage between social identity and embodiment is in Goffman’s
study of ‘stigma’.
Identities are also multi-layred. However, the simple
distinctions are-
Primary identities- formed in early life that includes gender,
race/ethnicity and disability.
Secondary identities- associated with social roles and achieved
statuses such as occupational roles and social status positions.
Social identities are complex and fluid.
 Encounters
Social interactions involves both focused and unfocused exchange.
Unfocused interaction- whenever people exhibit mutual awareness of one
another presence. Eg. Large gatherings like on busy streets, theatres or parties.
which is communication by gestures and signals that arises simply through
actors being co-present, as in the case for example of body language.
Focused interaction- when individuals directly attend to what others say or do.
An instance of focused interaction is called encounter. We encounter with our
family members, friends, colleagues. Small talk, seminar discussions, games,
face-to-face contacts with ticket attends are examples of encounters.
Goffman distinguishes expressions that we give and give off.
 Impression management
Goffman uses concepts from theatre- ‘social role’.
Sociologists distinguish between an ascribed and achieved status.
Ascribed status- when you are assigned on biological grounds. Race, class,
age, white, brown, teenager, female, etc.
Achieved status- earned through individual effort.
 Debates on cyber interaction and netiquette

Sceptics argue that internet communicate generate problems that are not
found in face-to-face interaction. Computer mediated technology (CMC)
generates alienation, false identities, trickery, fraud, manipulation,
isolation, etc.
Internet enthusiasts- these type of communication has advantages, such
as face-to-face meetings , provide advantages to ethnic minority groups,
liberate and empower people.