Social Context, Perceptions, and Attributions
The first process is determining the social context, the environment of the interaction. Since many interactions occur electronically, the context includes more than just the physical setting
American sociologist W. I. Thomas (1863–1947) developed the definition of the situation, an individual’s interpretation of the social setting, and stated that the complex interpretations of the situation are not always interpreted accurately.
Social Perceptions
The second process is the perceptions of others. This process occurs during social interaction and often relates to the social construction of reality,
an individual’s perceptions of one’s social world as determined or influenced by social interactions.
he third process involves an ongoing social attribution, an explanation of how others appear, behave, or are motivated, which involves an interpretation of an interaction and how it causes you to think and behave. It is the inferences people make about the causes of events and behaviors.
fundamental attribution error, the bias of attributing our behavior to our circumstances and others’ behavior to their character. welfare or speeding
Notes:Ethnomethodology, the study of people’s methods as it relates to the formation of society (HP), originated with Harold Garfinkel (1917–2011). Ethnomethodology states that social interactions occur due to unstated and underlying presumptions that form a consensus among members of society.
To uncover the taken-for-granted rules, Garfinkel developed a unique technique that disrupts social interactions. He termed this technique breaching, purposely violating social norms to examine an individual’s reactions.
Erving Goffman (1922–1982) developed his study of symbolic interaction in the form of dramaturgical analysis termed dramaturgy, the theory that we are all actors on the stage of life and we divide our world based on what we let others see or not see of us. It is a practical and comprehensive explanation of why we “act” the way we do in everyday life.
Two additional Goffmanian terms you are probably already familiar with are saving and losing face. Goffman wrote about face work, the efforts exerted by both actors during an interaction to get through unanticipated events without casting an undesirable light or disrupting the relationship of the participants.
A third symbolic interaction theory is social exchange, the process by which social decisions are based on perceived costs and benefits. Sociologist George Homans established the theory in the 1950s.
Rewards – Costs = Outcome (Positive or Negative)
Once the outcome is calculated, a Comparison Level (CL) is determined. This is a standard of what the individual expects in the relationship based on experiences with and observations of other relationships.