Social Structure & Interaction in the Society

Name
Instructor
Course
Date
DISCUSSION
Q. 1
Achieved and ascribed statuses assist an individual to fit in society. An achieved status is a social position that is normally acquired by an individual based on merit. This status is also reflected in the abilities and skills of a person. On the other hand, ascribed status is a social position that is beyond the control of an individual. Ascribed and achieved statues assists individuals to ascertain how they should treat people and how they should be treated during their day to day interactions with others (Heap 48). These statuses create a sense of belonging for every member of society. For instance, being a doctor is an achieved status while being an African man is an ascribed status.
Further, reference groups are social groups that people use to compare and evaluate their attitudes and behaviors. These groups can be experienced in two distinct ways: comparison and normative function. In comparative fiction, people compare themselves with people who are similar to them. However normative function sets certain guidelines of belief and behavior.
Q. 2
Social roles are some of the behaviors and guidelines that are expected of people in society. For example, drivers are expected to drive carefully and police officers are expected to be ethical. People are expected to play these roles based on their position and occupation in society. There are times when people violate these social roles. For example when police officers take bribes from the people, they are violating their roles because they are supposed to maintain law and order. On the other hand, role exit is when an individual has progressed beyond a particular social role to another one. For example, when a teacher is promoted to a senior teacher, it is expected t...