Sociology Ch4 Tools A B social interaction process by which people act and react in relation to others status scoial postition that an individual occupies status set all the statuses a person holds at a given time ascribed status social position a person receives at birth or assumes involuntarily later in life achieved status social postition a person assumes voluntarily and that reflects personal ability master status status that has special importance for social identity, often shaping a person's entire life role behavior expected of someone who holds a particular status role set number of roles attached to a single status role conflict conflict among roles corresponding to two or more statuses role strain tension among roles connected to a single status social construction of reality process by which people creatively shape reality thru social interaction Thomas theorem assertion that situations defined as real become real in their consequences ethnomethodology study of the way people make sense of their everyday surroundings dramaturgical analysis study of the way social interaction in terms of theatrical performance presentation of self Goffman's term for an individual's efforts to create specific impressions in the minds of others nonverbal communication communication using body measurements, gestures, and facial expressions rather than speech personal space surrounding area over which a person makes some claim to privacy