social interaction

Meaning: Social interaction is the way individuals act toward and respond to one another, shaped by status, role expectations, and the setting. Two accounts are often tested: symbolic interactionism, in which meaning arises through interaction and shared symbols, and Goffman's dramaturgical approach, in which people manage impressions like actors, with front-stage and back-stage behavior. Common types are exchange, cooperation, competition, conflict, and coercion.

On the MCAT: A passage describes a scene, such as an employee who acts differently with customers than with coworkers, and asks which framework fits. Impression management points to dramaturgy. The shared meaning of a gesture or word points to symbolic interactionism. Questions may also ask you to classify an interaction as exchange, cooperation, competition, or conflict, or to connect a status or role to expected behavior.

Common confusion: Interaction is not the same as social structure. Structure is the lasting pattern of statuses, institutions, and relationships. Interaction is the behavior between people within that pattern. Competition and conflict also differ. Competition is rivalry for a scarce reward, usually under shared rules, while conflict is direct opposition between parties.