Importance of Social Interaction to Sociologists - Essay Example

Communication helps sociologists explain people’s realities. For example, a son (status) is expected to respect his parent (role), and the language he uses talking to his parents (communication) is different from the one he uses with his friends. This is because the things he does with his parents are different from the ones he does with his friends (social construction of reality) (Giddens and Simon 42).

Scapegoat

            A scapegoat is a person or group that is forced to shoulder the blame for things that are not their fault. When people find themselves in problems, they look for targets, on which they can displace their aggression. Scapegoats are distinct, powerless, and are preferably members of an out-group. Anger and frustration are some of the causes of people blaming others. Once picked on as a scapegoat, it is difficult for an individual or group to shake off the label. Scapegoating is most prevalent in scenarios where deprived ethnic groups compete for economic rewards.  Minority groups are easy targets of scapegoating and this is evident in history.  For example, the Jews became the scapegoat of the Nazis during the Holocaust (Giddens and Simon 73).