Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Brain damage--Patients; Power (Social sciences); Social interaction;

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to identify how participants created and maintained the relational dimension of power during interaction ritual processes on a brain injury ward. Power is defined as relational indicating that relationships between individuals are necessary in order for power to exist. These relationships, according to Kemper and Collins, occur at the micro level and provide the "glue and the dynamics" of the social structure. The research took place at a health care facility in the Midwest. The participants included ten patients and fifteen employees. The participants provided a rich source of lived experiences through their interpretation of their activities. In this research three qualitative methods were used: (1) participant observation, (2) archival retrieval or case records, and (3) structured and unstructured in-depth interviewing. Data were collected and five categories were identified that indicated the presence of power. The findings showed that power is maintained and created within these categories through a complex set of interaction ritual chains. These rituals provide a means of maintaining select ideologies and social cohesion through three defining processes: situational maintenance, role maintenance, and institutional maintenance. Data were identified and categorized into typologies indicating power relationships. Microinteractions within these categories were then linked to Randall Collins' interaction ritual chain model. By using this model, I deconstructed the interactions of the participants. I then identified the component parts as necessary stages needed for the development of rituals. The rituals that were identified were formal denigration rituals (F.D.R.'s) which were rituals designed to stigmatize and belittle individuals; coalitions which were interactions between two participants or groups against a third; coercion was a means of gaining compliance through the use or potential use of force; ceremonial profanations were interactions inconsistent with established rules of interaction that resulted in indirect sanctions, and gossiping was a tool used to define and maintain existing situations.

Year of Submission

1995

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

First Advisor

Phyllis L. Baker

Second Advisor

Jerry D. Stockdale

Third Advisor

Maria M. Carroll

Comments

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

2026

Object Description

1 PDF file (151 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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