Dimensions of Microinteraction

This article argues that there are two central relational dimensions of microinteraction that are aggregated into social structures. One dimension, power, entails conduct by which actors compel other actors to do what they do not wish to do. The other dimension, status, entails conduct that conveys voluntary compliance, deference, and acceptance. The article considers a number of findings that seem to argue against the power-status model but contends that the exceptions either are not sociologically pertinent or do not reflect relational conduct. On the basis of an analysis of social and cultural macromodels that appear in the work of Parsons, Weber, Douglas, and Hirschman, it is argued that the power and status dimensions may be generalized "upward" to macroconditions. Two applications of power-status analysis, one from the domain of stratification, the other from the domain of emotions, conclude the article.