11.1 Sociology: Theories and Institutions Flashcards
sociology
the study of society
how we create society, interact within it, define what is normal and abnormal in society, and how we institutionalize these ideas
macrosociology
focuses on large groups and social structure
looking at big phenomena that affect a large portion of the population
(deals with poverty, warfare, healthcare, etc.)
microsociology
focuses on small groups and the individual
ex. face to face interactions, families, schools, other social interactions
ex. doctor-patient interaction
social structure
a system of people within a society organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships
functionalism (functional analysis)
the study of the structure and function of each part of society
when all parts of society fulfil their functions, society is in a normal state
functions
the beneficial consequence of peoples actions; help keep society in balance
dysfunctions
harmful consequences of people’s actions as they undermine a social system’s equilibrium
manifest function
deliberate actions that serve to help a given system
latent functions
unexpected, unintended, or unrecognized positive consequences of manifest function
power (sociological context)
a form of influence over other people
conflict theory
focuses on how power differentials are created and how these differentials contribute to the maintenance of social order
the idea society is made of institutions that benefit the powerful and create inequalities; large groups are at odds until conflict is resolved
symbolic interactionism
the study of the ways individuals interact through a shared understanding of words, gestures, and other symbols
central idea is that symbols are key to understanding how we view the world and communicate with one another
symbols
things to which we attach meanings; are not always consistent across cultures
include: how we codify concepts in language, hand gestures, body language, etc.
social constructionism
argues that people actively shape their reality through social interactions
it’s something constructed, not inherent
a social construct
a concept/practice that everyone in society had agreed to treat a certain way regardless of its inherent value (ex. money)
arise from humans communicating and working together to agree on the significance of a concept or principle
ex. paper money does not have inherent money, but we have agreed to give it value to be used for trade
rational choice theory
in this theory, and individual makes decisions by carefully considering all of the possible punishments and rewards of each social action and chooses the option that has the higher benefit-to-harm ratio for themselves
exchange theory
an extension of rational choice theory
focuses specifically on interactions in groups
an individual will carry out certain behaviours because of anticipated rewards and will avoid certain behaviours because of anticipated punishments
feminist theory
attempts to explain social inequalities that exist on the basis of gender
focuses on the subordination (lowering in rank) of women
gender roles
the behaviours expected of a given gender
objectification
when one is viewed as a sexual object rather than a person
glass ceiling
when a qualified person wishing to advance within the hierarchy of his/her organization is stopped at a lower level due to a discrimination (most often based on sexism or racism)
social institutions
well-established social structures that dictate certain patterns of behaviour or relationships and are accepted as a fundamental part of culture
they regulate the behaviour of individuals in core areas of society
6 major social institutions
family
education
religion
government
economy
healthcare/medicine
mandated reporter
someone (ex. a doctor) who is legally required to report suspected cases of elder or child abuse
domestic abuse does not fall under mandated reporting laws
hidden curriculum
what children learn in schools beyond information and cognitive skills
includes social norms, attitudes, beliefs, etc.
teachers expectancy
the idea that reachers tend to get what they expect from students (performance depends not only on the student intrinsic abilities, but on the expectations of their teacher)
religiosity
how religious one considers themselves to be
denominations or sects
how large religions may be divided into smaller groups that share certain beliefs but differ in others
sects: a religiouss group that has broken off from its parent religion; may transform into a cult (extreme condition)
democracy
allows every citizen a political voice, usually through electing representatives to office (representative democracy)
monarchies
include a royal ruler (king or queen), although the rulers powers may be significantly limited by the presence of a constitution and parliamentary system
dictatorship
a system where a single person holds power
theocracy
a system where power is held by religious leaders
capitalist vs socialist economies
socialism → the means of production are publicly owned
capitalist → the means of production are privately owned; involve division of labour
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life course approach to health
maintaining and considering a comprehensive view of the patient’s history beyond the immediate presenting symptoms
sick role
when the patient was not responsible for the illness and became exempt from normal social roles
this role has shifted to assign more ownership of health onto the individual (through diet, exercise, etc.)
4 key tenets of medical ethics
beneficience
nonmaleficence
respect for patient autonomy
justice
medical ethics: beneficience
the physician has a responsibility to act in the patients best interest
medical ethics: nonmaleficence
do no harm
the physician has a responsibility to abide treatments or interventions in which the potential for harm outweighs the potential for benefit
medical ethics: respect for patient autonomy
the physician has a responsibility to respect the patient’s decisions and choices about their own healthcare
medical ethics: justice
the physician has a responsibility to treat similar patients with similar care, and to distribute healthcare resources fairly
