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