Biopsychosocial Model, Society And Culture

Question 1

Symbolic interactionism

Answer 1

Related to social constructionism in that it allows for social determination of shared realities. It focuses on a smaller scale of interaction between individuals and in small groups. Through social interactions, individuals develop shared meanings and labels for various symbols (terms, concepts, or items that represent specific meanings by accepted convention).

Question 2

Functionalism

Answer 2

Factions of society work together to maintain stability. Functionalism claims that society, like an organism, is a system that consists of different components working together.
Provides useful perspective for considering processes that contribute to social stability, but cannot explain societal changes.

Question 3

Conflict theory

Answer 3

Views society in terms of competing groups that act according to their own self-interests, rather than according to the need for societal equilibrium.
Better suited to explain how societies change over time, but doesn’t examine the fact that society exhibits stability as well as change.

Question 4

Culture

Answer 4

Can be thought of as all beliefs, assumptions, objects, behaviors, and processes that make up a shared way of life.
When people are immersed in a culture, they may assume that their culture’s way of doing things is normal and natural.

Question 5

Culture shock

Answer 5

Experiencing shock or discomfort when first encountering a new culture is common and can be a catalyst for growth and reflection. The discomfort and the ensuing re-evaluation of personal cultural assumptions.

Question 6

Material culture

Answer 6

The objects involved in a certain way of life.

Question 7

Non-material culture

Answer 7

Encompasses the elements of culture that aren’t physical (shared ideas, knowledge, assumptions, values, and beliefs that unify a group of people).
Ex: religion and superstitions.

Question 8

Social constructionism

Answer 8

Adds to the idea of scientific models as representations of reality. Human actors construct or create “reality” rather than discovering a reality that has inherent validity.

Question 9

Social norms

Answer 9

Expectations that govern what behavior is acceptable within a group.

Question 10

Social group

Answer 10

A subset of a population that maintains social interactions. A broader definition includes a collection of shared experiences that create a group identity among a set of individuals.

Question 11

Symbolic culture

Answer 11

A type of non-material culture that consists of the elements of culture that have meaning only in the mind. One of the most important aspects is the development of language.

Question 12

Society

Answer 12

Two or more individuals living together in a community and/or sharing elements of culture.

Question 13

Social institutions

Answer 13

Hierarchical systems that bring order to interpersonal interactions, structuring society. Ex: government and economy, education, religion, family, healthcare and medicine.

Question 14

Demographics

Answer 14

Stats used to examine the nature of a specific population by quantifying subsets of that population (age, gender, nationality, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, immigration status, education level).

Question 15

Social inequality

Answer 15

The unequal distribution of opportunities or treatment of individuals within a society based on various demographic categories.

Question 16

Spatial inequality

Answer 16

Unequal access to resources and variable quality of life within a population or geographical distribution.

Question 17

Environmental justice

Answer 17

The equal treatment of all people regardless of race, gender, or other social grouping with regard to prevention and relief from environmental and health hazards.

Question 18

Residential segregation

Answer 18

Separation of demographic groups into different neighborhoods.

Question 19

Social class

Answer 19

A system of stratification that groups members of society according to similarities in social standing. Class is multifaceted and tied to status within a community and power or influence over that community.

Question 20

Upward mobility

Answer 20

Moving up the class system. Achieved through education, marriage, career or financial success.

Question 21

Downward mobility

Answer 21

Moving lower within the class system. Can result from unemployment or underemployment, reduced household income due to divorce, lack of education, or health issues.

Question 22

Intragenerational mobility

Answer 22

Movement within the class system within an individual’s lifetime.

Question 23

Inter generational mobility

Answer 23

Movement within class system over a longer period (more than one generation).

Question 24

Meritocracy

Answer 24

A society in which advancement is based solely on the abilities and achievements of the individual.

Question 25

Cultural capital

Answer 25

Refers to the set of non-monetary social factors that contribute to social mobility. Ex: dress, accent, vernacular, manners, education, cultural knowledge, and intellectual pursuits.

Question 26

Social capital

Answer 26

Refers to an individual’s social networks and connections that may confer economic and/or personal benefits.

Question 27

Social reproduction

Answer 27

Transmission of social inequality from one generation to the next.

Question 28

Poverty

Answer 28

An insufficiency of material goods, monetary wealth, and access to resources.

Question 29

Health disparity or health inequity

Answer 29

Differences in health and healthcare that occur between groups of people.