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SOC 203 > Chapter 1 > Flashcards

Chapter 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Social Problem

A

a social condition or pattern of behaviour that is believed to warrant public concern and collective action
ie; very, food insecurity, racism etc.

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2
Q

Sociology

A

the systematic study of society
- sociologists apply theories and research methods to understand society and its social problems

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3
Q

Intersectionality

A

is used to understand inequalities
- describes how inequalities based on social class, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and many other factors can converge to increase the inequalities people experience

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4
Q

Activism and Social Media on Social Problems

A
  • activism increases attention to a social problem
  • social media makes activism more accessible to everyone
    ie; social media drawn attention to the problem of police Violence e against black men and women
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5
Q

Power and Social Problems

A

Power is important in drawing attention to social problems
- individuals and groups with greater economic and political resources are better positioned to identify social problems and illicit collective action

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6
Q

Karl Marx

A
  • concerned about poverty, inequality, and the harsh working conditions during industrialization
  • raised influential ideas in social class and capitalism
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7
Q

Emile Durkheim

A

known for his study in suicide
- discovered that suicide rates varied by social factors like gender, marital status, and religiosity
- argued that the more integrated a person was to society, the lower their risk of suicide

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8
Q

Max Weber

A

studied about work and the rise of capitalism
- linked the rise of capitalism to Protestant faith
- raised awareness in the advantages and problems in modern bureaucracies including governments, corporations, and larger institutions
- published “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism”

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9
Q

Objective Elements

A

are the measurable features of a harmful societal condition
- using these to study social problems is based on the philosophical premise of positivism

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10
Q

Positivism

A

a systematic attempt (scientific approach) to find and test natural laws through measurements of the reality

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11
Q

Subjective Elements

A

are beliefs and evaluation of sensed reality that influence peoples behaviour
- people apply moralistic labels to acts or situations based on personal beliefs and values, which are shaped by the wider society and may change overtime
- subjective elements are important because it shows the public opinions about social problems

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12
Q

Social problems can be defined as both a _________ and a _________

A

condition, process

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13
Q

Social Problem as a Condition

A

is empirically observed issues that threatens the well-being of a society

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14
Q

Social Problem as a Process

A

is the sequence of events by which members of society comes to see a condition as a social problem that warrants collective action

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15
Q

Sociological Imagination

A

the ability to connect ones own life (micro-events) with the social world in which one lives (macro-events)
- coined by C. Wright Mills

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16
Q

Closed Society

A

society that doesn’t support upward social mobility
- No opportunity to move up the socioeconomic ladder
- Lack of social programs to support those in need

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17
Q

Open Society

A

society support upward social mobility
- Canada is an example

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18
Q

Language and Social Problems

A

language shapes how social problem are defined and viewed

example
- phrases like “drug-use” and “overdose” displays drug deaths as the result of individuals consuming excessive opioids
- more modern phrases like “opioid toxicity” or “mass poisoning crisis” suggest that deaths are a result of drug supply that is toxic and life-threatening

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19
Q

Denotation

A

the root meaning of a word

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20
Q

Connotation

A

the meaning that word has acquired overtime

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21
Q

Technology and Social Problems

A

technology drew attention to social problems, but has also created new social problems

ill cyberbullying, financial crimes, romance scams, sextortion

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22
Q

Sextortion

A

an individual shares a sexually explicit image of themselves to another person, who threatens to publicize the photo if money is not paid

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23
Q

Micro-Level Analysis (Microsociology)

A

focuses on the interactions between individuals in small groups

ie; substance abuse, relationship conflicts, and mental health issues

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24
Q

Macro-Level Analysis (Macrosociology)

A

studies how changes in major organizations and institutions affect society as a whole

ie; negative experience in foster care, child welfare system

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25
Q

August Comte

A

followed positivism

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26
Q

Social Reality

A

how people perceive the world around them
- it is flexible and subjected to interpersonal influence
- imaginary accounts of reality can lead to real effects

ie; health of consumers is compromised by food corporations who are motivated to produce profits rather than producing healthy food

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27
Q

Thomas Theorem

A

when people define a situation as real, the situation will be real in it’s effects
- coined by W.I. Thomas

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28
Q

Social Constructionism

A

a sociological approach that examines the way people interact to create a shared social reality
- proposed by Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann
- the meaning of anything, including a social problem, is the product of dominant cultural and symbolic practices in a group or society
- it is important to be skeptical to distinguish something is a real problem or a social construction

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29
Q

Moral Entrepreneurs

A

interest groups, stakeholders, public relations experts, or even community leaders who classify some situations as problems

30
Q

Claims-Making

A

the framing of social problems that explains the problem in a particular way and blames some people as wrong-doers

31
Q

Whistle-Blowers

A

employees who speak out about an organization’s wrongdoings or illegal activities, against their employers interests

32
Q

Moral Panics

A

brief yet intense periods of concern often based on false or exaggerated perceptions

33
Q

Folk Devils

A

the people responsible for the threats of moral panics

34
Q

Structural Functionalism

A

views society as interconnected elements that work together to preserve stability and efficiency in society
- macrosociological approach
- it views characteristics of societies, such as inequality, as functional for society
- Davis and Moore argue that inequality encourages people to work harder to achieve higher incomes

35
Q

Critiques of Structural Functionalism

A
  • it ignores the reality that many inequalities are based on inherited wealth
  • some jobs important to society does not necessarily come with very high salaries
  • it assumes that economic rewards are the only effective motivators for people, ignoring factors like self-fulfillment
  • it does not consider the people who are unable to maximize their talents and skills because they were born in impoverished circumstances
36
Q

Structural Functionalism: Cause of Social Problems

A

failure of institutions to fulfill their roles
- common during times of rapid social change
- results in social disorganization

37
Q

Anomie

A

coined by Durkheim
- a condition of disorder that causes norms to be weak or uncertain

38
Q

Structural Functionalism: Social Problems Solution

A

strengthening of social norms and slow the pace of social change

39
Q

Conflict Theory

A

views society as a collection of varied groups struggling over unequally distributed wealth and power
- criticize SF’s for ignoring inequalities
- rooted in the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

40
Q

Conflict Theory: Cause of Social Problems

A

proposes that social problems stem from the economic and political inequalities between social classes
- the struggle for power between capitalists and workers

41
Q

Alienation

A

workers in a capitalist system feel distanced from the processes and products of their labour
- they are unable to change the condition of their work
- caused by the capitalism exploiting the workers by denying them fair payment for this value they produce through their labour

42
Q

Criticisms of Conflict Theories

A

overlooking other forms of inequality such as those baed on gender, ethnicity, race, disability, and sexual orientation

43
Q

Symbolic Interactionism

A

sees a society as actively created by people who interact and share meaning, definitions, and interpretations with one another
- focuses on micro-level interactions
- both verbal and non-verbal communication
- analyzes how people come to frame certain situations as social problems and how people learn to engage in such “framing” activities

44
Q

Critiques of Symbolic Interationism

A
  • over-emphasizing micro-level interactions and neglects how larger social structures have our interactions
  • a focus on micro-level interactions is not conductive to creating social policies to address social problems and inequalities
45
Q

Labeling Theory

A

something is a social problem mainly if groups of people define it as such

46
Q

Howard Becker

A

contributed to labeling theory
- argued that moral entrepreneurs can translate their personal beliefs into social rules and norms
- people who violate these rules are labeled as deviant

47
Q

Herbert Blumer

A

proposes that people construct social problems in stages
1. Social Recognition
2. Social Legitimating
3. Mobilization for Action
4. Developing and Carrying out an Official Plan

48
Q

Social Recognition

A

a given behaviour is identified by moral entrepreneurs as a social concern

49
Q

Social Legitimating

A

a person in authority recognizes the activity as a serious threat to social stability

50
Q

Mobilization for Action

A

social organizations begin planning ways to deal with the problem

51
Q

Developing and Carrying out an Official Plan

A

official policy changes

52
Q

George Herbert Mead (1934)

A

proposed that children learn to interact with others by acquiring a shared system of rules and symbols that allows them to share meanings
- the children can this relate to the social group, known as the generalized other
- for mead, the shared rules and meaning contribute to the cooperative construction of social reality

53
Q

Generalized Other

A

the broader social group

54
Q

Berger and Luckmann (1966)

A

proposed that the purpose of sociology is to understand “the reality of everyday life”- how it’s experienced, coordinated, and organized
- everyday world is inter-subjective and taken for granted
- all knowledge in everyday life is created, preserved, and spread by social interaction

55
Q

Intersubjective

A

based on communication that establishes common or shared understanding

56
Q

Critiques of Social Constructionism

A

social problems may even exist when people fail to recognize them as problems

57
Q

Feminist Theory

A

systematically examines gender inequalities in society to eliminate them
- focuses on both micro and macro levels of society
- focuses on understanding women’s social reality and experiences
ie; caregiving, unpaid labour, violence against women

58
Q

Patriarchy

A

a form of social organization in when men are the rulers of the household, community, and society

59
Q

1st Wave Feminism

A

early 20th century
- focused on women’s right to vote

60
Q

2nd Wave Feminism

A

1960s
- focused on establishing legal, cultural, and social equalities for women, including reproductive rights and the right to equal pay

61
Q

3rd Wave Feminism

A

1990s
- focused on redefining feminism to be more inclusive and address intersectionality

62
Q

Critiques of Feminist Theory

A
  • early feminist scholarship focused on concerns and interests of the most advantaged women in society; white, middle class, heterosexual, educated women
  • early feminism did not address other kinds of inequalities based on race, class, disability, age, or sexual orientation
63
Q

Post-modernism

A

a school of thought that denies the validity of universal, sweeping statements about the world or groups of people within the world, and analyzes the motives behind such statements and the consequences of people believing them
- rejects the idea of objective truth
- there is no singular factor that could explain our social world
- knowledge and truth is situation specific, and contested, reshaped through discourse
- truth often reflects power relations as those with power can shape discourse

64
Q

Critiques of Post-Modernism

A
  • the theory has no clear explanatory factors, making it difficult to explain society and solve social problems
  • not conductive for directing social policy
65
Q

Post-structuralism

A

a concept related to postmodernism that takes analytical deconstruction
- helps us to think of new ways to solve old problems, and it makes finding the truth seem impossible
- helps sociologists recognize the biases and perspectives reflected in their work

66
Q

Population Health Perspective

A

aims to improve the health of society and reduce health inequalities between social groups

67
Q

Social Determinants of Health

A

include social support networks, education, employment, working and living conditions, health practices, health services, stress, coping skills, gender, and culture
- suggests that population health is a sensitive global measure of how well a society is functioning

68
Q

Individual Solutions

A
  • individuals can reach out for support
69
Q

Formal Sources of Assistance

A
  • agencies and institutions such as police, the health care system, food banks, etc.
70
Q

Informal Sources of Assistance

A
  • family and friends for financial help or caregiving
  • use of online resources
  • taking out loans
  • pursuing higher education or training
71
Q

Collective Solutions

A

social movements and activism that create awareness and support for a social problem

SOC 203 (6 decks)

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