Chapter 1 The Sociological Perspective Flashcards
Society
A group of people who live within a defined territory and who share a culture
Social location
The social and physical traits of an individual, such as gender, race, social class and religion, deemed to be important by their society
Life chances
Our chances of being healthy, wealthy, and well educated and, more generally, of living a good, happy life.
Social environment
Interaction between humans in an immediate physical setting.
Sociology
The scientific study of human behavior and social organization within society.
Sociological perspective
The view that our social backgrounds influence our attitudes, behavior, life choices and life chances.
Max Weber
A founder of sociology, aimed to uncover and explain “inconvenient facts” about how society affects individuals and the extent of social inequality.
Peter Berger
Pointed out that the first lesson of sociology is that things are not always what they appear to be. Sociology aims to uncover the deeper, often hidden layers of meaning in social reality.
Debunking motif
Looking beyond the on-the-surface understandings of social reality and recognizing the value of alternative sociological understandings.
Personal troubles
Refers to a problem affecting individuals that the affected individual and other members of society typically blame on the individual’s own failings.
Public issues
Refers to social problems affecting many individuals stemming from social structure and culture of a society.
Sociological imagination
Coined by C. Wright Mills, refers to the ability to see the societal patterns that influence individual and group life.
Understanding as a public issue, not just as a personal trouble examples
Eating disorders; Crime; Unemployment; Divorce
Social structure
The social patterns through which a society is organized.
Culture
The symbols, language, norms, beliefs, values and material objects that are part of a society.
C. Wright Mills
He felt that many problems ordinarily considered private troubles are best understood as public issues.
As William Ryan put it, they tend to believe in [___] rather than blaming the system.
[…blaming the victim]
Sociologists
Examine how social forces shape our behavior, attitudes, life choices, and chances, with emphasis on social inequality and social structure.
Social inequality
The hierarchical ranking of people or groups within a society, where some people or groups have greater access to goods and resources than others.
Determinants of social rank or position
Wealth; Power; Race; Ethnicity; Gender
Social structure examples
Status; Social groups; Social institutions; Form of society
Statuses
The position that someone occupies in society.
Statuses examples
Manager; Student; Parent; Slave
Statuses are typically embedded within [___].
[…social groups]
Social group
Two or more people who regularly interact on the basis of mutual expectations and who share a common identity.
Social group examples
Families; Friends; Groups of coworkers in a workplace
The [___] we belong to shape our experiences, attitudes, and opportunities, influencing everything from personal beliefs and decision-making to access to resources and societal esteem.
[…social groups]
Social institutions
The patterns of beliefs, behaviors and organized means by which a society meets its basic needs.
Social institutions examples
Family; Economy; Education; Government; Religion
The U.S. Secretary of Education [___] is a member of the presidential cabinet [___], which is part of the government [___] and found in the U.S [___].
[…a status]; […a social group]; […a social institution]; […a society]
The shape and nature of social institutions reflects the form of society they are found within, and this also influences the experience of individuals.
In a patriarchal agricultural society, women typically cannot own land or inherit property due to systemic gender inequality.
Foraging society
Small, simple societies with hunting, scavenging, and gathering; egalitarian with minimal inequality.
Horticultural and pastoral society
Larger than foraging societies; horticultural societies grow crops with simple tools, while pastoral societies raise livestock; wealthier with more inequality and conflict.
Agricultural society
Grow large amounts of crops using advanced tools; wealthier than horticultural and pastoral societies with higher conflict and inequality.
Industrial society
Feature factories and machines; wealthier than agricultural societies with increased individualism and significant inequality.
Postindustrial society
Focus on information technology and service jobs; higher education is crucial for economic success.
Sociology as a field of study first emerged during the height of [___].
[…the industrial revolution]
There is more inequality and
conflict in societies that have [___].
[…more people and more property]
Macrosociology
Focuses on the big picture, which usually means such things as social structure, social institutions, and social, political, and economic change.
Macrosociologists
Look at large-scale social forces that change the course of human society and the lives of individuals.
Microsociology
Examines social interaction, action, and the construction of meaning.
Microsociologists
Look at how families, coworkers, and other small groups of people interact, why they interact the way they do, and how they interpret the meanings of their own interactions.
The functional and the conflict perspective are [___], while the interaction perspective is [___].
[…macrosociological]; […microsociological]
Emile Durkheim
Durkheim stated humans have desires that result in chaos unless they are limited by the moral authority of society.
Functional perspective
Views society as a system of interconnected parts that function together to contribute to the stability of the whole society. Coalesced around ideas of French sociologist, Emile Durkheim.
How does society limit individual aspirations?
Socialization and social integration.
Socialization
Helps us learn society’s rules and the need to cooperate, as people end up generally agreeing on norms.
Social integration, or our ties to other people and to social institutions
Helps socialize us and integrate us into society and reinforce our respect for its rules.
Social order
Refers to the way the components of society work together to maintain the status quo.
In preindustrial societies, social solidarity is maintained through [___], characterized by minimal division of labor and strong group commitment, which leaves little room for deviation from established norms and beliefs.
[…mechanical solidarity]
Industrial and postindustrial societies are held together by [___], which arises from a complex and hierarchical division of labor and the resulting interdependence among individuals.
[…organic solidarity]
Functionalists
Understand society by describing and understanding the functions that society’s social institutions serve for the ongoing health and stability of society.
Functionalists state slow and steady change is preferable since sudden change is so disruptive. An example of a theory that demonstrates this idea is [___].
[…Talcott Parsons’ equilibrium theory]
Equilibrium theory
A theory of social change in which it is argued that changes within one social institution causes changes in other social institutions until order is restored.
Conflict perspective
Looks at the way inequalities contribute to social differences and perpetuate differences in power while creating social order (macrosociological).
The conflict perspective developed from the writings of Germans [___].
[…Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels]
Bourgeoisie
Ruling class that exploits the workers
Proletariat
Working class
Class consciousness
Occurs when the proletariat becomes aware it is being exploited, leading to revolutionary social change.
Current tenets of conflict theory
Social inequalities contribute to social differences which lead to conflict, and these social differences cause people to have dissimilar interests and distinct views about social issues; Power differentials between these groups means the dominant or ruling group has more access to society’s scarce resources; Social change occurs when the exploited group rises against the group in power and removes them
Feminist theory
An offshoot of conflict theory that analyzes the inequalities and power dynamics between men and women with the intention of improving women’s lives.
Symbolic interactionism
The theoretical perspective that focuses on the interaction of individuals and on how they interpret their interaction according to the meaning things have for them (microsociological).
The symbolic interactionism perspective draws on the work of early sociologists, psychologists and philosophers; sociologist Herbert Blumer coined the term [___].
[…symbolic interaction]
Criticism
Functional theory tends to support the status quo and thus seems to favor existing inequalities.
Criticism
Conflict Theory’s heavy emphasis on inequality and dissensus in society overlooks the large degree of consensus on many important issues; there is an under-emphasis on ways institutions are necessary for societal stability.
Criticism
Neither the functional nor the conflict perspective offers much insight into social interaction.
Criticism
The fine focus of symbolic Interactionism on social interaction pays relatively little attention to the reasons for, and possible solutions to, such broad and fundamentally important issues as poverty, racism, sexism, and social change.
Early sociologists worked on various social problems such as poverty, racism and women’s rights, but in the [___] there was conflict within the field over whether its priority should be on theory or social reform, and tensions remain regarding priorities,
[…1950’s and 1960’s]
