Chapter 4: Society & Social Interaction Flashcards
society
refers to a group of people who live in a definable community and share the same culture.
Hunter-gatherer societies
these groups were based around kinship or tribes. Hunter-gatherers relied on their surroundings for survival
Pastoral societies
such as the Maasai villagers, rely on the domestication of animals as a resource for survival.
Horticultural societies
in areas where rainfall and other conditions allowed them to grow stable crops.
agricultural societies
relied on permanent tools for survival, farming
feudal societies
hierarchical system of power based around land ownership and protection.
industrial society
rise in technological inventions, labor became faster, rooted in production of material goods
Information societies
digital, age
Émile Durkheim
perspective on society stressed the necessary interconnectivity of all of its elements; sum greater than the parts
collective conscience
the communal beliefs, morals, and attitudes of a society
social integration
the strength of ties that people have to their social groups,
mechanical solidarity
a type of social order maintained by the collective conscience of a culture. (things are done mostly because they have always been done that way.)
organic solidarity
social order based around an acceptance of economic and social differences.
anomie
“without law”—is a situation in which society no longer has the support of a firm collective consciousness.
Karl Marx
idea of “base and superstructure.” This term refers to the idea that a society’s economic character forms its base, upon which rests the culture and social institutions, the superstructure (remember the triangle)
the bourgeoisie
the owners of the means of production
proletariat
the laborers
capitalism
is a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) are owned by individual people and companies rather than by the government,
Alienation
refers to the condition in which the individual is isolated and divorced from his or her society, work, or the sense of self.
false consciousness
Marx’s idea of a condition in which the beliefs, ideals, or ideology of a person are not in the person’s own best interest.
class consciousness
the awareness of one’s rank in society.
rationalization
logic and efficiency rather than morality or tradition.
iron cage
the individual is trapped by institutions and bureaucracy.
habitualization
the act of implanting a convention or norm into society.
Thomas theorem
W.I. Thomas: “If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences”
self-fulfilling prophecy
Robert K Merton: even a false idea can become true if it is acted upon.
roles
patterns of behavior that we recognize in each other that are representative of a person’s social status. Currently, while reading this text, you are playing the role of a student.
status
the responsibilities and benefits that a person experiences according to their rank and role in society.
ascribed
Some statuses are ascribed—those you do not select, such as son, elderly person, or female.
achieved status
are obtained by choice, such as a high school dropout, self-made millionaire, or nurse.
role-set
array of roles, attached to it
role strain
If too much is required of a single role,
role conflict
when one or more roles are contradictory.
(deadline at work, but sick child at home)
Role performance
how a person expresses his or her role.
looking-glass self
Charles Cooley: we base our image on what we think other people see
