CHAPTER 4 -Sociological Theories and Social Institutions Flashcards
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What is Society
A group of people that share a culture and live/interact in a definable area
What is Sociology
The study of how individuals interact
What is the difference between macro and micro level theories
Macro level - answer fundamental questions on why societies form and change and why do they function in the way the do
Micro level - one on one and small group interactions
Define functionalism
Society is a living organism, how structures and institutions work together to keep society functioning. Societies evolve (Herbert Spencer). Macro level
Emile Durkheim - expanded, modern societies are more complex and its complex parts must work together so the society achieves equilibrium and maintain it
What are social facts
Elements that serve a function in the society such as law, religion, rituals
Collective conscience
People of shared culture come to think the same way
What are manifest functions
Are the official and anticipated consequences of the structure
What are latent functions
Consequences that are not intended. Can be beneficial, neutral, or harmful
Social dysfunctions
Undesirable consequences of the social structure
Define conflict theory
Competition for limited resources which leads to inequality - Capitalism encourage competition and private ownership
Karl Marx - society is divided in bourgeoisie and proletariat.
Max weber - protestant/puritan work ethic leads to success of capitalism
What is hegemony
A societal consensus from a coerced acceptance of values, and conditions imposed by the superstructure
Symbolic interactionism
Individuals act based on the meaning they give to societal symbols, such meaning derived from social interactions. People interact using language and symbols. Small groups, one on one. Micro level
symbols- cultural derived objects that have shared meaning, maintained through social interaction and language, micro-level
George Herbert Mead - self- developed through language, play, and games
“I”- subject, autonomous self, spontaneous, individuality vs “me”- object, social self, conforming, internalized social expectations
social stigma- disapproval of a deviant attribute or behavior, labelling theory
looking-glass self- self is shaped by our perception of how other people perceive us, we internalize stigma
Social constructionism
Reality is socially constructed, concepts differ by cultures. Macro and micro sociological perspective
Society evolve through changes is collective meaning making
Social constructs - mechanisms sustained by society, social attributes are constructs of society
socialization- individual internalizes values, beliefs, norms of society, how social constructs are maintained over time
agents of socialization- popular culture, family, schools
macro and micro-level
Stocks of knowledge and typificatin - repeated actions become routines which can be institutionalized and describe as real
What is class consciousness?
Awareness of class oppression
What is communism?
An extreme form of socialism where the workers own equally all means of production
What is Rationalization of society?
People are more and more concerned about efficiency
What is the Thomas theorem?
Interpretation of the situation affects the response to it
What is the dramaturgical approach?
People are performers and life is the stage - image that they want to communicate
Feminist theory
Macro and micro level effect of gender differences. Sees man and female equal. Micro level oppression men restrict women and macro level social structures represses women
Intersectionality - various aspects that can experience societal oppression are related
Rational choice theory
Micro and macro sociological. Includes social exchange theory, game theory, rational actor theory. compare costs and benefits of courses of action, must anticipate outcomes
methodological individualism- all social realities are result of individual actions
Utilitarianism - assumes 1 human is rational and 2 individuals maximize their self interest always.
social exchange theories
assign benefits and costs to interactions, prefer those with greatest personal benefit
Social institutions
Family, education, religion, gov, health and medicine
Family
Functions: reproduction, protection , socialization, affection and companionship, social status
Nuclear family is direct by blood ie mom/dad vs extended family other members
Monogamy v polygamy (polygyny - man to a lot of women and polyandry woman to many men)
Endogamy (within same group) vs exogamy (the norm)
Kinship - how we think as who we are related to i.e people that are not related by blood think themselves as family. Considered a cultural group. bilateral/matrilineal. Patrilineal
Patriarchy, ,matriarchy, egalitarian families
Family violence examples
Child abuse - four types: physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect
Domestic abuse - dating abuse
Elder abuse - there us an expectation of trust from the older person
Education
Great equalizer. Has manifest and latent functions; manifest pass down knowledge.
Hidden curriculum - conflicts with the manifest curriculum, other lessons learned in school
Educational segregation: widening disparity, wealthy neighborhoods have better schools
Educational stratification - inequalities are perpetuated by education
Teacher expectancy theory: teacher form expectations, as such act towards the student whom if accepts this expectation will act according to.
Religion
organizations:
1. ecclesia- dominant religion, integrated into government
2. church- large religion, integrated into society, by birth
3. sect- small religion, separate from society
4. cult/ new religious movement- different lifestyle, all religions started as cults
Secularization: religion loses significance in modern society
Fundamentalism: strong attachment to religious beliefs
Religiosity - how religion influences a person’s life. through tradition, doctrine, practice, and spirituality
religions
- Christianity- large faith
- Islam- religion and state connected
- Hinduism- polytheistic, reincarnation
- Buddhism- meditation, overcome material pleasures
- Sikhism- monotheistic
- Judaism- Israel connects religion and state
Government and economy
rules of society, relations with other societies
terms:
1. authority (rational-legal legal rules and regulations in a document ie constitution, traditional - custom, tradition or accepted practice, charismatic-persuasion)
2. Aristarchic government: controlled by small group of people (aristocracies (birth elite) or meritocracies (by merit))
3. autocratic government (dictatorship - one person - or fascism - small group)
4. monarchic government (absolute or constitutional)
5. authoritarian government (control, totalitarianism)
6. democratic government (direct or representational)
7. oligarchic government (can elect, no voice, theocracies, people little influence and small group control )
8. republican, federalist,parliamentary, presidential gov
9. Anarchy: lawlessness without public gov
Economy terms
- Command or planned economies based on the production include socialism and communism , market economies are based on the market, mixed economies on both
- Socialism- collectively own and gov intervene given what need to survive and communism
- Capitalism (profit), welfare capitalism - most private except welfare programs, state capitalism - private companies work closely with the gov
- division of labor - complex societies need different occupations cause one person cannot do all and professions leads to class differences
- Mechanical- common beliefs each person same experience and organic solidarity - integrates through division of labor so each person has a different experience
Health and medicine
Western medicine- illness is imbalance, can be treated vs Other places- weak, punishment, spiritual
Society defines weight the put to physical vs mental health
Medical model of disease - physical/medical factors/biological factors are the cause of illness
social model of disease- causes of illnesses include class, status, environment
Medicalization - conditions are reconceptualized as diseases or medical conditions with a diagnosis and a treatment
Ultimate cause of disease vs proximate cause of disease (something of life circumstances that put patient at risk)
What are the levels of healthcare?
Primary care - preventive care, first point of management
Secondary care - specialists, refererla from PCP
Tertiary - in patient care and very specialized
Quaternary - rare surgeries
Social epidemiology?
study social determinants of health, social pressures = health/illness
food dessert- hard to find healthy food
illness experience?
patient experience is main concern — types:
1. conditional- illness is temporary
2. unconditionally legitimate- illness is incurable
3. illegitimate- illness is stigmatized
What is the sick role?
rights- exempt from social roles bc not your fault
obligation- try to get well, seek treatment
Social Status (3)
master status- role or position that best describes your general place in society
ascribed status- assigned by society regardless of effort
achieved status- one that is earned
Role (3)
socially defined expectation about how you will behave based on status
role conflict- two statuses are in conflict, being on call and misses child’s birthday
role strain- conflicting expectations for single role, study and social life
role exit- transition from one role to another, premed to medical
groups (10)
group- people who identify and interact
aggregate- people who exist in same space but don’t identify or interact
category- people who identify but don’t interact
primary group- smaller, personal, long-term, expressive functions: goal is to maintain the relationship itself
secondary group- larger, impersonal, short-term, instrumental functions: accomplish a specific goal
in group- group that person belongs to, you prefer them
out group- group that person does not identify with
reference group- group that person compares self to
smaller groups are less stable, more intimate (dyad = 2)
larger groups are more stable, less intimate (triad = 3)
organizations (3)
3 types:
1. utilitarian- motivated by incentive or reward
2. normative- motivated by common cause or belief
3. coercive- forced to join
must be a group with identifiable membership engaging in concerted action to achieve common purpose, different from political change
social network- web of social relationships
bureaucracy and rationalization (4)
manage public services, rules and laws, simplify complex functioning of organizations
rationalization- tasks are broken down to component parts to be more efficient
McDonaldization- principles of fast-food industry dominate other aspects of society (in our personal lives too), chain mentality, efficiency and control
Weber’s ideal bureaucracy- hierarchical structure, division of labor, written rules, officials hired on expertise, neutrality
iron law of oligarchy- all organizations will inevitably develop oligarchic tendencies, democracy is impossible
