Chapter 4: Sociological Theories & Social institutions Flashcards
What are the 4 major sociological theories that explain society?
- Functionalism
- Conflcit theory
- Symbolic interactionalism
- Social constructionism
- Femist
- Rational choice/ social exchange theories
Out of the 4 major sociological theories which ones are macro theories?
Functionalism & conflict theory
________ theories focus on the effects of a large scale social structure & try to answer questions such as why societies form, why societies change, and why their social structures function in the manner that they function
Macro
Symbolic interactionism analyzes society on a _______ level & are interested in small scale individual considerations, 1 on 1 & small groups interaction
Mirco
_____________ can be either macro or micro depending on the context
Social constructionism
Functionalism
Views society as a living organism with many different interrelated & interdependent parts each of which has a distinct & necessary purpose (society works like the human body)
Functionalism (such as Emile Durkhiem) focuses on asking what type of questions?
How these structures (institutions) contribute to society
When a healthy society faces an imbalance or crisis, the functionalist theory proposes that the major structures of society will work together to return to a state of ___________ equilibrium
Dynamic
____________ societies can successfully achieve & maintain a dynamic equilibrium
Healthy (not unhealthy ones)
Manifest functions
Are the official, intended & anticipated consequences of a structure & are usually beneficial (ex. police enforces laws against violent crimes)
Latent functions
Are consequences of a structure that are not officially sought or sanctioned & can be beneficial, neutral, or harmful (ex. a police department give jobs to people, raise money for the government by issuing traffic tickets or showing racism by only killing black people)
Social dysfunction
A process that has undesirable consequences & may actually reduce the stability of society (ex. police committing policy brutality) but functionalist that in a healthy society it will over time work to reduce social dysfunction
Conflict theory (by Karl Max & Max Weber)
Views society as a never-ending competition for limited resources, where people compete for social, political, and material resources like money, land, & power
In conflict theory, what are the two social classes in society?
- Bourgeoisie
- Proletariat
Bourgeoisie
Is the ruling class (upper class) which own most of the production (& try their best to stay in power)
Proletariat
Is the working class which provides labor
Hegemony
A coerced acceptances of the values, expectations, & conditions as determined by the capitalist class (where your at in social class is inevitable)
Class consciousness
When working-class realize the reason for their oppression (Karl Marxbelieved that the collapse of capitalism is inevitable)
Weber believed in Protestant / Puritan work ethic which was what?
Belief that lauded the maorality of hard work for the sake of godliness
Weber believed in Protestant / Puritan work ethic which was what?
Belief that lauded the maorality of hard work for the sake of godliness
________________ examines relationships between individuals & society by focusing on the exchange of information through language & symbols in 1 on 1 & small groups communications
Symbolic Interactionism
According to ______________ individuals make sense of the world around them by ascribing meaning to the symbols & language of their shared culture & theses meanings depend on both individual interpretation & social context
Symbolic interactionism
Symbolic interactionism holds the principle of meaning to be the central aspect of human behavior based on what?
- Humans ascribe meaning to things & act toward those things based on their ascribed meaning
- Language allows meaning through an interpretive thought process that observes & considered the reactions of others as well as the social context of these interactions
- Humans modify meaning through an interpretive thought process that observes & considered the reaction of others as well as the social context of theses interactions
Language, play & games are the primary ways that we interact with each other & interpret the role of the _______ & play a critical role in the formation of identity
Self (Language being the most impactful)
“I” represents what?
The individualistic self where represents the part of the self that is the active agent & acts on other people & things & has its own autonomy & will
“Me” represents what?
The social self, others acting & interpreting our behavior & we are the objects of their actions & interpretations
Thomas Theorem
The theory is that the interpretation of a situation affects the response to that situation
Dramaturgical approach
Views people as theatrical performers & everyday life as a stage (ppl decide what kind of image they want others to view them as)
Social constructionism belive what?
That people actively shape their reality through social interactions, reality is therefore something that is socially constructed rather than inherent
Typification
Our individual stock of knowledge allow classify objects & actions we observe quickly & routinely structure our own action in immediate response to
____________ is concerned with the social experience of both men & women & the difference between these experiences
Feminist theory
______________ sociologist try to understand both social structures that contribute to gender difference & the effects of gender difference on individual interactions & is related to feminism where they seek to establish men & women as equals in terms of social rights, roles, statuses, etc
Feminist
Intersectionality
Posits that various human aspects subject to societal oppression (like class, race, sexual orientation, & gender) don’t exist isolated & separated from each other but instead have complex influential & interwoven relationships
Rational choice theory can include what?
Social change theory, game theory, rational actor theory
___________ brings a decidedly economic approach to the analysis of why, when, and how people interact
Rational choice
In all ____________ theory, people seek to maximize the benefits they gain and minimize the disadvantages they sustain in all of their social interactions
rational choice
All rational choice theory believe that human behavior are ___________________
Utilitarian
Utilitarian is based on what two assumptions?
- That individual humans are rational in their actions
- That in every human interaction, individuals will seek to maximize their own self-interest