Exam 1 (sociological perspectives) Flashcards
three characteristics of a social problem
1) affects significant number of people
2) recognized by society as a social problem
3) agreement that it needs remedy
three determinants of defining something as a social problem
1) general consensus
2) those in power
3) media
Durkheim’s three types of suicide
Egoistic: social isolation
Altruistic: over-integration in society
Anomic: breakdown of social equilibrium
Structural-Functional Perspective
interconnectedness of society
Marxist conflict
social problems result from class inequality
non-Marxist conflict
conflict from groups with opposing values
elements of social structure (4)
1) institutions (family, religion, politics, education)
2) social groups (primary & secondary)
3) statuses (ascribed and achieved)
4) roles
elements of culture (4)
1) beliefs
2) values
3) norms & sanctions
4) symbols
primary goal of textbook
to facilitate increased awareness and understanding of problematic social conditions around the world
sociological imagination
the ability to see connections between our personal lives and society
Blumer’s four stages of a social problem
1) societal recognition
2) social legitimation
3) mobilization for action
4) development of a plan
labeling theory
social problems are problems if society labels them as problems
social constructionism
people who interpret the social world around them socially construct reality
four stages of conducting a research study
1) formulating a research question
2) reviewing literature
3) defining variables
4) formulating a hypothesis
four methods of data collection
1) experiments
2) surveys
3) field research (behavior in natural setting)
4) secondary data research
