Famous Sociologists and Sociological Theories

Question 1

Who is Karl Marx?

Answer 1

Karl Marx (1818-1883). One of the founders of socialism and communism. Studied how the Industrial Revolution influenced the mass reorganization of society. Concluded that all societies are based on social conflict—the struggle between groups who have differing interests or needs. Argued that individuals are defined by their relationships with various social institutions.

Question 2

Who is Emile Durkheim?

Answer 2

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917). Helped develop sociology into a social science, but separate from philosophy. Not opposed to Marx, but was interested in societal structures that impacted individual behavior. Researched connections between individuals when they participated in a society built upon division of labor.

Question 3

Who is Max Weber?

Answer 3

Max Weber (1864-1920). Believed that sociology is a science concerning the understanding of social action and its consequences. Also valued culture’s hold on the individual, and researched how social actions were linked directly to individuals.

Question 4

Class Conflict Theory

Answer 4

The belief that social class was divided into bourgeoisie—the rich—and the proletarians—the poor. One group has resources, while the other does not, which creates conflict.

Question 5

Division of Labor (in relation to class conflict)

Answer 5

The idea that proletarians only have one resource—their labor. The bourgeoisie have resources, but wish to hold onto their resources. Therefore, they will never pay the true value of their labor, which creates a conflict: the proletarians have to keep working, because they cannot save enough money to join the bourgeoisie (which the bourgeoisie don’t want anyways), while the fruits of their labor are taken and sold by the bourgeoisie.

Question 6

Socialism

Answer 6

A socially-reliant system where everyone does some of the work (division of labor) and everyone gets some of the profits. Mutually beneficial.

Question 7

Communism

Answer 7

An unattainable social ideal where everyone puts in work and receives the same societal benefits. Not fair, but equitable.

Question 8

False Consciousness

Answer 8

The belief in a system that doesn’t advantage you, but that convinces you that you are advantaged by society being organized this way.

Question 9

Functionalist Theory

Answer 9

The beliefs in how society sticks together/continues to function during social upheaval

Question 10

Social Solidarity

Answer 10

The way society sticks together; mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity.

Question 11

Mechanical Solidarity

Answer 11

All parts of a system are interconnected, cohesive, and are highly integrated with one another. More fragile (if one part is removed the system can collapse).

Question 12

Organic Solidarity

Answer 12

Some members are distinctly connected to one another, with some becoming increasingly reliant on others (this is how the US is organized).

Question 13

Integration

Answer 13

How connected an individual is to other individuals in a social system.

Question 14

Anomie

Answer 14

A situation with a lack of moral standards or societal norms.

Question 15

Collective Effervescence

Answer 15

How we engage with cultural symbols and norms collectively, losing individuality to give into a collective engagement. We come together as individuals to collectively come together to forget everyday life, which holds society together.

Question 16

Interpretive Theory

Answer 16

How we interpret meaning from societal workings.

Question 17

Verstehen (understanding)

Answer 17

What the meaning is behind the various conflicts and workings of society.

Question 18

Meaning

Answer 18

A social belief system that allows a separate social system to thrive in a group or community.

Question 19

Protestant Ethic

Answer 19

The Christian idea that you need to accumulate wealth and riches to get into heaven, which allowed capitalism to thrive in America.

Question 20

Symbolic Interaction

Answer 20

The idea that how we interact with one another and societal systems shapes society.

Question 21

Social Construct

Answer 21

Something that is made up by society; endures as long as it is upheld, but is not inevitable or permanent. The fact that we interact with a social construction makes it real.

Question 22

Stimuli, meaning, and responses

Answer 22

There is no inherent meaning in any interaction or stimulus; how we act and respond creates meaning. This comes naturally to some but is difficult for others. If the response doesn’t match the meaning, confusion ensues.

Question 23

Labels

Answer 23

We constantly apply labels to people and phenomena to differentiate meaning. If labels are applied to us, those labels determine our actions.

Question 24

Roles

Answer 24

Different ways we operate in different situations. We try to keep our roles separate, especially those that see you in those different roles.

Question 25

Methodological Individualism

Answer 25

An emphasis on the individual, rather than on the social environment and structures (although they are also very important)

Question 26

Social Action

Answer 26

Behaviors that produce social structures

Question 27

Psychological Wages

Answer 27

When white people in a racially-based system get paid in things other than money (i.g, accepted less money for work during America’s enslavement period because they received an ego boost from being above African Americans. They were paid in status, not in money).

Question 28

Social Physics

Answer 28

The initial name of sociology, when there was a large shift in how we describe the world (less spiritual and more scientific). The science of how society works when disenchantment was taking place.

Question 29

Disenchantment

Answer 29

The social rise of science and the fall of spiritual/mystical ideologies.

Question 30

Feminist Theory

Answer 30

The sociological, historical, and cultural study of gender inequality.

Question 31

Critical Race Theory

Answer 31

The sociological, historical, and cultural study of racial inequality.

Question 32

Queer Theory

Answer 32

The sociological, historical, and cultural study of queer inequality.