Features of the main theories

Question 1

What are the features of functionalism?

Answer 1

IT is structural (biological analogy), positivist, and a consensus theory

Question 2

What are the main features of Marxism?

Answer 2

The economy affects all aspects of life, structural (ISA), and society is based around conflict.

Question 3

What are the main features of Feminism?

Answer 3

Micro and Macro, society based around the gender conflict

Question 4

What are the main features of Interactionism?

Answer 4

Its an action theory - believes in verstehen, society shaped by human motivations

Question 5

Why is interactionism called an integrated approach?

Answer 5

Because human behaviour is shaped by internal and external forces. Weber: two levels of behaviours, level of course (external) and level of meaning which is how we attach subjective meanings to individual actions

Question 6

What was Cooley’s theory?

Answer 6

The ‘looking glass self’ our sense of self comes from how other people see and treat us. If societies ideas go against our own then we come to doubt our beliefs and accept the views of others.

Question 7

What was Mead’s theory?

Answer 7

Symbolic Interactionism: a smile is just a physical contortion of the face however we attach meaning to it from our experiences to mean warmth and friendliness.

X neglects structural factors
X doesn’t explain where the norms come from

Question 8

What is phenomology?

Answer 8

We classify things based on our past experiences. Meaning is not given to an action itself but to its context. E.g. the coroner in Durkheim’s suicide study made it biased.

Question 9

Ethnomethodology

Answer 9

Social order is an illusion; our lives appear orderly but they are in fact chaotic. Social order is an accomplishment that we construct every day. This idea is interested in the rules or methods used to produce meanings in the first place.

Question 10

What are the 4 different types of feminism?

Answer 10

Liberal: change in laws and attitudes
Marxist: revolution in societies will solve sexism. Duel burden, having both domestic and paid work.
Radical: every aspect of society needs to be looked at and deconstructed and rebuilt, men are the enemy, all hail political lesbianism.
Dual systems: a combination of Marxism and radicals, women are exploited by both capitalism and men shown by higher poverty rates for women and children