Human Society Flashcards
What is socialisation
The idea that society is held by values and norms. It is the passing on how culture. It is what turns individuals into members of society by learning things such as language, customs, knowledge, skills, roles, values and norms
What is primary and secondary socialisation
Primary- family and peers reward children for socially acceptable behaviour and are punished for deviant behaviour.
Secondary- tends to happen at the age of 5. It’s when formal institutions reward or discourage certain behaviours
What is a common sense explanation vs a sociological explanation?
Common sense tends to be based off of personal opinion. It is not factual based. It may be based off of naturalistic (explanations that assume that natural reasons for behaviour) or from individualistic (explanations that explain a situation solely in terms of the individual or persons involved, they don’t look at the bigger picture)
Sociological explanation- it is based on theories which have been tested through research. Attempts to be objective and see the bigger picture. Is based on facts.
An example of a sociological explanation
People may celebrate holidays like Christmas and new years but each culture may have their Own traditions. This can show how society and culture shape people’s behaviour.
What is a sociological approach to understanding human society
It involves looking at peoples actions shaped by their social environment. Sociologists study things like culture, social structures, and institutions to see how they affect people’s behaviour and beliefs.
What is a common sense explanation?
It may be that “people from the same family are all alike” assuming family members will have similar traits and behaviours because they come from the same household.
What is a common sense approach to understanding human society
It involves heavily relying on beliefs and personal experiences to make sense of social phenomena. It involves generalisation and assumptions based on everyday observations, rather that evidence is systematic analysis.
What is a structural theory
It believes that your behaviours and attitudes are largely governed by the society that you are brought up in, therefore you don’t have a lot of free will to choose your behaviour. (MACRO)
What is an action theory
It believes that we are very powerful and can shape the society we live in. We therefore have choice and control over our behaviour. (MICRO)
What is a consensus theory
It believes society works in harmony
What is a conflict theory
It believes that society rich and powerful groups use institutions like the media to convince those at the bottom of the system that it is fair even though it only benefits a minority of the population. It believes that there is conflict within society
What is the private troubles of Milieu
This is when a challenge or conflict occurs to one’s normal social environment. Such as walking into a high school classroom for the first time.
What is sociological imagination
It is the ability to see the connection between individual experiences and larger social forces. It allows us to understand how society shapes our lives and how our personal choices are influenced by broader social contexts. For example, if someone is struggling to find a job, instead of just thinking it is personal failure, sociological imagination allows us to consider broader factors like economic conditions which plays apart in our individual lives.
What is rationalisation?
It makes decisions based on logic and reason rather than tradition or emotion. It’s thinking carefully about the best way to do something, instead of just doing it the way it has always been done.
For example, a company want a more efficient way of packaging products. Instead of using the traditional packing method, they may carefully plan a new way that is more efficient, saves time and has less waste.
What is bureaucracy?
Bureaucracy is an organised system with clear rules, roles and hierarchical structure, designed to ensure efficiency and order.
For example, imagine a big company where there are clear rules and procedures for everything and everyone has a specific job and reports to the manager
