Key Perspectives Flashcards
Functionalism
The belief that society all works together and are dependent on each other ( interdependent)
Anomie
A condition in society of instability resulting from breakdown of standards and values
Socialisation
Individuals are taught what is and isn’t acceptable within society
Social Control
Set of rules and standards that ensure individuals behave in society
Social Inequality
The extent to which there are differences between groups in society. This can be related to differences in income, gender, ethnicity, race etc.
Social Solidarity
This emphasises the interdependence between individuals in society, which ensures social order and stability.
Values Consensus
The extent to which individuals within a social structure share the same values.
Marxism
They believe that we live in a capitalist society and they believe that the system divides everyone into two basic classes: bosses and workers / ruling class and the working class / bourgeoisie and proletariat
Bourgeoisie
This is the ruling class which controls society, they benefit in every way from how society operates.
Proletariat
This is the working class and they get much less than what they deserve
Conflict Theory
A theory that society is in a state of perpetual conflict because of competition for limited resources.
Consensus Theory
A theory that views consensus ( collective agreement ) as a key distinguishing feature of a group of society or people.
Inequality
The uneven and unequal distribution of opportunities and rewards that increase power, prestige, and wealth for individuals
Exploitation
A situation in which a dominant group within society manipulates another social group.
Feminism
A theory that argues that gender is the source of difference, inequality and conflict and that society is highly patriarchal
Liberal Feminists
They believe that over the years there has been lots of changes and believe that there is a steady improvement in the position of women
Marxists Feminists
They argue that patriarchal society is like a capitalist society, because women are an unpaid domestic force of labour who serve for the male force / true equality between genders can only occur when capitalism has been dismantled
Radical Feminists
They believe that patriarchal oppression and exploitation of women is built into every aspect of society. For example patriarchy is prominent in families and that men tend to dominate women in all aspects of life
Difference Feminists
They argue that all women have different experiences when it comes to patriarchy. For example a black woman could have a different experience to a white woman
Stratification
A society’s categorisation of its people based on factors like wealth, income, race, education etc.
Patriarchal
A social situation in which men have a privileged position is society
Postmodernism
Postmodernists believe we have entered a new era of society / into a postmodern society
Dis - embedding
This refers to our ability to interact with others without having to make face to face contact.
Reflexivity
This is the act of the researcher constantly reflecting on the extent to which they themselves are impacting on their research and findings
Globalisation
Can be defined as the interconnectedness of countries, people and institutions across the world.
Meta narratives
“Grand stories” which claim to present the truth
Simulacrum
A simulation ( an image and imitation which we see as real )
Hyper reality
Inability to distinguish simulation from reality, which results in an artificial and distorted vision of the world
Interactionism
Theory that rejects the structuralist assumption that social behaviour is determined by the organisation of society. They see people as having a much more positive and active role in shaping social life.
Bottom Up Theory
Starts with people not society (micro approach)
Social Identity
How well we perform our roles
Self Identity
How we see ourselves. This is usually the result of how we interpret others’ reactions towards us and how we distinguish acceptable and unacceptable behaviour
