Launching Into Sociology Flashcards
Sociological theories and perspectives
Theory: Described as a philosophy that organizes thoughts. To be thorough:
1) Descriptive: Nature of social life?
2) Explanatory: why people and groups behave the way they do?
3) Predictive: how will things be in future
Conflict theory
- Unequal power and conflicts in society.
- Conflict can be good or bad because it leads to change.
Symbolic Interactionism
- Humans learn to interpret the world through interactions.
- Organize their lives around these socially erected meanings.
Structural functionalism
Societies seek equilibrium and whole is greater than sum of its parts.
Sociological Perspectives
Ways of looking at phenomena
- Uses techniques
- used accros many schools of thought.
- look at through a lens
Social constructionism
Sense of reality comes from jointly constructed understanding of the world.
Social Imagination
Individuals and groups always affect one another across situations
Personal troubles stem from “public issues”
Social Exchange Theory
- States relationships negotiated through cost-benefit analyses.
- Economic principles to explain human behavior.
Ration Choice Theory
- People make decisions based on what makes sense to them.
- rational if: goal oriented, reflective, and consistent.
Cultures and Cultural Diversity
Culture: tools and practices of a group sharing beliefs and carry out daily routines in similar ways
a. Materials: tools, food, tech
b. Symbols: language, gestures, beliefs.
Cultural diversity: cultural variations within a group.
a. subculture: Population subset with unique lifestyle and interests setting them slightly apart from larger culture.
Cultural transmission vs Cultural transfusion
Cultural transmission: teaching cultural practices to people within own culture.
Cultural transfusion: spreading of culture practices from one culture to another.
Assimilation vs multiculturalism
Assimilation: immigrants will eventually conform to culture where they live.
Multiculturalism: cultures are always blending and exchanging practices in dynamic way. Cultures influence each other.
Ethnocentrism vs Relativism
Ethnocentrism: judging other cultures differing from own /your own culture is standard.
Relativism: Assessing people and practices through their own cultural values rather than one’s own.
Culture shock vs Culture lag
Culture shock: Anxiety and disorientation that occurs when immersed in an unfamiliar culture.
Culture lag: tech changes before values have a chance to catch up.
Cultural development
1) Hunter gathering: small groups, nomads, seniority
2) Pastoral: larger groups, herd livestock, chiefs
3) Agrarian: Villages, agricultural, not very nomadic, chiefs or kings.
4) Early Civilization: vast regions, written language, emperors.
5) Nation State: communities with political boundaries.
6) Industrialization: Rise of tech, communication, organizational complexity.
Stereotype
Oh bet generalizations made about a group.
a. Self-fulfilling prophecy: act in accordance with the stereotypes others have of them.
b. Stereotype threat: when people made aware of group memberships.
Prejudice
Negative outlook on a group/situation based on preconceived beliefs.
a. Bias: Tendency to prefer one thing over another to the point of not being objective.
b. Discrimination: Negative action against people due to underlying prejudice.
c. Cognition plays a role in preducice and discrimination as systematic, linear thinkers most likely to be prejudiced.
d. Emotion also plays a role has people overly frustrated and exhausted most likely to act on their prejudices.
e. Hypothesis if relative deprivation: When people see others with something they want and can’t have the act out. Pro social: social movements. Antisocial: violence.
Socialization and Agents
Socialization: lifelong process which a person becomes an active participant in their culture
Agents:
- family, school, workplace, peers, media.
- Impacts beliefs, values, social norms.
Agents of Socialization
1) Imitation and Mirror Neurons
a. Primate (and other animals) have neurons firing when same species performing/watching same actions.
b. Found in inferior frontal lobe and superior parietal lobe.
c. Hard wired to identify with others.
2) Looking glass-self: People’s identities shaped by other’s perception. Imagined perception of others.
3) Reference groups: any group a person compared themselves to.
a. Associative: groups we belong to.
b. Aspirational: groups admired but don’t belong to.
c. Dissociative: groups we don’t want to belong to.
4) Other ways of naming groups
a. Primary groups: identify strongly with for years.
b. Secondary groups: identify did a short while
c. Out groups: don’t see as us. Micro, macro and demographic level.
All dissociative groups are out groups but not all out groups dissociative.
Vygotsky’s sociocultural Theory
- Identities strongly shaped by personality traits and cognitive abilities.
- Personality and Cognition shaped through interaction with parents, teachers and other adults.
- interaction styles shaped by culture strongly.
Social facilitation and it’s types
People (other animals too) perform quickly and accurately when others are present
Types:
- Co-action effects (side by side behavior).
- Audience effects (in front of passive audience).
Plays a role even when thinking about imagined audiences.
Social inhibition
Lack of confidence/ practice, or presence of others will hinder performance.
Deindividuation
- phenomenon that people in large groups lose self-awareness and do things they usually wouldn’t do.
- happens in crowds and costume dressed events.
- Can be positive.
Self-loafing.
Phenomenon where people exert less effort in a group due to diffusion of responsibility.
Bystander effect
People less likely to help if a lot of potential helpers are present.
Individuation
- Process of becoming unique, semi autonomous self.
- Mostly occurs during childhood.
Piaget’s concept of individuation
Describes cognitive developmental leaps enabling children to become effective, independent “selves” in the world.
Identity
Self concepts: memories, beliefs, and evaluations about our tendencies and personalities.
1) Have self schema (memories enabling reflection of personalities)
2) Have self-evaluations (judgements).
Social identities: groups we identify with.
1) Have group memberships ( groups we belong to by choice, heritage, or circumstance) 2) Have social positions ( roles and statuses in relation to group membership)
Self-esteem
Positive/negative regard for oneself
a. Self-efficacy: Confidence in one’s ability to achieve or complete a task.
b. Internal locus of control: One’s own actions largely to credit/blame for what happens.
c. External locus of control: what happens in one’s life is beyond one’s control.
Status and types
Social positions we occupy
- ascribed status: category we fill based on life situation.
- achieved status: status we obtain.
Role and types
Behavior expected based off status
1) Role set: multiple roles attached to a specific person.
2) Role exit: abandoned a role still feel tied to in order to take on another position.
3) Role conflict: frustration when 2 or more roles demand attention.
3) Role strain: frustration when 1 role demands too many performances.
4) Role taking: “trying on” perspective of someone else to better understand their experiences.
Interaction order
- Unfocused Interaction: nonverbal “crowd” behavior, most social interaction is this.
- Focused Interaction: Face each other, eye contact, engage.
Ethnomethodology
Study of how people create order through communication.
Dramaturgy, Impression Management, and Face Work
Dramaturgy: Actors on stage giving a theatrical performance.
- Front stage: Poised and in line, but not always.
- Back stage: less poised; natural.
Impression Management: Actions that we take to influence how others perceive us.
Face work: Actions you take to maintain face.
- Line: statement others can believe unless you blunder.
- Face: positive social position you enjoy for having a good “line.”
Deviance and it’s degrees
Actions that break one or more social norms.
- folkways: moderate social norms. E.g manners and styles of dress.
- Mores: strong social norms discussed in ethical terms backed by religion
- Taboos: strictly guarded norms that provoke horror when transgressed.
How deviance functions in society
- Social control is shows “good” people how not to be.
- Inequalities
Durkheim, Suicide, and Anomie
- Fatalistic: inescapable pain (suicide)
- Altruistic: mission or cause
- Egoic: Depression, isolation
- Anomic: Rapidly changing social norms
- Anomie: State of normlessness, not knowing what is expected.
