Lecture 7 Flashcards
McDonalidsation of society
a process by which the principles of the fast-food industry come to be applied to more and more features of social life
social groups
a social group refers to two or more people who identify and interact with one another. While maintaining their individuality, the members of social groups also think of themselves as special ‘we’
- there are two ideal types of social groups, based on members’ level of genuine personal concern (primary and secondary groups)
primary groups
can be defined as small social groups whose members share personal and enduring relationships
- the members typically spend a lot of time together, display sincere concern, and feel as if they know each other well
- although not without periodic conflict, members of primary groups display sincere concern for each other’s welfare
- this is the world of family and friends
- people in the same group display a personal orientation
- this personal orientation means that members of a primary group view each other as unique and irreplaceable
secondary groups
are large and impersonal social groups whose members pursue a specific interest or activity
- they usually involve weak emotional ties and little personal knowledge of one another, which allows for the group to have more members
- people in the same group display a goal orientation
- the goal orientation of secondary groups encourages individuals to craft their behavior carefully
- in these roles, we remain characteristically impersonal and polite
- ‘scorekeeping’ is more common
social cohesion
- affective bonds
- economic bonds
- institutional bonds
affective bonds
kinship, marriage, family, friendship, and composition of household
- it is marked by development (openness of society, decrease of taboos, more opportunities, and individualization)
economic bonds
exchange of goods, means of production, and labor
- developments include advancing the division of labor and the aging workforce
institutional bonds
political parties, labor unions, associations
the structural-functionalist perspective
states that family has four functions:
- socialization
- regulation of sexual activities
- social positioning
- material and emotional certainty
the conflict perspective
states that family functions as a means of inheritance (resulting from patriarchy), race, and ethnicity
group conformity
the idea that you change your behavior to conform to expectations from a group and avoid the discomfort of being different from others
reference group
a social group that serves as a point of reference in making evaluations or decisions, which often is used to assess our own attitudes or behavior
- you create the idea of ‘ingroup’ and ‘outgroup’
- we use specific social groups as standards in developing individual attitudes
- whatever our situation in absolute terms, then, we assess our well-being subjectively, relative to some specific reference group
group size
plays a crucial role in how group members interact and is important for the stability of the group
- this has to do with the number of people in a social group, and the number of relationships among them
- a group divides once there are too many apparent relationships
social diversity
bigger groups are focused more internally, while heterogenous groups are focused more externally
- social unity stimulates interaction, and physical boundaries may emphasize social boundaries
Asch’s classic research
shows a willingness to compromise judgment to avoid the discomfort of being different from others
Milgram’s classic research
shows that people are likely to follow the directions of authority figures and shows the workings of group pressure
Zimbardo’s research
shows that normal people will do terrible things to other people if the situation demands it, and that people are quick to take on assigned roles
Stouffer’s classic research
on reference group dynamics; shows that we do not make judgments about ourselves in isolation, nor do we compare ourselves with just anyone
- we use specific social groups as standards for developing individual attitudes
- whatever our situation in absolute terms may be, we assess our well-being subjectively, relative to some specific reference group
dyad
a social group with two members, relationship is typically more intense than in larger groups; characteristic instability (both members must actively sustain the relationship)
triad
a social group with three members
- this creates three relationships and is more stable because if one relationship were to be strained, there is a third person to act as a mediator
social diversity
affects group dynamics, especially the likelihood that members will interact with someone from another group
- 4 ways of effects:
- large groups turn inward
- heterogenous group turn outwards
- social parity promotes contact
- physical boundaries foster social boundaries
large groups turn inward
the larger the group, the more likely its members are to maintain relationships exclusively among themselves
heterogenous groups turn outwards
the more internally heterogeneous a group is, the more likely its members are to interact with members of other groups
social parity promotes contact
an environment in which all groups have roughly equal standing encourages people of all social backgrounds to mingle and form social ties
