Midterm 1 Flashcards
Collective Conscience
The shared values of society
Functionalist Theories
Theories that examine how different elements of society collectively contribute to its overall function
Social Equilibrium
Balance and stability within a social system
Modernity
Shifts in society over time brought about by science, technology that contributed to an urban industrial economy
Social Solidarity
The collective bonds that connect
Conflict Theory
Society consists of diverse groups that are always in conflict with one another to acquire resources (wealth, power, prestige)
Modern Conflict Theory
Conflict theory but expanded to encompass more types of social conflict over more values (eg religion) and disparities in social values
Interactionist Perspective
Focuses on daily social interactions among individuals rather than overarching societal structures
Asserts that interactions are the best means of understanding greater societal dynamics
The theorists
Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber, Talcott Parsons
Karl Marx
Influenced conflict theory
Theories revolved around the working-class taking advantage of workers
Anti-capitalist!
Emile Durkheim
Influenced functionalism
Collective conscious, social solidarity, issues of the sacred and profane
Max Weber
influenced functionalism and conflict theory
Interested in how the modern world moved away from traditional ways of thinking
Believed bureaucracy did this. Necessities in bureaucracy:
1. division of labor
2. hierarchy
3. qualification based employment
4. rules and regulations
Also focused on charismatic leaderss
Talcott Parsons
“grand scale” theorist
social action theory, systems theory, AGIL system
Social Action Theory
linking individual actions to broader social systems
Systems Theory
Cultural system: values and norms shaping self-choices
Personal system: individual motives
Social system: interrelation between actors
AGIL system
Adaptation
Goal attainment
Integration
Latent Pattern Maintenance
four basic functions that any social system needs to perform to survive and thrive
sociological imagination
mindset that enables one to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for individuals (role of social forces in shaping society)
Types of social solidarity
mechanical solidarity:
common values and beliefs
limited division of labor
traditional society
collective conscience
organic solidarity:
division of labor
exchanges and services
modern society
interdependence