module one Flashcards
definition of ethnocentrism
seeing your own culture as the correct way of living, you are superior compared to others
what are some examples of ethnocentrism
assuming your ‘normal’ is also normal to someone else. some cultures name colours differently to us. some cultures do not have a time frame so if they are late we think they are lazy and slack but it is because a time frame doesn’t exist to them.
what impact does ethnocentrism have on our attitudes in everyday life
it leads to the misunderstanding of others. we can unintentionally offend others, and set up situations that harm others. how do i feel when someone doesn’t recognise my concerns? it promotes an ‘us vs them’ mindset
how does ethnocentrism have an impact on my nursing practice
i must be aware that other cultural norms and values will be present when looking after a patient who is another culture than mine. i must acknowledge these and work with the person to ensure that their experience is as good as possible and they receive the best possible outcome.
what are some extreme forms of ethnocentrism
racism, colonisation, and ethnic cleansing
definition of cultural imposition
when one culture forces their values or beliefs on another culture
definition of non compliance
failure or refusal to comply with a wish or command
definition of victim blaming
when the victim of a crime is held fully or partially at fault for what happened to them
ethnocentrism flowchart
ethnocentrism -> cultural imposition -> non compliance -> victim blaming
what is the importance of sociology
it is the scientific study of human life, social groups, whole societies and the human world as such. it is to see why differences exist and how they came about. sociology investigates the connections between what society makes of us and what we make of ourselves and society.
historical timeline
- Feudalism (god/ church in power)
- lords had god given right to land. being rich justified religious beliefs
- middle ages, society organised to provide good on agricultural bases
- serfs paid lords taxes and farmed the land. poor health and sanitation conditions - Enlightenment (age of reason)
- power of the church declines, society now to be organised according to the principles of reason
- theories of disease and illness change
- enlightenment beliefs (upheld mens rights and denied females, rules of society were organised in the interests of everyone) - Industrial revolution
- scientific revolution, biomedical model, shift in ideology around religion
- increase technology, steam engine/ printing press- mechanisation of labor
- urban shift for paid work, relocation created major social problems and poverty - Capitalism (Marx conflict theory)
- pursuit of profit by the rich at the expense of the poor
- created a class system (upper/ middle/ lower/ underclass/ new poor)
- bourgeoisie (capitalist class who owns most of society’s wealth) and proletariat (working class people)
history of sociology
- august comte in 1842 coined term sociology
- defined; the systemic study of human society
what is society
a group of people bound by territory, culture, language, values and basic norms of behaviour
key events in the development of sociology
- industrial revolution- feudal system replaced by industrialisation
- folkways- traditional knowledge and practices are those which are passed down through generations
- rapid changes due to the industrial revolution significantly impacted upon folkways
what is social theory
to ponder or to construct abstract interpretations to look for meaning to explain situations
August comte (1798-1857) french philosopher historical theorist
- to develop a science which could discover the laws of the social world in order to improve welfare of humanity.
argued 3 stages - theological- society way, expression of gods will
- metaphysical- society seen in natural vs supernatural
- positivist- laws of natural science
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) historical theorist
- study of suicide rates (religion, marriage, divorce and social class)
- functionalism- a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability
Karl Marx (1818- 1883) historical theorist
- capitalism- class conflict between owners and workers
- theorised workers would lead a revolution which would alleviate the conflict created by unequal distribution of power/ resources
Max Weber (1864-1920) historical theorist
- rationalisation- not focused on class but rather social action
- social action- the subjectively meaningful actions of people that are oriented towards others
- moving away from traditional beliefs
functionalism vs conflict theory
functionalism
- importance of moral consensus in maintaining order and stability
- minimises social inequalities (class, gender, race)
conflict theory
- importance of social structures, highlighting divisions in society which contribute to power, inequality and competition
- assumes human nature is generally goodby corrupted by society, thinks once domination is eliminated people will begin to cooperate
Sylvia walby- feminism contemporary theorist
- dual systems theory
- explored gender inequalities and oppression of women by men through 6 interrelated categories
household production, paid employment, the state, violence, sexuality, cultural institutions
Judith Butler contemporary theorist
- gender trouble
- gender performativity- the way in which gender is performed and produced through our everyday actions, rather than being based in the body
- queer theory
explain the differences between common sense and sociology
sociology provides explanations about all manner of social events and processes. common sense is a set of commonly shared ideas that we use in everyday life.
