Psychology and Sociology: Chapter 12

Question 1

Social class

Answer 1

A category of people who share a similar socioeconomic position in society, and can be identified by looking at the economic opportunities, job positions, lifestyles, attitudes, and behaviors of a given slice of society

Question 2

Social cohesion

Answer 2

the solidarity and sense of connectedness among different social groups and social class in society

Question 3

Social stratification

Answer 3

focuses on social inequalities and studies the basic question of who gets what and why

Question 4

Ascribed status (socioeconomic status)

Answer 4

-derives from clearly identifiable characteristics, such as age, gender, and skin color
-involuntary

Question 5

Achieved status (socioeconomic status)

Answer 5

-acquired via direct, individual efforts
-An important factor is educational attainment
-obtained through merit

Question 6

Socioeconomic gradient

Answer 6

the proportional improvement in healthcare as one moves up in socioeconomic status

Question 7

Class consciousness

Answer 7

the organization of the working class around shared goals and recognition of a need for collective political action

Question 8

False consciousness

Answer 8

a misperception of one’s actual position within society

Question 9

Anomie

Answer 9

refers to a lack of widely accepted social norms and the breakdown of social bonds between an individual and society

Question 10

Strain theory

Answer 10

-focuses on how anomic conditions can lead to deviance
-Anomic conditions include excessive individualism, social inequality, and isolation

Question 11

Social capital

Answer 11

The investment people make in their society in return for economic or collective rewards; the greater the investment, the higher the level of social integration

Question 12

Social integration

Answer 12

the movement of a new or minority population into a larger culture while maintaining ethnic identities

Question 13

Intersectionality

Answer 13

the compounding of disadvantage seen in individuals who belong to more than one undeserved group

Question 14

Social mobility

Answer 14

typically the result of an economic and occupational structure that allows one to acquire higher-level employment opportunities given proper credentials and experience requirements

Question 15

Intragenerational mobility

Answer 15

refers to changes in social status that happen within a person’s lifetime

Question 16

Intergenerational mobility

Answer 16

refers to changes in social status from parents to children

Question 17

Meritocracy

Answer 17

A social structure in which intellectual talent and achievement are means for a person to advance up the social ladder

Question 18

Vertical mobility

Answer 18

movement from one social class to another

Question 19

Upward mobility

Answer 19

a positive change in a person’s social status, resulting in a higher position

Question 20

Downward mobility

Answer 20

a negative change in a person’s social status, wherein they fall to a lower position

Question 21

Horizontal mobility

Answer 21

A change in occupation or lifestyle by an individual that keeps that individual within the same social class

Question 22

Absolute level (poverty)

Answer 22

poverty is a socioeconomic condition in which people do not have enough money or resources to maintain a quality of living that induces basic life necessities such as shelter, food, clothing, and water

Question 23

Relative level (poverty)

Answer 23

people are poor in comparison to the larger population in which they live

Question 24

Poverty line

Answer 24

derived from the government’s calculation of the minimum income requirements for families to acquire the minimum necessities of life

Question 25

Residential segregation

Answer 25

The cultural diversity and anonymity of urban neighborhoods offer a person a greater range of opportunities than normally found in rural areas

Question 26

Suburbanization

Answer 26

the migration pattern of the middle classes to suburban communities

Question 27

Urban decay

Answer 27

a previously functional portion of a city deteriorates and becomes decrepit over time

Question 28

Urban renewal

Answer 28

city land is reclaimed and renovated for public or private use

Question 29

Gentrification

Answer 29

when upper- and middle- class populations begin to purchase and renovate neighborhoods in deteriorated areas, displacing the low-SES population

Question 30

World system theory

Answer 30

categorizes countries and emphasized the inequalities of the division of labor at the global level

Question 31

Core nations

Answer 31

focus on higher skills and higher paying productions

Question 32

Peripheral nations

Answer 32

exploited for their lower-skilled productions

Question 33

Semi-peripheral nations

Answer 33

midway between the two- these nations work toward becoming core nations, while having many characteristics of peripheral nations

Question 34

Social epidemiology

Answer 34

a branch of epidemiology that studies the ways in which health and disease correlate to social advantages and disadvantages

Question 35

Incidence

Answer 35

the number of new cases of an illness per population at risk in a given amount of time

Question 36

Prevalence

Answer 36

a measure of the number of cases of an illness overall-whether new or chronic- per population in a given amount of time

Question 37

Morbidity

Answer 37

the burden or degree of illness associated with a given disease

Question 38

Mortality (epidemiology)

Answer 38

refers to deaths caused by a given disease

Question 39

Second sickness

Answer 39

the exacerbation of health outcomes caused by social injustice