Social structure Flashcards
Sociological theories: The functionalist theory
What is functionalism?
the theory that a society is much like an organism with multiple organs contributing to the growth and sustainment of that organism.
The belief is that healthy societies reach a dynamic equilibrium where many different parts work interdependently to maintain stability.
Sociological theories: The functionalist theory
Who was the father of sociology (and a functionalist)
Emile Durkheim
Sociological theories: The functionalist theory
what are manifest functions and latent functions of a structure.
note a social “structure” to a society is a organ to an organism
manifest functions are the clear functions and consequences of structure. (e.g. a hospital strives for public health)
latent functions are secondary functions (often unintended) that can helpful harmful or neutral. E.g. hospitals open job opportunities
Sociological theories: The functionalist theory
what is social dysfunction
Unlike manifest functions and latent functions of a social structure in functionalism, a social dysfunction is a process that has undesirable consequences such as a hospital can create a bad wage gap.
manifest - fast food place provides quick reliable food
latent - fast food provides jobs
social dysfunction - makes society fat
Sociological theories: The conflict theory
what is conflict theory?
it is in essence, the opposite of functionalism. It focuses on how societies are sources of competition over limited resources.
Conflict theory states their will be inequality in resources and therefore competition over political power, social power, and material resources.
it often considers discrepancies between dominant and minority groups
Sociological theories: The conflict theory
true or false, Karl Marx and Max Weber were also said to be fathers of sociology along with Emile.
true, Marx and Weber proposed conflict theory
Sociological theories: The symbolic interactionism
What is symbolic interactionism theory?
functionalism and conflict theory are very macroscopic (look at society as the whole). Symbolic interactionism views society based on the relationships between individuals and society primarily focusing on communication
Sociological theories: The symbolic interactionism
Explain symbols people use that contribute to values and beliefs.
symbolic interactionism is particularly interested in how people communicate and use symbols to express belief. For example dress code implies formal vs. casual.
Sociological theories: The symbolic interactionism
symbolic interactionism has a principle of “meaning” that includes 1. ascribing meaning 2. language 3. thought
explain this.
people behave by what they believe to be true not what is actually true. SI focuses on subjective meaning, implying society is constructed through human interpretation
society
- ascribes meaning to things and then treats those things based o their meaning.
- uses language to generate meaning
- uses thought to modify and understand meaning
Sociological theories: The Feminist Theory
What is the feminist theory?
Evaluates male and female experiences in society
Sociological theories: The Feminist Theory
What is the glass ceiling?
An invisible barrier in the work place that limits opportunity and progression. This effects woman which is why there is a wage gap (men aren’t typically affected by the glass ceiling)
Rational choice and social exchange theory of socialism both consider Cost-benefit analysis. What is this?
Cost-benefit analysis is a decision making model that assess the pro’s and cons of each decision. We try to maximize benefit and minimize cost
Explain the Rational Choice Theory of sociolism
Rational choice explains that people assign different values to different courses of action and we make decisions (courses of action) between actions based on those values.
The key idea is that the decision we choose maximizes greatest satisfaction by maximizing benefit and minimizing cost.
What is the Social Exchange Theory?
Social exchange theory is more concerned with social interaction. We evaluate the benefits and costs of a interaction and then decide whether or not it will happen.
we assign punishments and awards to different interactions.
Rational Choice Theory is typically more economic whereas Social Exchange is much more social.
rewards in social exchange theory may be economic but they can also be social such as a physical, psychological, etc.
Rational Choice Theory is said to posses methodological individualism. What does this mean?
Methodological individualism explains that all social realities are a result of individual actions and interactions. It fails to consider macro perception of reality
Sociological theories: Explain Social constructionism
it states that people actively shape their realities through social interaction. As a result, their interactions and reality are not inherent but rather a construct of their decisions.
social constructionism evaluates how individuals and groups participate in the construction of societal norms and social reality.
it differs with symbolic interactionism which evaluates communication and interactions between people with less distortion of reality.
true or false, social construction essentially evaluates the jointly constructed understandings of the world which form the basis of shared assumptions about reality
true, shared reality through joint constructs.
note: a social construct is something everbody agree’s on in society and assigns meaning to it regardless of its inherent value
Money is just paper with almost no value. The social construct of money permits it to have value to society.
true or false functionalism and conflict theory are the only macro theories, the rest are micro.
true although feminist theory exhibits both micro and macro
true or false, part of socialization is the passing down of norms and values of society to younger offspring
true, it is the maintenance of society
what is the difference between nuclear and extended family
nuclear –> immediate blood relations
extended –> removed by one blood connection (grandparents, aunts, etc)
what is polygyny and polyandry?
polygyny refers to a man with multiple wives
polyandry = woman with multiple husbands
when children are given a choice of people to marry (not free of choice but no arranged marriage) what are the terms endogamy and exogamy
endogamy –> must marry within a particular group (i.e. aristocrats)
exogamy –> must not marry within that particular group
(anything but..)
true or false, kinship is blood related + marriage related.
false, it is anyone considered very close
what is bilateral descent?
if the kin group is equally shared among maternal and paternal parents it is called bilateral descent
what is an egalitarian family?
a family in which the mom and dad have equal authority. Patriarchy is male dominant and matriarchy is woman dominant.
what is educational segregation?
educational segregation is the widening disparity between children from rich families and children from less wealthy families.
what is educational stratification?
A social arrangement (such as living in different area’s, coming from parents with different levels of involvement, etc.) that becomes entrenched (stuck) in educational segregation in which the educational aspirations of offspring mirror that of their parents
educational stratification explains that the education system has an effect on the poverty cycle.
Religion: 4 religious organizations: explain the Ecclesia
An Ecclesia religion is a dominant religion that contains most members of society. Additionally it is often highly integrated into political institutions. You do not choose to enter the religion but rather are always born into it.
Ecclesia are considered the national religion such as islam in Iran.
Religion: 4 religious organizations: explain the Church
The Church is a religion that is well-integrated into a large part of society and can be tied to politics (state church) but is not always.
you can be born into this or choose to join.
Religion: 4 religious organizations: explain the Sect
The sect is the less integrated religion in society which falls beneath the church. Again, you can be born into this or choose to join.
Religion: 4 religious organizations: explain the Cult
religious organizations that are well outside the realm of societal norms
Religion: modernization has effects on religion, what is secularization?
secularization is the process of a state loosing its religious social significance in replace for more rational thinking due to modernization
Religion: modernization has effects on religion, what is fundamentalism?
fundamentalism explains during modernization there is a strong attachment to religion (therefore it is preserved)
both fundamentalism and secularization occur in different groups.
Religion: true or false, the fundamentalist is highly attached to their religion and exhibits the most religiosity.
true
What is rational-legal authority, traditional authority, and charismatic authority?
different means to derive power
rational-legal –> acquire power through documentation and rule regulation
traditional –> through set customs and traditions
charismatic –> through persuasion and social influence
what is a aristocratic government and an autocratic government?
Aristocratic –> ruled by an elite few elected due to specific qualifications
autocratic –> ruled by one person (dictator) or an elite few (fascism) with complete decision power
Explain planned economies, market economies, mixed economies, and traditional economies.
planned - everything state owned or mostly everything state owned
market - everything private, supply and demand governs it
mixed - public and private sectors
traditional - concerns itself with social customs. bartering is often in it.
explain capitalism, socialism, and communism.
Capitalism is an economy in which most things are privately owned and run. There is little government intervention. it allows for market competition.
welfare capitalism and state capitalism include capitalist ideas with some socialist aspects
Socialism is the idea that the government intervenes a lot and serves to meet peoples needs. Things are produced for profit but rather for direct use and needs.
Communism is an extreme form of socialism in which nothing is privately owned (much like planned aka command economy)
what is division of labour?
the concept that people within a community have different roles to aid in survival / productivity of that community. Division of labour increases interdependence but increases social segregation
what is mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity
mechanical solidarity –> the idea that people share a collective conscience. Individuals have common beliefs and everyone experiences the same fundamental expeirence
organic –> division of labour whereby everyone experiences their own experience.
What is the medical model of disease?
this model emphasizes physical or medical factors as being the cause of disease. This concept uses empirical scientific evidence to expose underlying causes of disease.
the process in which a condition becomes reconceptualized into a disease with medical diagnosis and treatment is called ?
medicalization
What is the social model of disease?
The medical model concerns itself with physical reason for disease whereas the social model of disease concerns itself with how social factors such as work place stress, economic stress, social relationships etc. can expose somebody or predispose them to acquiring a disease.
the social model considers risk factors that increase disease and not so much what literally causes it.
stomach ulcer is caused by a bacterium - medical
stomach ulcers are more prevalent when highly stressed - social
true or false, social epidemiology is the study of how social organization contributes to the prevalence and distribution of disease
true
What is a food desert?
an area / region where there is no access to healthy fresh food. This is typically of area’s with no proper grocery stores in place. This leads to investment of fast food and increased calorie intake
What is the Sick role? What expectations does it place?
the sick role explains that someone who is ill cannot continue to be a functional member of society. In this role people shall not attribute the persons illness to the fault of the sick person. (can’t blame them) Additionally the sick person must try their best to get well fast.
what are exceptions to the sick role?
some people can be blamed for their illness –> people with liver cirrhosis (alcohol overload)
people with chronic disease cannot get well asap as the sick role implies. Additionally, although they are hindered the must continue to be functional members of society.
what is illness experience?
in contrast to the sick role which considers the persons illness and how it effects society, illness experience considers the subjective view of the ill person and how the illness affects them.
it evaluates the illnesses affects on the persons daily life and the individuals understanding of the illness they have.
What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis of language?
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis states that people understand the world through their language and therefore their language shapes how we experience the world.
What is pop culture and high culture?
pop culture –> features of a culture that are liked by the masses and are often spread through mass media.
high culture –> cultural items that are only used by the elite such as watching the opera or attending fancy balls.
what is cultural icon?
signs that represent the meaning of a culture such as the cross for christianity. (members of the culture agree the artifact resembles their culture)
the two aspects that seem to govern culture are values and beliefs. What are they?
Values –> what defines whats good and whats bad in society. Values often define behaviour and explain deviance.
beliefs –> principles people uphold in society
what is cultural diffusion?
when aspects of a culture transfer from one social group to another. This is why different societies have cultural similarities. this can be within one culture or between cultures.
what is cultural competence?
the ability to understand and communicate effectively across cultures
what is cultural transmission?
the passing of information from generation to generation much like socialization
what is cultural lag?
when their is innovation within a society which takes a while for the culture to adapt too. For example medical advances that take years for a culture to accept.
most often it is technological advances that experience cultural lag.
What is transition shock and cultural shock??
transition shock is when an individual undergoes change that requires a period of adjustment and acclimatization.
cultural shock is the same thing but when the disorientation arises from an individual being subject to alternative cultures. E.g. being homesick is a minor feeling of cultural shock when you are away for a while.
what is a cities carrying capacity?
the total amount of people (greatest population) the city can sustain without having too many negative consequences.
Typically populations find their population equilibrium
what is cultural pyramids?
cultural pyramids are graphs which relate the amount of people in a population according to their age and sex.
A thick base and thin apex imply high birth and high death rates.
what is the crude birth rate, crude death rate, and rate of population change?
CBR - total births per year per 1000 ppl
CDR - total deaths per year per 1000 ppl
rate of population change CBR - CDR
what is fertility?
the ability for a woman to produce a child
what is general fertility rate , total fertility rate, and replacement fertility rate?
general fertility rate - the amount of births per 1000 woman (note CBR is per 1000 people)
total fertility rate - total number of births per single woman in a population
replacement fertility rate - the amount of births per year to maintain the population
what is population-lag effect and population momentum?
population-lag effect explains that even when there is changes in total fertility rate (births per single woman) are not reflected in birth rates for a long time
(e.g. if total fertility rate dropped from 2.8 to 2, birth rate crude birth rate wont notice this for a while)
population momentum: during high fertility rates many children are born. Even if massive reductions to fertility rate occurred, this wont be noticed for a long time due to the sheer number of kids reproducing themselves due to the high fertility rate originally.
what is the difference between mortality and morbidity?
mortality is either the occurrence of death or the rate of death in a population (depending on context)
morbidity is the extent of disease in a population
with regard to morbidity, what is prevalence and incidence rates?
prevalence rates are referring to the amount of people with a disease
incidence rate is the amount of new cases of disease.
(e.g. prevalence may be 50% of population but due to a very good vaccine the incidence rate is now 0.01%)
what is infant mortality rate and life expectancy?
IMR - amount of infant deaths (less than 1 year) per 1000 infants
life expectancy - age you are expected to live to based on location
what is external, internal, voluntary, and involuntary migration?
external - move from one nation to another nation
internal - move from a region to another in a country
voluntary - personal decision to move
involuntary - forced to move via outside factors
what is rural flight?
when people leave rural areas to go to urban / industrialized area’s.
What is Urban sprawl? What is Urban blight?
Urban sprawl is when people leave urban area’s to go to rural ones. The people to leave are often living in less functioning area’s of the urbanized region (city).
these less functioning area’s naturally degrade and become poorer sketchier areas in a process called urban blight
What is gentrification?
gentrification is process when urban areas are renovated often due to wealthier individuals re-modeling blighted areas.
t or f, are gentrification and urban renewal the same thing?
basically
what is demographic transition? (TD)
TD is when less developed placed become more developed which causes overall high birth and death rates to drop down to overall low birth and death rates
what is Malthusianism? What is Neo-malthusianism?
the theory that the rate of population growth will exceed the rate of resource increase
Neo-malthusianism is the movement to enforce population control so that limited resources and negative consequences don’t occur.
In Malthusianism what are positive checks and what are preventative checks?
positive check –> something that increases death rate such as disease
preventative check –> something that decreases birth rate like birth control
t or f, minorities are smaller in size than majorities
false, a minority is simply a disparate group of people who do not exhibit dominance in society.
e.g. woman are considered minorities in some contexts although they make up 52% of the U.S. ``
what is population aging
when a society has a disproportionate amount of elders
what are rites of passage?
milestones to do with age. For e.g. age to drive, drink, etc.
t or f, Sex is biological while gender is an identity chosen by the individual
true
what is a gender role?
gender roles are expectations for males and females within society that often become internalized into who we are as people. When we express these roles it is called gender expression
what is a transsexual?
when someone has a contradicting sex and gender.
what is gender / sex segregation?
when social structures enforce the separation of genders. e.g. single sex schools or bathrooms
What is racialization or ethnicization?
when a dominant group places a label on a race or ethnicity often leading to the group internalizing the label.
what is pansexuality and asexuality
pansexuality –> attracted to anyone regardless of their gender or sex
asexuality –> not attracted to anyone
explain globalization.
globalization in simple terms is the spread of idea’s through-out the world. It is also the process of increased interdependence of societies between people across the world.
what is economic interdependence?
This is a form of globalization in which the division of labour becomes international. Different countries rely on each other for different things. (trade)
what are non-government organizations (NGO’s)
another form of globalization in which the organization has many headquarters and is not affiliated with a government. They work to help mitigate world issues.
why does it mean when we say there are cultural consequences to globalization.
the spread of idea’s and cultures can lead to some countries dropping some cultural norms in exchange for new ones.
two dramatic results that can occur in globalization are civil unrest and terrorism. What are these?
civil unrest –> the masses are unhappy about something and may collectively behave against it. (e.g. protests)
terrorism –> random acts of violence for the intention to create fear in a region.
what is relative deprivation?
people take action for social change in order to acquire something that other people have and they feel that they should have too.
relative deprivation explains the feeling of being entitled to more than one has in their current situation.
true or false, social movements are usually a reflection of public dissatisfaction. Additionally this often divides two groups: those who support the current social structure and those who want change.
true, pro-life vs. pro-choice for abortion
what is social stratification?
A stratification is a classification system that separates people based on certain characteristics (race, education, wealth, etc.). Stratifications not only separate this groups and make them distinct but they also reinforce the separation.
There are three social stratification systems, caste system, class system, and meritocracy. Explain each
The caste system is a closed stratification system in which people can do nothing about the category they are born into
The class system defines people by their wealth, income, etc. but also permits free movement throughout the system. This is the idea of the american dream. (work your way up)
The meritocracy system is a system that completely considers effort (merit) to establish social standing. This does not exists by itself although it is considered ideal.
What three factors are included in Socioeconomic status (SES)?
- power - ability to get people to do things
- property - assets
- prestige - reputation in society
the SES stratification in the states looks like upper class middle class working class lower class
true
What is social mobility, intergenerational mobility, and intragenerational mobility?
social mobility is the ability to move within a stratification system (as long as its not a caste system)
intergeneration - when offspring enter a different class then parents
intrageneration - difference in social class between two people within a generation (such as siblings)
what is class consciousness and false consciousness?
class consciousness is when an individual is actively aware of the stratification class he/she is in.
false consciousness is when someone is ignorant to the class they are in often b/c they have to strong a belief in meritocracy (that their efforts will be rewarded)
What is social reproduction?
social reproduction refers to the social structures in place that reinforce the stratification that is in a society.
i.e. these structures reinforce inequality from one gen. to the next.
social reproduction occurs via cultural capital and social capital. What are these?
cultural capital refers to non-financial structures that promote social mobility. Education is a non-financial means to possibly find upward mobility. However due to educational segregation and stratification often education leads to children staying in the same class as their parents.
social capital refers to the ability to network to promote your SES. This promotes inequality (social reproduction) since people with connections are more likely to “get the job”
what is intersectionality?
some people have privileged identities (unearned benefits one receives which was not in their control) while others have disadvantaged abilities (heterosexual for non-heterosexual)
a heterosexual does not have to state that he is the dad since this is clear. For a homosexual, one partner may claim to be something outside of societal norms which makes them seem disadvantaged (due to the fact that they had to clarify)
intersectionality explains the intersections of a persons identity evaluating privileges and disadvantages.
For example a black lesbian is not understood for her blackness or for her lesbian orientation, the intersection of both must be understood.
what is social epidemiology?
the study of the distribution of disease and healthcare and the social patterns that are tied to these.
what is relative and absolute poverty?
relative - when an individual cannot meet the standard or living in his / her society
absolute - when an individual fails to meet basic human needs (food, water, shelter, reliable healthcare)
what are health care disparites
differences in health care information and treatment and presence of disease in different social groups.
what is the gender bias in medicine
due to health care disparities in testing medical advances (which was primarily done on men and translated to women) medical efforts differ when treating woman vs. men.
e.g. drug dosage is tested in men and has reportedly been wrongly calculated to translate to woman who experience side-effects more strongly.
What is egaltarian mean?
the belief that all people equal and deserve equal rights.
what is xenophobia?
a fear of people from other countries
what are ambiant stressors?
chronic, non-urgent, negative-value stressors such as pollution and noise
what is autism spectrum disorder?
a range of neurodevelopmental disorders.
They exhibit problems in social interaction as well as exhibit repetitive patterns of behaviour
What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
inductive reasoning –> start with data or specific observation and make generalizations. Often the observation of pattern leads to a generalization
deductive reasoning –> start with broader idea’s, have a hypothesis, and work down to specifics by testing the hypothesis. More fact based rather than pattern of events.
What is syllogistic reasoning?
using two propositions to make an assertion.
- all men are animals
- some animals are aggressive
Therefore some men are aggressive
this is an incorrect way of thinking
what is executive dysfunction?
a range of cognitive, emotional, and behavioural difficulties due to an injury to the frontal lobe which affects “executive functions”
What is the availability heuristic? What is the representativeness heuristic?
The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that occursi n someones mind which relies on immediate examples that come to the mind. E.g. When answering a question the first thing to pop into your mind is the AH
representativeness heuristic is a fallacy in which people predict the probability of an event occurring based on past experience. Predicting a coin will be tails since its been head three times in a row and “must balance out”
conformation bias?
tendency to believe new info supports your own belief as conformation.
what is a type 2 error?
when someone fails to reject a false hypothesis
a type 1 error is too reject a correct hypothesis
Stats: What is a independent and a dependent variable?
independent: aka experiment / predictor variable is the variable that may be manipulated to observe the effects of the dependent variable (outcome variable)
Stats: what is a participant and a confounding variable
participant - variables related to specific subjects which may alter their response in a given study
confounding - something that may effect both the independent and dependent variables
what are the largest religions?
Christianity then islam
