Social Structure and Demographics Flashcards
sociology
study of society
macro-sociology
large groups and social structure
microsociology
focuses on small groups and the individual
social structure
system of people within a society organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships
functionalism/functional analysis
study of the structure and function of each part of society, view society like a living organism, when parts of society fulfill their functions, society is in a normal state
function
refer to the beneficial consequences of people’s actions; functions help keep society in balance
dysfunctions
harmful consequences of people’s actions as they undermine a social system’s equilibrium
manifest function
action is intended to help some part of a system
latent function
manifest functions can have unintended consequence, which can be called latent functions
deviance
act or behavior that goes against social norms
power
a form of influence over other people
conflict theory
based on the works of Karl Marx, focuses on how power differentials are created and how these differentials contribute to the maintenance of social order
symbolic interactionism
the study of the ways individuals interact through a shared understanding of words, gestures, and things to which we attach meaning; how we use symbols to interact with each other
symbols–> thing which we attach meaning–> are key to understanding how we view the world and communicate with one another
social constructionism
how individuals put together their social reality; how we as a society construct concepts and principles; like how a society defines honor or the meaning given to money
rational choice theory
focuses on decision making in an individual and attempts to reduce this process to a careful consideration of benefits and harms to the individual
exchange theory
extension of rational choice theory, focuses on interactions in groups, assumes behavior that is met with approval by others will reinforce that behavior and encourage its continuation
feminist theory
attempts to explain social inequalities that exist on the basis of gender
gender roles
refer to the behaviors expected of a given gender
women are also objectified more than men; less frequently promoted/more likely to hit the glass ceiling
social institutions
well-established social structures that dictate certain patterns of behavior or relationships and are accepted as a fundamental part of culture
elder abuse
seen across all socioeconomic classes and most commonly manifests as neglect of an older relative
child abuse
most commonly manifests as neglect, although physical, sexual, and psychological abuse are also common
hidden curriculum
education that transmits social norms, attitudes, and beliefs to students
teacher expectancy
refers to the idea that teachers tend to get what they expect from students
cult
a religious sect that takes on extreme or deviant philosophies
fundamentalism
maintenance of strict adherence to religious code
secularizes
moves form a world dominated by religion toward rationality and scientific thinking
charismatic authority
leader with a compelling personality
capitalist economies
focus on free market trade and laissez-faire polices, success is driven by consumerism
socialist economies
treats large industries as collective, shared businesses and compensation is provided based on the work contribution of each individual into the system
sick role
when a patient was not responsible for the illness and was exempt from normal social roles
medicalized
when homosexuality and transgenderism were defined and treated as medical conditions, ex. hoarding disorder and binge eating disorder
4 Tenets of Medical Ethics
- Beneficence–> act the in pt’s best interest
- Nonmaleficence–> do no harm, avoid treatments or interventions in which the potential for harm outweighs potential to help
- Respect for patient autonomy–> people make their own decisions
- Justice–> treat people the same, distribute resources fairly
artifacts
material items that people make, posses, value
culture
defined as encompassing the entire lifestyle for a given group
ethnography
the study of cultures and customs
ethnographic methods
experimental methods used to study the ethnicity or culture of a group
material culture
when sociologists explore the meaning of objects in a given society
ex. American flag
symbolic culture
nonmaterial culture, focuses on the ideas that represent a group of people, may be encoded in mottos, songs, or catchphrases… like life, liberty, pursuit of happiness
culture lag
symbolic culture is usually slower to change than material culture, smartphones pervasive, but we still care about privacy, a culture lag
cultural barriers
a cultural difference impedes interaction with others
values
what a person deems important in life
belief
something than an individual accepts to be true
norms
societal rules that define the boundaries of acceptable behavior
ritual
a formalized ceremony that usually involves specific material objects
age cohort
group of people, fastest-growing cohort is 85+ group
gender
social construct that corresponds to the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with a biological sex
race
social construct based on phenotypic differences between groups of people
racialization
definition or establishment of a group as a particular race, for example Judaism was just a religion, now seen as a race more so
racial formation theory
posits that racial identity is fluid and dependent on concurrent political, economic, and social factors
ethnicity
a social construct, sorts people by cultural factors, language, nationality, religion, etc.
symbolic ethnicity
a specific connection to one’s ethnicity in which ethnic symbols and identity remain important, even when it doesn’t impact you day today…like St. Patrick’s Day once a year for Irish Americans
Kinsey scale
0 –> super straight
6–>only gay
a scale to measure one’s sexual orientation, a spectrum
demographic shift
change in the makeup of population over time
population pyramids
provide a histogram of the population size of various age cohorts
fertility rate
the average number of children born to a woman during her lifetime in a population
mortality rate
refers to the number of deaths in a population per unit of time
crude rate
**A crude rate is the number of new cases (or deaths) occurring in a specified population per year, usually expressed as the number of cases per 100,000 population at risk.
migration
contributor to population growth
immigration
movement into a new geographic space
emigration
movement away from a geographic space
pull factors
positive attributes of the new location that attract the immigrant
push factors
negative attributes of the old location that encourage the immigrant to leave
Demographic transition
- Stage 1: preindustrial society; birth and death rates are high
- Stage 2: improvements in healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, and wages cause death rates to drop
- Stage 3: improvements in contraception, women’s rights, and a shift from agricultural to an industrial economy cause birth rates (births per 1000 individuals per year) to drop. Go to school for longer, so fewer kids
- An industrialized society; birth and death rates are low
Malthusian theory
focuses on how the exponential growth of a population can outpace growth of the food supply and lead to social degradation and disorder
social movements
organized either to promote or resist social change
motivated by perceived relative deprivation- decrease in resources, representation, or agency
proactive social movements
promote social change
reactive social movements
resist social change
globalization
process of integrating the global economy with free trade and tapping of foreign markets
urbanization
refers to dense areas of population creating a pull for migration
cultural sensitivity
the recognition and respect for differences between cultures and research ethics
