Social Structure and Demographics Flashcards
Sociology
The study of society: how we create society, how we interact within it, how we define what is normal and abnormal in society, and how we institutionalize these ideas
Macrosociology
Focuses on large groups and social structure
Microsociology
Focuses on small groups and the individual
Social structure
A system of people within a society organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships
Functionalism/Functional Analysis
The study of the structure and function of each part of society, and how these components fit together
Function
Refers to the beneficial consequences of people’s actions –> according to functionalism theorists, functions help keep society in balance
Dysfunctions
Harmful consequences of people’s actions as they undermine a social system’s equilibrium
Manifest Functions
Deliberate actions that serve to help a given system
Latent Functions
Unexpected, unintended, or unrecognized positive consequences of manifest functions
Power
In a sociological context, refers to a form of influence over other people
Conflict theory
Focuses on how power differentials are created and how these differentials contribute to the maintenance of social order (based on the works of karl marx)
Symbolic interactionism
The study of the ways individuals interact through a shared understanding of words, gestures, and other symbols
Social constructionism
Focuses on how individuals and groups make decisions to put together their social reality
Rational Choice Theory
States that individuals will make decisions that maximize potential benefit and minimize potential harm
Exchange Theory
Applies rational choice theory within social groups
Feminist Theory
Attempts to explain social inequalities that exist on the basis of gender –> theory focuses on the subordination of women through social structures and institutional discrimination
Glass Ceiling
A phenomenon where women are often less frequently promoted in the workplace and may have more difficulty attaining top-level administrative positions within a company
Social Institutions
Well-established social structures that dictate certain patterns of behavior or relationships and are accepted as a fundamental part of culture –> includes family, education, religion, government and the economy, and health and medicine
Mandate reporter
As a physician, one is legally required to report suspected cases of elder or child abuse
Teacher Expectancy
Refers to the idea that teachers tend to get what they expect from students
Religion
Considered to be a pattern of social activities organized around a set of beliefs and practices that seek to address the meaning of existence
Religiosity
Refers to how religious one considers him/herself
4 key tenets of medical ethics
Beneficience, nonmaleficience, respect for patient autonomy, justice
Beneficience
The physician has a responsibility to act in the patient’s best interests
Nonmaleficence
Do no harm; the physician has a responsibility to avoid treatments or interventions in which the potential for harm outweighs the potential for benefit
Respect for patient autonomy
Physician has a responsibility to respect patients’ decisions and choices about their own healthcare
Justice
The physician has a responsibility to treat similar patients with similar care, and to distribute healthcare resources fairly.
Culture
Encompasses the lifestyle of a group of people and includes both material and symbolic elements
Material Culture
Includes the physical items one associates with a given group, such as artwork, emblems, clothing, jewelry, foods, buildings, and tools
Symbolic culture
Includes the ideas associated with/that represent a cultural group
Cultural lag
The idea that material culture changes more quickly than symbolic culture
Values
What a person deems important in life, which dictates one’s ethical principals and standards of behaviour
Belief
Something than an individual accepts to be truth
Cultural Barriers
When a cultural difference impedes interaction with others
Ritual
A formalized ceremonial behaviour in which members of a group or community regularly engage. Usually involves specific material objects, symbolism, and additional mandates on acceptable behaviour.
Governed by specific rules, including appropriate behaviour and a predetermined order of events
Demographics
Refer to the statistics of populations and are the mathematical applications of sociology. Most common demographic variables include age, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and immigration status
Ageism
A prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a person’s age
Gender
Social construct that corresponds to the behavioural, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with a biological sex
Gender inequality
The intentional or unintentional empowerment of one gender to the detriment of the other.
Race
A social construct based on phenotypic differences between groups of people; these may be either real or perceived differences
Racialization
Refers to the definition of establishment of a group as a particular race (e.g. judaism)
Racial Formation Theory
Suggests that racial identity is fluid and dependent on concurrent political, economic, and social factors
Ethnicity
Also a social construct, which sorts people by cultural factors, including language, nationality, religion, and other factors.
Difference between race and ethnicity?
One can choose whether or not to display ethnic identity, while racial identities are always on display
Symbolic ethnicity
Describes a specific connection to one’s ethnicity in which ethnic symbols and identity remain important, e.g. on special occasions, but do not specifically impact everyday life
Intersectionality
Interplay between multiple demographic factors, especially when it leads to discrimination or oppression
Fertility rate
Refers to the average number of children born to a woman during her lifetime in a population
Birth rate
Relative to a population size over time; usually measured as the number of births per 1000 people per year
Mortality rate
The average number of deaths per population per size over time, usually measured as the number of deaths per 1000 people per year
Immigration
Defined as movement into a new geographic space
Emigration
Movement away from a geographic space
Pull factors
Positive attributions of the new location that attract the immigrant
Push factors
Negative attributes of the old location that encourage the immigrant to leave.
Demographic transition
A model used to represent drops in birth and death rates as a result of industrialization
Stage 1 of demographic transition
Pre-industrial society: birth and death rates are both high
Stage 2 of demographic transition
Improvements in healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, and wages cause death rates to drop
Stage 3 of demographic transition
Improvements in contraception, women’s rights, and a shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy causes birth rates to drop
Stage 4 of demographic transition
An industrialized society; both 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 to either promote (proactive) or resist (reactive) change.
Relative deprivation
A decrease in resources, representation, or agency relative to the past or to the whole of society
Globalization
The process of integrating the global economy with free trade and the tapping of foreign markets. Can lead to both positive and negative effects
Urbanization
Refers to dense areas of population creating a pull for migration; in other words, creating cities.
Secularize
Describes moving from a world dominated by religion toward rationality and scientific thinking.
Fundamentalism
Maintenance of strict adherence to religious code
Capitalist economies
Focus on free market trade and laissez-faire policies, where success or failure in business is primarily driven by consumerism with as little intervention from central governing bodies as possible. These societies encourage division of labor, where specific components of a larger task are separated and assigned to skilled and trained individuals
Socialist economies
Treats large industries as collective, shared businesses, and compensation is provided based on the work contribution of each individual into the system
Ethnography
The study of cultures and customs
Ethnographic methods
Experimental methods used to study the ethnicity or culture of a group
Crude rate
Total population growth rate for a population, adjusted to a certain population size over a specific period of time and multiplied by a constant to give a whole number.
Ghettoes
Areas where specific racial, ethnic, or religious minorities are concentrated, usually due to social or economic inequities
Slum
An extremely densely populated area of a city with low-quality, often informal housing and poor sanitation
