Social Structure and Demographics Flashcards
Micro, Meso, Macro Sociology
Study of society and how they are changed.
Micro: family groups and communities
Meso: Consists of organizations, institutions, subcultures
Macro: national and international systems.
Symbolic Interactionism
Attempts to understand individual human interaction with their environment.
1. We act based off the meaning we give it
2. We get meanings from social interactions
3. Meanings can change with experiences changing our actions.
Weakness: Microsociology theory and can only study these individual interactions.
Social Constructionism
Attempt to study sociology in the scope of meaning in which the society has socially constructed.
Weakness: Cannot be applied to Macrosociology
Rational Choice theory
Humans make rational choices to further self-interests in sociology (social exchange theory), considers choices and chooses which option leads to most benefit. Exchange theory: relationships are judged on this same criteria.
Weakness: Does not explain altruism and unselfishness, illogical.
Conflict Theory
There will be inevitable conflicts between those who maintain society to keep them in power and those who want to change it. They come to a synthesis each conflict. The oppressed must form interest groups to disrupt.
Weakness: Less effective for social cohesion and macro theory.
Structural-Functionalism
Different groups of society work to maintain an equilibrium (all parts of a cell survival), Institutions stay and function even when people go away
Weakness: Macro theory and cannot explain drastic social changes
Latent, Manifest, vs Dysfunction
Manifest function: intended consequence of actions
Latent function: unintended beneficial consequence.
Dysfunction: negative consequences of society.
Feminist Theory
Conflict theory, women are trying to protest against the patriarchal society while men are trying to preserve it
Glass ceiling and Escalator
Women are unable to get high job positions due to barriers of promotion. Men get higher positions even if they don’t want them.
Social Institutions and the Five Categories
Well-established social structures that dictate patterns of behavior and relationships of the society.
- Family
- Education
- Religion
- Government
- Economy
- Healthcare
Family
Different patterns of kinship (close people) in people. Most basic institution and where the individual obtains food, shelter, security and emotional needs.
Education
Institution that provide populations with skills that will be useful to them or in society.
Formal vs Hidden cirriculum
Teach skills, facts, and mental processes
Hidden curriculum: transmitting social norms, attitudes, and beliefs to students.
Teacher Expectancy
Teachers tend to get what they expect from their students.
Religion
Institution of social activities organized around beliefs and practices regarding the meaning of existence.
Denomination, Church, Cult
Church: universal religious group
Denomination: sects of the church that may have slight or many differences from the church.
Cult: Extreme or deviant philosophy sect.
Secularism vs Fundamentalism
Secularism: increasing science and rational thinking in society instead of religion.
Fundamentalism: strict adherence to religious code.
Government
Systematic arrangements of political relationships that affect societies’ rules.
- Democracy, Monarchy, Dictatorship, Theocracy.
Economy
Systematic arrangements of capital relationships, division of labor and goods and service production
- Capitalism (encourage division of labor), Socialism
Healthcare
Institution that maintains and improves health status of the society.
Life Course Approach to Health
Maintaining and considering comprehensive view of patient history to help with diagnoses.
Sick role
Ill patient can be exempt from social duties while having an obligation to get well (and also prevent cases)
Medicalized and Demedicalization
When deviant behavior becomes labeled as illness and when previous illness becomes normalized.
Illness experience
The way which people define and adjust to health changes. (subjective experience to health)
