Society and Culture Part I Flashcards
functionalism
social theory developed by Emile Durkheim that is based on the ideas that society aims to maintain a social equilibrium and that changes will be made to institutions when they are absolutely necessary to fulfill the needs of that society and to maintain equilibrium
social fact
necessary structure or belief that arises from society that everyone accepts to be true and that will persist through generations
typically affects individuals’ behaviors without them noticing
manifest functions of institutinos
intended effects of social organizations, like the education of children in schools
latent functions
unintended effects of social organizations, like socialization or exposure to extracurriculars which happens in schools
evolution of society (functionalism)
tendency, according to functionalism, of a society to move from a small group of independent people to a large, interdependent society
largely driven by population growth
social change in functionalism
something that interrupts the equilibrium in society by affecting the production, distribution, or coordination of goods and services, causing the other factors in that society to adapt and re-establish equilibrium
conflict theory
idea developed by Karl Marx that explains the changes that happen to society over time as being based on the interactions between two or more contrasting ideas that are held by different groups of people within society
change occurs when either one of these ideas wins out or a compromise is reached
evolution of society in conflict theory
idea that society changes from feudalism to capitalism to socialism over time
driven by the inequalities within society and the push for equality
thesis of society
current, existing state of society
antithesis of society
opposite of the accepted state of society, created by a society in reaction to the accepted state
synthesis of society
middle ground between the thesis and antithesis of society that is created through compromise of conflicting groups
social constructionism
theory that explains how societies function based on accepted understandings of the world giving meaning to objects or concepts
eg how the value placed on money only exists because society has given it this meaning
weak social constructionism
idea that societies form accepted understandings based on brute facts and institutional facts
brute facts
truths that do not rely on any other truths and cannot be explained by any other statements
institutional facts
truths that are accepted by society and can be explained by other truths
strong social constructionism
all of the ideas in society are created based on assigning accepted meanings
there are no brute facts
symbolic interaction
microsociology theory that people within a society act based on their past experience and the meanings that they have assigned to objects or concepts
theory says that action depends on meaning, meaning is influenced by interpersonal communication, and meaning can change based on experience
feminist theory
women face marginalization and discrimination that may or may not be apparent in a patriarchal society, in which primarily men hold government and leadership positions
focuses on constructed gender roles and the values of masculinity and femininity
rational choice theory
idea that the actions of a society and of an individual are determined by weighing the costs and benefits of a given behavior
assumes completeness, transitivity, and independence of irrelevant alternatives when ranking behaviors
completeness (rational choice theory)
assumption of the rational choice theory that all possible behaviors can be ranked in terms of their benefits
transitivity (rational choice theory)
assumption of the rational choice theory that if option A is better than B, and B is better than C, then A is better than C
independence of irrelevant alternatives
assumption of the rational choice theory that option Z will not affect the rankings of A, B, and C if it is unrelated
exchange theory
idea that behavior is based on the desire to maximize reward and minimize punishment
based on the assumptions that people wish to maximize profits, that actions resulting in a reward are more likely to be repeated, and that the more often a reward is presented, the less value it has
macrosociology
large scale perspective of the drivers of social structure and change that looks at entire societies to analyze social structures
eg conflict theory and functionalism
microsociology
small scale perspective of the drivers of social structure that looks are interactions between individuals or small groups to explain larger structures
eg symbolic interactionism
conservative view of institutions
organizations naturally form in society as a way of meeting the needs of individuals within that society
progressive view of institutions
organizations are artificial creations that need to be continuously changed to be helpful to society
hidden curriculum
values, norms, and beliefs that are learned in schools not through formal communication, but rather through the nature of the learning environment and subtle suggestions by teachers
medicalization
part of the healthcare and medicine institution
process by which human conditions become diagnosed, treated or studied
eg defining the inability to be attentive as ADD and prescribing treatments for this condition
sick rule
idea that a temporary absence from obligations is allowed when someone is ill
obligations will return once that individual is healthy again
access to healthcare
ability of individuals in society to receive medical treatment
eg Medicare Medicaid and CHIP are aimed at improving this, but there are many inequalities in determining who receives care
illness experience
the way in which people cope and live with a disease
affected by the stigma of certain diseases (like mental disorders or HIV), access to care, and social support
