Society and Culture Part I

Question 1

functionalism

Answer 1

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

Question 2

social fact

Answer 2

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

Question 3

manifest functions of institutinos

Answer 3

intended effects of social organizations, like the education of children in schools

Question 4

latent functions

Answer 4

unintended effects of social organizations, like socialization or exposure to extracurriculars which happens in schools

Question 5

evolution of society (functionalism)

Answer 5

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

Question 6

social change in functionalism

Answer 6

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

Question 7

conflict theory

Answer 7

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

Question 8

evolution of society in conflict theory

Answer 8

idea that society changes from feudalism to capitalism to socialism over time
driven by the inequalities within society and the push for equality

Question 9

thesis of society

Answer 9

current, existing state of society

Question 10

antithesis of society

Answer 10

opposite of the accepted state of society, created by a society in reaction to the accepted state

Question 11

synthesis of society

Answer 11

middle ground between the thesis and antithesis of society that is created through compromise of conflicting groups

Question 12

social constructionism

Answer 12

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

Question 13

weak social constructionism

Answer 13

idea that societies form accepted understandings based on brute facts and institutional facts

Question 14

brute facts

Answer 14

truths that do not rely on any other truths and cannot be explained by any other statements

Question 15

institutional facts

Answer 15

truths that are accepted by society and can be explained by other truths

Question 16

strong social constructionism

Answer 16

all of the ideas in society are created based on assigning accepted meanings
there are no brute facts

Question 17

symbolic interaction

Answer 17

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

Question 18

feminist theory

Answer 18

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

Question 19

rational choice theory

Answer 19

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

Question 20

completeness (rational choice theory)

Answer 20

assumption of the rational choice theory that all possible behaviors can be ranked in terms of their benefits

Question 21

transitivity (rational choice theory)

Answer 21

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

Question 22

independence of irrelevant alternatives

Answer 22

assumption of the rational choice theory that option Z will not affect the rankings of A, B, and C if it is unrelated

Question 23

exchange theory

Answer 23

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

Question 24

macrosociology

Answer 24

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

Question 25

microsociology

Answer 25

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

Question 26

conservative view of institutions

Answer 26

organizations naturally form in society as a way of meeting the needs of individuals within that society

Question 27

progressive view of institutions

Answer 27

organizations are artificial creations that need to be continuously changed to be helpful to society

Question 28

hidden curriculum

Answer 28

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

Question 29

medicalization

Answer 29

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

Question 30

sick rule

Answer 30

idea that a temporary absence from obligations is allowed when someone is ill
obligations will return once that individual is healthy again

Question 31

access to healthcare

Answer 31

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

Question 32

illness experience

Answer 32

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