Socio

Question 1

Emile Durkheim: Beliefs

Answer 1

• Societies function logically & protects interests of its members
• Studied forces that unite people in society
• Humans are social creatures define themselves by social interactions at work, home, play & worship.
• Society is constantly changing; becoming more diverse - positive & necessary

Question 2

Emile Durkheim: Functional Diffrentiation

Answer 2

divisions that are created to help deal with a complex environment; these divisions operate independently but are connected to one another.
- Believed it would allow groups to work more productively & bring peace

Question 3

Emile Durkheim: Suicide

Answer 3

Suicide: controversial book about why people commit suicide thats key to sociology
Found that suicide is deeply personal & individual choice but…
Causes of suicide are rooted deeply in society
Lack of community
Disconnect from community because of social upheaval had greater impact than other factors (wealth)

Question 4

Karl Marx (German).

Answer 4

• Focuses on class conflict, role in social evolution & usefulness in understanding social issues
• Lived during IR, witnessed how factory workers exploited workers.
• Conflict comes from competition for power & wealth
• Wealthy class making it impossible for poor to achieve economic quality
• Predicted lower class would revolt to attain power
• Conflict between classes created isolation which would lead to disruption and change
  Conflict + revolution = societal evolution
• Commodity Fetishism: Process of ascribing “phantom-like” qualities to an object where we completely forget the human labour required.
  Forgetting about the labor that goes into the products.

Question 5

Social Institutions

Answer 5

A social institution is a group or organization that has specific roles, norms, and expectations, which functions to meet the social needs of society. The family, government, religion, education, and media are all examples of social institutions.

Question 6

Postmodernism

Answer 6

an approach in sociology which stresses the uncertain nature of societies, in which all certainties have been challenged and undermined. The condition of a lived experience occurs in a global society in which there are no absolute rules or explanations

Question 7

Socialization: Primary

Answer 7

process of learning the basic skills needed to survive in society.
Know how to eat, cook,etc

Question 8

Socialization: Secondary

Answer 8

process of learning how to behave appropriately in group situations.

Question 9

Socialization: Anticipatory

Answer 9

process of learning how to plan the way to behave in new situations
Using knowledge of certain social settings to think ahead & anticipate the type of clothing or behaviour you need

Question 10

socialization: Resocialization

Answer 10

process by which negative behaviour is transformed into socially acceptable behaviour.
Criminal released from prison in given a new opportunity to practice a behaviour

Question 11

Looking Glass Self

Answer 11

• Look at the importance of the influence of the individual on every social behaviour.
• Way of explaining how individuals see themselves through the eyes of those they interact with
• The way in which individuals sense of self is mirrored & reflected by others

Question 12

Dissonance

Answer 12

a sense of discord, disharmony, confusion, or conflict experienced by people in the midst of change in their cultural environment. The changes are often unexpected, unexplained or not understandable due to various types of cultural dynamics.

Question 13

Primary group

Answer 13

small group with personal & emotional relationships
Family & close friends
Most influential group you can be apart of
Know personalities, share triumphs & failures, very strong power of persuasion
Expect degree of conformity to rules & beliefs

Question 14

Secondary group

Answer 14

impersonal or formal gathering of people
Roles measured by their contribution to a goal or a purpose
Ex: school sports team
Are large and less intimate sharing
Less influence than primary group on an individuals behaviour

Question 15

Values

Answer 15

Shared ideas & standards that are considered acceptable & binding

Question 16

Norms

Answer 16

Expectations about how people should behave

Question 17

Role

Answer 17

The expected behaviour of a person in a particular social environment

Question 18

In-groups

Answer 18

social group that forms when its members identify with one another
Do not necessarily act hostile towards others
Sets out who is “one of us” vs who is not

Question 19

Out-groups

Answer 19

social group toward which an individual feels disrespect or opposition; sometimes treated badly by group members

Question 20

In vs out

Answer 20

Hostility toward out groups helps to strengthen our sense of belonging which explains hostility (view other groups as “less good”)

Question 21

Prejudice

Answer 21

an individual judgment about or active hostility towards another social group.

Question 22

Child Isolates

Answer 22

A feral child is a human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, and has no (or little) experience of human care, loving or social behavior, and, crucially, of human language. Some feral children have been confined in isolation by other people, usually their own parents.

Question 23

Alienation

Answer 23

feeling of separation or isolation from a group (especially a group you believe you should be part of).

Question 24

Conformity

Answer 24

Individuals feel the need to conform to the norms & expectations of society
Individual alters or changes thoughts, feelings or behaviours to meet the expectations of a group or authority figure
Based on direct or indirect influence or societal pressure
Choose to conform to avoid…criticism & rejection
Downside…stifles individuality & personality

Question 25

Feminist Theory

Answer 25

Gender inequality: women face marginalization deprivation of power, without equal membership in society
Live in patriarchal society
Favours men above women
Male authority dominantes in patriarchal society
Dorothy smith: believes culture is socially constructed to favour men

Question 26

Functionalist Theory

Answer 26

examines how the social institutions that make up society, such as the economy, education, family, religion, and media, all perform a useful purpose, and also influence members of society

Question 27

Conflict Theory

Answer 27

There is competition between various groups for power
Competition for power is caused by the struggle between those who have economic & political power & those who don’t
Imbalance between the wealthy class of owners & poor class of workers is the source of constant conflict in society.
Institutions also alienate the poor making them feel powerless

Question 28

Cults

Answer 28

Type of counterculture (challenges and opposes the mainstream culture)
Extremist religious groups
Rigid social & moral views
Typically guided by a charismatic leader
Individual is resocialized to fit into the group, which forms a new identity

Question 29

Cults Recruitment

Answer 29

Finding someone who is in a vulnerable state (crossroads of their life, break up, family death)
Soft-sell, where the candidate has an initial meeting with recruiters
Candidate is immersed into a new reality, where they are separated from outside influences (friends, family, TV, movies)
Candidate’s most important relationship is with the cult leader
The cult creates an external enemy (i.e. someone not in the cult)
Candidate experiences peer pressure or push to be a part of the cult
The new member is brainwashed into serving a sociopathic narcissist

Question 30

Total Institutions

Answer 30

Closed social system
Life is organized by norms, rules, schedules
Determined by a single authority
Staff enforce the rules
Separated from wider society by distance, laws, and protections around property
Aims to protect society from harm
Does not have to be a cult or cult-like institution. Can be voluntary or involuntary
Leave behind identity to adopt to a new one acceptable by the institution (resocialization)

Question 31

Subcultures

Answer 31

a small group within a larger group who shares a common system of values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and lifestyle distinct from the larger group.
People join subcultures if the mainstream culture does not fulfill a personal or social need. It can often be an exaggerated or distorted version of mainstream culture.

Question 32

Subculture Vampire

Answer 32

1890s to present: this group originated in the 1890s with publication of dracula by Bram stoker. More recently, new groups were inspired by Anne Rice’s VAmpire Chronicles series and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series.