Sociological Imagination/Theories

Question 1

When and why did sociology emerge?

Answer 1

Emerged in mid 1800s because of Industrial Revolution

Question 2

How did industrial revolution change society?

Answer 2

Sudden increase in population and rapid development of manufacturing caused people to leave rural areas to find factory jobs. People used to rely on themselves (for food, clothes, etc.) and now relied on each other

Question 3

What did Adam Smith (1776) say about the industrial revolution?

Answer 3

Said this division of labour would cause wealth of nations (people specializing in their strengths, community had more products as result of social dependency)

Question 4

Who introduced concept of sociological imagination and when?

Answer 4

C.Wright Mills, in 1959

Question 5

Define sociological imagination

Answer 5

Ability to switch back and forth between a social and individual standpoint, think about social context which shapes individual behaviour

Question 6

Example of sociological imagination: do not need to memorize

Answer 6

Married couple seeks divorce for personal reasons (which also requires focus), but when nearly half of marriages end in divorce, we may ask about the social conditions that give rise to this

Question 7

A) Define social structure
B) Define personal milieu

Answer 7

A) Constellation of social institutions, economic systems, political arrangements, and cultural values
B) One’s immediate personal bubble

Question 8

What good does Mills say sociological imagination can do?

Answer 8

If there are common social explanations for individual circumstances, then perhaps that can form beginning of making social changes to alleviate the problem

Question 9

What did Clare Stacy say about empathy relating to sociological imagination?

Answer 9

Sociological imagination encourages us to imagine circumstances of behaviour and consider broader realities that shape a persons choice, see empathy as a skill not innate trait

Question 10

A) What does structural functionalism focus on/believe?
B) What are two criticisms of structural functionalism?

Answer 10

A) Society is system of interconnected parts that work together for social balance, human behaviour is governed by stable patterns of social relations/structures. Focuses on norms, traditions, institutions that connect people and maintain social order
B) Does not look at equalities, Lacks critique of power relations, may assume society benefits everyone equally

Question 11

Define functional and dysfunctional under structural functionalism.

Answer 11

Functional: contributes to social stability
Dysfunctional: disrupts social stability

Question 12

A) Define manifest function
B) Define latent function

Answer 12

A) Manifest function: intended and recognized, (e.g. college for education)
B) Latent function: unintended and hidden, (e.g. college for finding significant other)

Question 13

What did Emile Durkheim believe in?

Answer 13

Wanted sociology to be a science guided by social facts. He helped develop sociology to social science, was structural sociologist, and explored solidarity (patterns of connections)

Question 14

What are social facts?

Answer 14

Manners of acting, thinking, and feeling that are external to an individual (e.g. suicide rates, Christmas gifts)

Question 15

What are two types of solidarity? And a pro and con for them.

Answer 15

1) Mechanical solidarity: older/simpler societies, extremely cohesive and integrated.
- People feel essential/with purpose, but society is more fragile and reliant on individuals
2) Organic solidarity: modern age, members more distant, but increasingly reliant on one another
- People can feel useless, but society is much less fragile

Question 16

What are the two dimensions of society?

Answer 16

1) Integration: how tied you are to others
2) Regulation: all groups have rules which we call norms

Question 17

What did Durkheim define anomie as? Define anomie.

Answer 17

Too little regulation and integration. When norms and values break down in (people feel disconnected to) society.

Question 18

What are two possible consequences of high anomie?

Answer 18

Society can crumble as people lose faith in importance of large group
More likely to commit suicide

Question 19

A) What does conflict theory focus on?
B) What are two criticisms?

Answer 19

A) Examines how conflict structures affect society. Large social forces (class relations), patterns of inequality and outcomes, and how members of advantaged groups try to maintain their advantages
B) Overlooks forces of stability, assumes only powerful people benefit from society

Question 20

Who founded conflict theory?

Answer 20

Karl Marx

Question 21

What type of sociologist was Karl Marx? What did he believe?

Answer 21

Relational sociologist: individuals defined by relationships
Believed societies are based on social conflict and changes occur because of conflicts over economic relationships.
Strived for a way society could be ‘free’ and concerned with dynamics of capitalism

Question 22

What are the two types of constraints? and how do they relate to each other?

Answer 22

Natural Constraints (e.g. need for food) could be solved by working together
but Social Constraints were created as some people didn’t do any labour while some did all.

Question 23

Who created historical materialism?

Answer 23

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Looks at change over time and material things (e.g. distribution of resources). Believed superstructure (politics, religion, etc.) was built on top of material reality.

Question 24

What did Karl Marx see as the central conflict in society?

Answer 24

Between two classes: owners/capitalists and workers
-Capitalists want more wealth, give workers lower wages, and put workers in competition with each other so they don’t band to fight the capitalist
-Workers want more wages and control. Workers are alienated from each other (competition), capitalists, and labour process and product itself.
Marx says they are alienated from their humanity

Question 25

A) What did Marx believe religion did?
B) What did he think would happen to capitalism?

Answer 25

A) Diverts workers so they focus on being rewarded in heaven and it soothes distress rather than questioning their exploitation
B) Thought capitalism would be taken over by socialism

Question 26

What did Antonio Gramsci believe about conflict theory?

Answer 26

Hegemy: theory that explains how capitalists stay in power so effectively while workers want revolution
-Stay in power through hegemonic culture, a dominant set f ideas that influence everyone, blinding us to realities of exploitation

Question 27

A) What does symbolic interactionism focus on?
B) What is a criticism?

Answer 27

A) Focuses on interpersonal communication and micro-level interactions. Situations have meaning because people place meaning into it, and humans respond to their definition of situation, not objective situation. Our self-concept is based through interactions with others and observing how they might label us
B) Overlooks social structures and larger picture

Question 28

Which large sociologist does not fit into symbolic interactionism, structural functionalism, or conflict theory? What did he focus on?

Answer 28

Max Weber, focused on individuals and thinks cultural values influence individual behaviours which shapes society.

Question 29

What did Max Weber believe of capitalism?

Answer 29

Explored origins of capitalism and believed capitalism would continue and modern age would be defined by rational bureaucracies

Question 30

What two approaches did Max Weber take?

Answer 30

1) Methodological individualism approach: not opposed to social structures but focused on individuals, looks at social action (behaviours that provide structures) and what meanings are attached to those actions
2) Interpretive understanding: sees culture (values people hold) in shaping social structures (e.g. church culture guiding capitalism)

Question 31

A) Max Weber thought the biggest change in society over time was ________.
B) Name two ways of thinking.
C) What did Weber think caused this change?

Answer 31

A) How we thought.
B) Traditionalism: seeing world as having basic order and things must be that way (e.g. monarchy)
Modernity: people were becoming more rational, thinking reflexively (looking for new ways to do things), standardized approaches
C) Caused by religion, (John Calvin formulated predestination: belief that fate is decided and wealth was proof you were saved by god so people worked hard for money) which transformed traditional society into individualistic one

Question 32

What did W.E.B Du Bois study?

Answer 32

Studied lives of black and white Americans after slavery, first to describe effects of structural racism, believed slavery and capitalism mutually reinforced one another

Question 33

What three concepts did W.E.B. Du Bois introduce?

Answer 33

Double consciousness: fractured sense of identity derived from viewing oneself through eyes of oppressor
Colour line: represents separation of oppressor and oppressed physically, economically, and emotionally
Psychological wage: symbolic rewards oppressor receives from system that values whiteness, people often value status more than economics

Question 34

What did Jane Addams do?

Answer 34

Pushed for socially-engaged scholarship in sociology, funded Hull House (shelter for women, studied poverty and dependence