sociological perspectives

Question 1

perspective

Answer 1

way of looking at something

Question 2

sociological perspective

Answer 2

way of looking at society

Question 3

structuralism

Answer 3

concerned with overall structure of society and way social institutions (family, education, media) act as a constraint on individual behaviour

Question 4

stucturalist approach

Answer 4

individual is like a puppet to whose strings are pulled by society

Question 5

macro approach

Answer 5

focus of sociology is on study of social institutions and social structure as a whole not on the individual

Question 6

social action

Answer 6

individual behaviour in every day social situations
(discovering) - the process which interactions between individuals take place, how people interpret and see things they do

Question 7

micro approach

Answer 7

study of individuals/ small groups not the social structure as a whole

Question 8

symbolic interactionism

Answer 8

social action perspective concerned with understanding human behaviour and how people can be defined in particular ways

Question 9

determinism

Answer 9

activities and identities of individuals are moulded by forces beyond their control

Question 10

viewpoint

Answer 10

where you stand in society (attitude towards something)

Question 11

functionalism

Answer 11

• sees society as made up of parts which work together for good of society
• most things have a useful function for society

Question 12

marxism

Answer 12

• sees society as divided by conflict between opposing social classes (rich vs poor) and power vs lack of power
• social class inequality is main source of conflict, shows society doesn’t function well

Question 13

social action

Answer 13

• perspective which emphasises creative action people can take
• people are not puppets of society, they have their own mind to make choices

Question 14

post modernism

Answer 14

• approach that says society is changing so rapidly that it is marked by chaos
• knowledge is always made not discovered
• self identify and personal life is more relevant now
• new era is about diversity, choice and change

Question 15

feminism

Answer 15

• equality for all genders
• doesn’t agree that society works well, only works well for straight, white men
• gender inequality is so embedded in us that research must focus on changing this

Question 16

pluralist

Answer 16

• mixed approach
• society and individuals mould each other

Question 17

social order

Answer 17

family
education
religion
crime

Question 18

modernist

Answer 18

• mid 18th century
• original perspective
• interested in urbanisation and industrialisation
• v popular in 1950/60’s
• now considered old fashioned

Question 19

structuralist

Answer 19

• argue that society shapes individuals
• macro approach
• people are puppets of society

Question 20

consensus

Answer 20

• how society is run
• agreement
• belief that society is based on socialisation, norms, values, consensus, collective conscience, social solidarity

Question 21

socialisation

Answer 21

process of internalising the norms and values of society

Question 22

norms

Answer 22

behaviours that are expected and thought to be normal

Question 23

value consensus

Answer 23

agreement about society’s values - beliefs about what is right/ wrong

Question 24

collective conscience

Answer 24

shared ideas about importance of what is right for a wider group

Question 25

social solidarity

Answer 25

sense of being a part of a wider society, bringing togetherness and support

Question 26

social bonds

Answer 26

care and concern for others and wider community

Question 27

social order/ harmony

Answer 27

society functions well and order is maintained when everyone works together

Question 28

anomie

Answer 28

normlessness when people are not sufficiently socialised into society

Question 29

emile durkheim

Answer 29

- earliest sociologists - said: people are basically selfish, they need to be encouraged to think about wider social group or they will think of themselves and society would break down - said primary and secondary socialisation and collective conscience is most important

Question 30

talcott parsons

Answer 30

- said: he developed ideas that durkheim spoke of - is well known for his organic analogy - comparison between society and human body - biblical idea - if body’s organs work together then society can work together, if one organ breaks down the rest do too

Question 31

functional prerequisites

Answer 31

basic needs that every society needs in order to survive

Question 32

GAIL MODEL

Answer 32

G- goals A- adaptation I- integration L- latency

Question 33

goals

Answer 33

parliament sets goals, priorities and aims for society and enables the means to achieve them e.g - reducing unemployment, poverty and crime

Question 34

adaptation

Answer 34

adapting the environment to achieve society’s goals e.g - factories for food and clothes, providing education and healthcare become a goal post war so education changes were made and the NHS was created

Question 35

integration

Answer 35

co ordination of all parts of society so there are shared goals and a sense of contributing to the greater good e.g - community spirit

Question 36

latency

Answer 36

maintenance when things are good, minimising conflicts which could prevent goals by preserving commitment to culture and values

Question 37

robert merton

Answer 37

- doesn’t believe everything serves a useful purpose - some parts of social structure don’t work as intended and cause problems (dysfunction) - thinks some families are dysfunctional, not socialising their children well can lead to anti social behaviour and crime

Question 38

organic analogy

Answer 38

if one organ within the body doesn’t work the rest don’t work either like society if one part doesn’t work none of it does talcott parsons idea

Question 39

new right

Answer 39

capitalist idea emphasis on importance or socialisation to establish core values and maintain social stability importance of traditional institutions (conventional marriage, traditional education) rise of dependency culture

Question 40

rise of dependency culture

Answer 40

dependence within government and society

Question 41

criticising new right

Answer 41

would be to criticise the greed that comes with it

Question 42

life cycle

Answer 42

traditional way set stages and standard life course nuclear get married start own family long term commitment expectation set patterns

Question 43

life course

Answer 43

contemporary way diversity multiple paths and no standard life course young people face uncertainty in their personal lives about what to do and when to do it flexibility focused on individual risk variation