Sociological Perspectives Flashcards
Conflict perspective
Groups in society engaged in a continuous power struggle for control of scarce resources.
Groups in conflict: races, sexes, classes
Conflict is inherent in authority relationships
With power- seek to keep it
Without- resent and resist
Functionalist perspective
Stable, orderly, majority of members share common values and beliefs. Functions as a whole. Society is strained if imbalanced.
Ex: division of labor and within family- father is the provider
Feminist perspective
Fill the missing half. Focus on understanding and explaining inequalities that exist between men and women in the household, labor force, law, culture.
End when there is total equality
Patriarchy
A hierarchical system of power in which males posses greater economic and social privilege than females
Symbolic interactionist perspective
Views society as the sum of the interactions of individuals and groups. Examining people’s day to day interactions and behavior in groups.
Interactions are symbols. Symbols are shared in society. When not shared confusion results
Ex: language
Symbols
Anything that meaningfully represents something else
Signs gestures words
Interaction
Immediate,orientated communication between two or more people
Post modernist perspective
Attempts to explain social life in modern societies characterized by post industrialization,consumerism and global communication.
Sensitive to power imbalances, service vs manufacturing, media, disconnected with past
Post modern condition
Marked by a distrust or denial of such traditional structures of meaning
