Sociological Theories Flashcards
The structure of society (norms, values/rules) that holds it together and contributes to its social order
Social statistics
The active relationships between the various parts of society and through which change is likely to occur
Social dynamics
Auguste Comte put forward that there are 4 parts of society with specific functions. They are:
- Family
- Economy
- Religion
- Political structure
Auguste Comte believed that social change progressed in 3 stages. They are:
- Theological - ideas controlled by the clergy
- Metaphysical - ideas controlled by philosophers
- Positivism - the triumph of scientific thinking
________ used his interest in Charles Darwin and biology to explain how he believed society is structured.
Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer applied Charles Darwin’s idea of ____________ to society.
Evolution
Herbert Spencer argued that societies naturally evolved through ________ and __________ in order to progress.
Specialisation and differentiation
Social fact that consists of an agreement on common moral values and beliefs [Durkheim]
Collective consciousness
The inability of a society to enforce and maintain a collective consciousness results in a state of __________: [Durkheim]
Anomie
An individual internalises a collectie consciousness through _________. [Durkheim]
Socialisation
Changes in one part of society are followed by changes in another. This creates a state of balance which results in ________ _______ [Talcott Parsons]
social equilibrium ⚖️
Parsons offered the view that the everyday survival of society depends on 4 basic prerequisites, including the need for:
- Adaptation
- Goal attainment
- Integration
- Pattern maintenance
Talcott Parsons argued that the disruptive effects brought by social change are mitigated by __________ ___________
Social equilibrium
The 4 sociologists associated with Functionalism are:
- Auguste Comte
- Èmile Durkheim
- Herbert Spencer
- Talcott Parsons
A situation in which institutions in modern societies carry out specialised functions [Parsons]
Structural differentiation
A general agreement about things deemed worthy by members of a society
Value consensus
A state in which people have become passive and dehumanised , and strangers from themselves. [Karl Marx]
Alienation
As the rich get richer, they increasingly distance themselves from poorer groups. [Marxism]
Polarisation
Where members of the working class are blind to their exploitation and their attention is diverted away from the true sources of their oppression [Marxism]
False class consciousness
When workers become aware of their exploitation by the ruling class but are still in a state of false class consciousness [Marxism]
A class in itself
According to Marx, the successful protelariat revolution would result in a _________ __________ - a society with no private property, alienation, exploitation , class divisions, capitalists and working classes.
Communist society
An organisation with a hierarchy of paid officials who form a chain of command (government, ministries, churches etc) [Weber]
Bureaucracy
The creolisation theory was derived by: _______ _________
Edward Kamau Brathwaite
The cultural changes that occur when people of two different backgrounds come together in a new environment and their interactions with each other result in a new culture [Brathwaite]
Creolisation
The forced acceptance of aspects of another’s culture [Creolisation]
Acculturation
The uncoscious/somewhat conscious and willing absorption of aspects of another’s culture [Creolisation]
Interculturation
Functionalist’s treatment of socialisation and the role of institutions draw parallels with the Caribbean ______ and _________ theories.
Creolisation, plural society
The Marxist view of social stratification, along with the Interactionist view of total institutions have similarities with the Caribbean ________ theory.
Plantation society
Ethnomedology, a theory that explains the methods that people use to make sense of the social world, was introduced by:
Harold Garfinkel
Phenomenology, an approach popularised by Alfred Schultz, looks at:
The process through which people understand the chaotic social world based on their experiences
_______ ______ introduced falsification, the practice of disproving theories.
Karl Popper
Thomas Kuhn believed that all scientists operate within a specific ______, a framework of concepts and theories that state how the world works.
Paradigm
He goes on to say that this does not exist in sociology, therefore it is “pre-paradigmatic and by extension pre-scientific” (Pikington et al 2008)
Giddens (1986) asserts that institutions and individuals have a:
Double involvement - they create society while simultaneously being created by it
Functionalists saw social change as ______, while ________ saw social change as revolutionary.
Functionalists - evolutionary
Marxists - revolutionary
What is ‘value freedom’?
A concept associated with the positivist research approach, which should not be influenced by reaearcher’s beliefs and ideas so as to be ‘free’ from bias.
Define culture.
The way of life of a society, comprising of tangible and intangible objects.
Define socialisation.
Socialisation is the unconscious process of learning the culture of one’s society.
What are norms?
Norms are the guidelines for the expected behaviours of a society within specific contexts.
What are values?
Values are ideas that are considered as good, correct, worthwhile and desirable in a society.
What is status?
Status refers to the ascribed or achieved position that one holds in society.
What are roles?
Roles are expedted behaviours that accompany one’s status position.
A social group is considered to be _________ if it occupies a position outside the centres of power.
Margianalised
