Sociological Theories

Question 1

What are the 3 Sociological Theories?

Answer 1

1. Structural Functionalism
2. Conflict Theory
3. Symbolic Interaction

Question 2

Structural Functionalism

Answer 2

Sees society as a system of interdependent and interrelated parts. Each part contributes to the functioning of the whole

Key Points: equilibrium, status quo, maintain the whole
- something that disrupts society and sees change as disfunction

Question 3

Who are the famous theorists for Structural Functionalism?

Answer 3

Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton

Question 4

Dysfunction

Answer 4

Anything that disrupts rather than contributes to the maintenance of the whole

• can be positive or negative
• begins negatively but has positive outcomes

Question 5

When a dysfunction occurs in society, society tries to get back to a state of equilibrium and thus responds to the dysfunction in one of two ways. What are the 2 ways?

Answer 5

1) ignores dysfunction with hopes that equilibrium will just be maintained
2) society attempts to incorporate dysfunction into the status quo

Question 6

Robert Merton

Answer 6

• Structural Functionalist Theorist

- developed the terms Manifest Function and Latent Function

Question 7

Manifest Function

Answer 7

The expected/ anticipated consequences of social processes

• what we think will happen

Question 8

Latent Function

Answer 8

The unexpected / unanticipated consequences of social processes.

• the unplanned
• Latent = hidden, unspoken, unknown

Question 9

What is Conflict Theory?

Answer 9

• a Neo-Marxist Theory
• *- Karl Marx is not a conflict theorist and DID NOT invent Conflict Theory
• emphasizes coercion, domination, and change
• emphasizes that change is inevitable, continuous, and good

Question 10

Karl Marx

Answer 10

• Marx advocated a communist society
• Saw Capitalism as DESTRUCTIVE to the human being
• For Marx, there is an intristic connection btw a person and his labor
• “I am my labor and my labor is me”
• Capitalism destroyed this relationship by forcing people to sale their labor

Question 11

What are the 2 groups Marx divided Capitalist Society into?

Answer 11

1. The Bourgeoisie: those who owned the means of production
2. The Proletariat: those who worked for those who owned the means of production

• Marx believed in a classless society
• Capitalism creates classes — based exclusively on people’s relationships to the means of production

Question 12

What is Marxism?

Answer 12

Means of Production

Question 13

Scarce Resource

Answer 13

• society consists of different groups who struggle with one another to attain the “scarce resource” which is considered valuable
• scarce resource can be anything a society considers valuable: money, power, prestige, voting rights, right to marry

Question 14

Symbolic Interaction

Answer 14

• in process of social interaction people symbolically communicate meanings to each other
• we speak/think in terms of symbols
• interaction hinges on shared meanings between individuals
• most commonly used symbols are WORDS and tone of voice

Question 15

What is an important element of symbolic interaction?

Answer 15

SELF - through interactions we have with others we learn about SELF

Question 16

What is SELF technically?

Answer 16

A social process which emerges as we interact with each other
- how we feel about ourselves depends on how we think or believe others feel about us

Question 17

Who are 2 symbolic interactionists who spoke about the concept of SELF?

Answer 17

1. Charles Horton Cooley

2. George Herbert Mead

Question 18

Cooley

Answer 18

• The Looking Glass Self

- Viewed Self as a social phenomenon that is actively constructed in imagery

Question 19

What are the 3 elements to ‘The Looking Glass Self’?

Answer 19

1. Imagination of our appearance to another person
2. Imagination of his/her judgment of that appearance
3. We get some out of self-feeling; positive (pride) or negative (shame)

Question 20

Of the 3 elements, which does Cooley consider most important?

Answer 20

Sees #2, Imagination of his/her judgment of that appearance

- Judgment is what bases our feelings

Question 21

Cooley also spoke about a Primary Group:

- What are 2 characteristics?

Answer 21

1. Those who are emotionally close to us
2. Those with whom we usually have a sustaining relationship throughout our lives
   - of the 5 pivotal institutions, FAMILY is an example of a Primary Group