Sociological Theory Flashcards
Study for Sociology 101 exam
Symbolic Interactionism
- Focuses on how people’s behaviors are influenced based on their interactions between one another.
-Creating meaning based on symbols and interactions
Symbols
- Things chosen to represent something else
- Meanings are assigned to these symbols which are mutually agreed upon
ex: rolling eyes symbolizes annoyance
What are the stages of Mead and Self? What does Mead say?
- Genesis of the Self
- The I
- Generalized Other
- Me
He says these stages are developed over time through social interaction.
Explain the stages of Genesis of the Self and what happens during each stage.
Genesis of the Self has 3 stages
- 1. Imitation- Children age 3 and under have no sense of self and imitates others.
2. Play - Children 3-6 start to play pretend and are able to communicate better.
3. Team Games- Children 6-7 start to play in organized teams like sports and learn to take on multiple roles.
What happens during The “I” self and what would that person look like if they were consumed by it?
The “I” is the unsocialized self who is selfish and very impulsive and unpredictable. This person if consumed would be a self serving person.
What happens during the Generalized Self and what happens if they are consumed?
In the Generalized Other self they want to fit everyone’s expectations of them. This person would be a people pleaser.
What happens during the the Me self and what would this person look like?
The me is between generalized other and the I. This would be the ideal socialized self
Cooley “The Looking Glass Self”
This concept says that Identity consist of Three Elements:
- 1. How actors imagine they appear
-2. How actors believe other judge their appearance
- 3. How actors develop feelings of shame or pride, feelings that become an inner guide to behavior.
Dramatical Perspective
Human Interaction as a theatrical performance.
Society= the stage
People=actors
Script=roles
- role performance
What are the two stages of Dramatical Perspective? What do they do?
Front stage - using props to show the role someone is playing
Backstage- Closed and hidden from the audience; Actors can act as they really, be themselves, and let their guard down.
Impression Management
The script that people follow in order to control how others see them.
Status
A position a person occupies with in a social structure.
Ascribed Status
Neither earned nor chosen
Ex: Being assigned female or male at birth
Achieved status
Earned or chosen; getting a degree of your choice
Status Sets
All statuses a person occupies at a certain time
Master status
Influence most other aspects of a person’s life
Ex: A BLACK president or WOMAN scientist
Role Conflict
Performance with one status clashes with another
Role strain
Some of the role (expectations) of a single status clash.
What is Sociology?
The study of social structure/ society and their pattern/reoccurring relationships.
Aguste Compte
Positivism; arm chair sociologist
Believed we should not study society to change it but just observe.
Karl Marx
Created Marxism and known for Class conflict.
