Sociology Flashcards
functionalism
understanding structures and institutions based on their function
manifest functions
intended functions of an institution
latent functions
unintended functions of an institution
latent dysfunction
unintended function of an institution that reinforces social inequality
conflict theory
focuses on the competition for resources between structures or groups
What does conflict theory specifically focus on?
competing for resources and power
symbolic interactionism
how we interact using symbols
examples of symbolic interactionism
hand shaking, Thanksgiving dinner
social constructionism
the meaning of social structures/concepts emerges from how we think and communicate about them
how symbolic interactionism arises
examples of social constructionism
love, gender roles, patriotism
rational choice theory
choose actions to maximize the likelihood of accomplishing certain goals
social exchange theory
views social interactions as interchanges with costs and rewards
hidden curriculum
things you learn in an educational system that are not part of the curriculum
segregation
still present in education as schools have uneven populations of students
stratification
making layers due to background, ability, etc.
for example, a talented student might be stratified into honors classes and going to college
max weber’s sociology of religion
religious organizations exist on a spectrum
theocracy
religion is part of educational and legal systems
power
the ability of the government to get things done and compel certain behaviors
more aggressive
authority
the legitimacy and right of the government to structure citizens’ lives
epidemiology
study of who gets illnesses and distribution patterns within a population
medicalization
treating medical conditions as social/cultural constructs
ex: alchoholism is not a considered a medical condition
the sick role
sick individuals are given exceptions with the expectations that they seek treatment and “act sick”
paternalism
physicians think they know what is best for patient without regard for patient’s desires
status
any social category used to identify people
achieved status
a status one works to attain
ascribed status
a status assigned to one involuntarily
not based on one’s actions
master status
a status so dominant in someone’s life that it crowds out other statuses
role strain
strain brought on by multiple responsibilities from one role
comes from within the same role
role conflict
difficulty balancing multiple, different roles
comes from two or more different roles
role engulfment
the expansion of a role to dominate one’s life
primary groups
long-lasting with deep bonds
what is a common misconception with primary groups?
that they have to be positive
secondary groups
short-lasting and more superficial
peer groups
people with similar backgrounds and interests
usually self-selected
in-groups
categories that someone identifies with
reference groups
groups that we compare ourselves to
can belong to the group or not
formal organizations
specific structure
defined rules for entering and exiting the organization
organization will continue to exist even after specific members leave
coercive organizations
people do not chose to join but have to be part of anyway
ex: prison
normative organizations
people join out of some shared ideal or ethical goal
ex: church and volunteer groups
utilitarian organizations
people join to make money
bureaucracies
rational, well-organized and impersonal organizations
anarchist collective
organizations without bosses
use group-based decision making
democratic governance
flat organizational structures that minimize hierarchies
iron law of oligarchy
a group that starts with democratic decision-making will end up being an oligarchy
McDonalization
an organizational approach that focuses on efficiency, calculability, uniformity and technological control
Self-efficacy
an individual’s belief in their ability to perform a certain task
Self-esteem
an individual’s overall sense of self-worth
Self-schema
organized set of beliefs about the self and one’s behavior in certain situations
Self-identity
how someone perceives themselves in regard to the groups they think they are a part of
Counter-culture versus subculture
A subculture is a group of people within a broader culture with their own cultural practices
A counter-culture is in OPPOSITION to the broader culture that surrounds them
The Internet and pop-culture
The Internet has decentralized pop-culture, allowing for the expression of more subcultures
Culture lag
material culture changes faster than nonmaterial culture of society can “catch up”
Culture shock
sense of unease when immersed in a new culture
feeling out of place when plunging into a new environment
What affects assimilation?
residential segregation
acceptance by society
Transmission
elements of culture passed down from one generation to another
Diffusion
elements of culture passed between different cultures
remember: Diffusion = Different
consistency cues
cues that focus on an individual’s behavior over time
leads us to make dispositional attributions
distinctiveness clues
focus on an individual’s unique behavior in certain situations
leads us to make situational attributions
consensus cues
focus on an individual’s behavior in relation to societal expectations
leads us to make dispositional attributions
actor-observer bias
attributing negative behavior as dispositional for others and situational for ourselves
fundamental attribution error
attribution negative behavior of others to disposition
applies only to others
self-serving bias
attribute positive outcomes to our disposition and negative outcomes to our situation
applies only to ourself
halo effect
the tendency for positive / negative impression of people in one area to influence opinion in another
just-world hypothesis
the assumption that a person’s actions inherently bring morally fair and fiting consequences
What type of cultures are more likely to make situational attributions?
collectivistic cultures
prejudice
irrational positive or negative attitudes
EMOTIONAL
stereotypes
contentful and cognitive judgements about a group
Stereotype content model 4 categories
high warmth + low competence: paternalistic
high warmth + high competence: admiration
low warmth + high competence: envious
low warmth + low competence: contemptuous
What does discrimination refer to?
ACTION that occurs as a result of stereotype/prejudice towards a group
Individual discrimination
ways in which a single person treats others based on their group membership
one perpetrator
self-fulfilling prophenncy
self-perceptions cause specific behaviors
ex: expectations of success can lead to success
stereotype threat
members of social group are or feel at risk of conforming to stereotypes
stereotype boost
people can perform better when reminded of positive stereotypes
stigma
strong societal disapproval of groups, identities or behaviors
Social capital
the “wealth” that someone has through their social network and contacts
Cultural capital
traits that signal membership in a higher class
Class consciousness
identifying as a member of one’s economic class, advocating for the rights/interests of that economic class
False consciousness
buying into incorrect ideas about social clues or mobility
Power
the ability to get things done
Prestige
certain things are associated with higher levels of society
Marginal poverty
wealth inequality caused by lack of stable employment
Structural poverty
wealth inequality influenced by the way society is structured
Social exclusion
marginalized people lack access to resources, opportunities, and rights
results in isolation
Gini index
measures the extent to which wealth is concentrated among a few people within a society
Prevalence
a snapshot of how common a given condition is in a population
Incidence
how many new cases in a population
Intergenerational mobility
takes place across multiple generations
Vertical mobility
moving to a higher or lower stratum of the socioeconomic hierarchy
Horizontal mobility
switching roles within a single class
How is mobility defined for the mcat?
strictly by the amount of income
Exchange mobility
when someone moves up the someone else will slide down
ladder balances out
Structural mobility
dramatic changes to society that can either enrich or impoverish many at once
What are stages of demographic transition?
Stage 1: high birth rate + high death rate
Stage 2: death rate slows
Stage 3: death and birth rate slow
Stage 4: low death and birth rate (industrialized)
Preventative checks
decrease fertility rates
Positive checks
increase morbidity rates
