Sociology Exam 1 Content Flashcards
sociological perspective
seeing general patterns in the behavior of particular people
seeing the general in the particular
Durkheim - Social Facts
- social level forces external to individuals that constrain behavior
-general over the whole of society while having an existence independent of individual manifestations
social fact
a thing originating in the institutions of a society which affects the behavior or attitudes of an individual member of that society
socialization
a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the values, norms, behavior, and social skills of their society and their position within that society
culture
the ways of thinking, acting and material objects that together form a people’s way of life
link to the past and guide to the future
symbols
something which people attach meaning to, carries a particular shared, meaning.
varies by culture
language
an entire system of symbols
textual & oral
values
what is upheld as good, desirable, beautiful, cool versus bad, undesirable, ugly, uncool
beliefs
statements held to be true
norms
expectations that guide behavior
folkways
customs, tradition
mores
far-reaching, high significance, elicit, and strong feelings & reactions
culture shock
personal discrimination when experiencing a new way of life
ethnocentrism
belief that one’s own culture is superior to all others
cultural relativism
the idea of universal truth in ethics is a myth and the customs of different societies are all that exist
theory
body of plausible assertions that explain a phenomenon on social levels
Comte
coined “sociology”
brought positivism to sociology
was the first functionalist
positivism
belief that there exists an objective and understandable reality that can be FULLY accessed and understood by the researcher
structural functionalism
a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts promote solidarity and stability
Herbert Spencer
lower to higher forms - barbarian to civilized
differentiation - more societal organs
social Darwinism
Durkheim
social solidarity is the glue of society
a properly functioning society promotes stability, order, harmony
collective consciousness
modes of thought, ideas that are common to and bind society together
where social facts are passed on
solidarity
fundamental ‘glue of society’
promotes stability, harmony, and order
mechanical solidarity
unity that people feel as a result of performing similar tasks and possessing a shared consciousness that stems from these shared tasks
repressive law - sacred and profane
organic solidarity
interdependence that results from the division of labor
restitutive law
Anomic Suicide
lack of social regulation, individuals in recess
egoistic suicide
lack of social integration, individual animated
altruistic suicide
excessive social regulation, individuals in recess
fatalistic suicide
excessive social integration, individually animated
anomie
breakdown of instability from a breakdown of standards
Robert Merton
functions and dysfunctions
can be manifest or latent - foreseen/intended vs not foreseen/intended
Functions and Dysfunctions
consequences that have an adverse effect on a system’s adaptability
Merton’s functionalist Fix
remove bias by looking for whom something is functional, and explore
- manifest functions and dysfunctions, latent functions and dysfunctions
Merton’s Strain Theory
conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, rebellion
conformity
accept institutionalized means and cultural goals
innovation
accept cultural goals and reject institutionalized means
ritual
reject cultural goals and accept institutionalized means
retreatism
reject cultural goals and institutionalized means
rebellion
new means and goals
Marx
It is all about conflict
class conflict and human history
Bourgeoisie vs. Proletariat
tension due to the means of production
exploitative conditions of industrialism
Marx believed capitalism would destroy itself b/c
- poor working conditions and low wages for the proletariat
- competition among capitalists/bourgeoisie
- working alienation and overcoming false consciousness
Pillars of Marxism - Human Potential
1.) Human beings’ essential and natural needs are satisfied through performing labor that provides people with the material things they need to survive
2.) Human beings’ essential and natural needs are satisfied through work that allows them to express their creativity
3.) Human beings are naturally most satisfied when they work collectively for the good of the community
Alienation and Human Potential
1.) productive work - choice of labor
2.) product produced - fruits of labor taken by capitalists
3.) other workers - unnatural state where humans are otherwise naturally collaborative
4.) species being - human creativity separates us from animals
overcoming false consciousness
workers seize means of production to provide basic needs for all
human focus on human relationships, personal passions and creativity instead of struggling to survive
ULTIMATELY REACH HUMAN POTENTIAL
Macro Theory
Durkheim and Marx
Middle Ground or syntheses
Merton and Bourdieu
Micro Theory
Goffman and Garfinkel
Bourdieu
Cultural factors reinforce social inequality along with economic
cultural capital
micro-level social interactions rooted in cultures associated with macro factors can reinforce social macro-scale
hierarchies
- interpersonal skills and habits that can be used to gain advantage in society
economic capital
wealth, socio-economic status
symbolic interaction
study of the processes by which people act in relation to others and the systems of means that relate to those interactions
status
a social position one occupies
ascribed status
social position one occupies
achieved status
voluntary position
role
behaviors expected of someone with a status
Goffman
stage of social life - claiming roles competently with others
dramaturgical analysis
dramaturgical analysis
life as a theater - costumes, props, front/back stage etc.
impression management
techniques actors use to maintain certain roles and performances once they have claimed certain roles
Ethnomethodology
studies ordinary members of society using common sense in everyday situations
how things are happening
the social construction of reality
focus on mundane behaviors
breaching experiments
ex. taking items from others’ shopping carts
designed to disrupt the presumption of coherent reality
accounts how individuals explain, criticize, and idealize specific situations
alternative possible social realities based on different norms
scientific method
making a hypothesis based on theory and designing an experiment to test it
Durkheim’s Method
quantitative data from official statistics across the nation and various demographics
empirical evidence
information verified by our senses
primary methods - quantitative + qualitative
quantitative methods
heavily rely on statistical and mathematical techniques to answer questions about social behavior
ex. Surveys
positivism
surveys
polls a survey of respondents
takes a sample to represent a target population
qualitative methods
utilize techniques that capture the subjective way people perceive the world
and how they confer meanings to situations
ex. interviews, ethnography, interpretive sociology
post-positivism
interviews
rich and detailed information on participants experiences and interpretations of open-ended questions
ethnography/participant observation
document rituals identify cultural norms, beliefs,structures and patterns
interpretive sociology
meanings that people attach to the social world
experiment
procedure for studying the relation between two or more variables under controlled conditions
tests a hypothesis/ educated guess of how variables are linked
correlation
when two variables appear to be linked/related
independent variables
cause
dependent variables
effect
spurious correlation
correlation that is not explained by other factors
critical sociologist
reject a value-neutral orientation and emphasize that sociologists should be activists in pursuit of greater social equality
Ethics
distinguish right from wrong
benefits must outweigh the risk
ASA Code of Ethics
protect subjects - avoid harm, obtain informed consent, avoid deception, maintain privacy
maintain honesty
achieve valid results
to encourage appropriate application
socialization
the lifelong process of an individual or group learning the expected norms and customs of a group or society through social interaction
Development of Self
the unique ability of being able to see ourselves form the outside
Cooley - “Looking Glass Self”
we internalize the reactions of others
1.) imagine how we appear to others
2.) interpret others reactions
3.) develop a “self-concept”
Mead
self is more then just a runway street
significant others
individuals with a significant influence on the lives of children
the generalized other
norms, values, attituded, and expectations of people in general
Development of Self
imitation
play stage - significant other
game stage - generalized other
Meadian “Self”
I - active
me - passive
Me
passive
part of self-created through socialization
predictability and conformity come from the “me”
I
active
part of self that is spontaneous, unpredictable, & creative
acts in extreme situations of rage to excitement
Agents of socialization
people/ groups that affect our perceptions of ourselves, our attitudes behaviors and orientations
ex. family, school, peer group, consumed media
Laraeu - Class
social class and parenting styles
working class vs. upper class
working class parents
tend to stress obedience and deference in child rearing and think children naturally develop
upper class parents
tend to strengthen interpersonal skills in child rearing and children need guidance
concerted cultivation
method of parenting in which children’s talents are nurtured through organized leisure activities and the usage of reasoning rather than directives
accomplishment of Natural Growth
children do not participate in structured activities as much, parents have less time to impress values on children’s that will give an advantage, parents offer directives
Bourdieu and Capital
Economic
Social
Symbolic
Cultural
Cultural capital
interpersonal skills and habits that can be used to gain an advantage in society
economic capital
money or material objects used to produce goods and services
social capital
positions and relations in social networks to obtain other forms of capital
symbolic capital
the ability to justify other forms of capital
life course
a sequence of socillay defined roles that an individual enacts over the course of their lifetime
childhood –> Adolescence –> Adulthood –> old age
emerging adulthood
new phase in the life course
middle ground between adolescence and adulthood to capture the more complex path to adulthood many contemporary young persons are experiencing
Arnett
identity exploration
instability
self-focus
feeling in between
age of possibilities
