Test 1 Flashcards
Social solidarity
- the degree to which group members share beliefs and values
- intensity and frequency of their interaction
egoistic/anomic suicide
suicide due to a lack of social ties/weak social solidarity
altruistic suicide
ex: soldiers sacrificing themselves to save their comrades/strong social solidarity
social structures
relatively stable patterns of social relations
microstructures
patterns of relatively intimate social relations formed during F2F interaction. Families, close friends, and work groups
macrostructures
patterns of social relations above a person’s circle of intimates/acquaintances. Classes, patriarchy, and bureaucracies
global structures
patterns of social relations above the national level. International organizations, economic relations b/w countries, etc.
social Darwinism
the idea that societies advance in the same way as biological systems (natural selection)
theories
tentative explanations of some aspect of social life; state how and why certain facts are related; help to broaden knowledge of social problems
research
systematically observing social reality, often to test a theory/assess its validity
values
ideas of what’s good/bad, right/wrong
class conflict
center of conflict theory; struggle b/w classes to resist and overcome the opposition of other classes
cultural hegemony
control of a culture by ruling classes to the point where their values are universally accepted by everyone as common sense
poststructuralism
denies stability of social structures, always shaping how people think and act, and categorizing social and cultural elements as opposites (male/female, black/white, etc.)
Protestant ethic
belief that religious doubts can be reduced and a state of grace ensured if people work hard and live simple.
symbolic interactionism
- people see themseleves as they are reflected in the eyes of others
- new interactions can result in people revising their self-conceptions
postindustrial revolution
the shift from employment in factories to employment in offices and the consequences to humans
globalization
process of formerly separate economies, states and cultures becoming interconnected and people becoming more aware of their increasing interdependence
social environment
real or imagined other people to whom the person is connected
ascribed status
social position imposed to someone at birth; about a characteristic that is pretty much impossible to change
achieved status
social position that someone acquires through their efforts/choices
master status
social position someone considers central to their identity
3 functions of mass media
coordination, socialization, social control and entertainment
concrete experience
obtained through the 5 senses but is menaingless by itseld
abstract experience
imaginary world in our mind that allows us to find meaning in things
concepts
live in the abstract mind; how we make sense of the world
propositions
statements that express the relationships b/w 2(+) concepts
casual observation
regular human everyday observation done without much thought. pretty careless
what are the 3 ways of knowing?
casual observation, relying on tradition, and relying on authority
3 common errors in inquiry
overgeneralization, selective observation and illogical reasoning
overgeneralization
when we treat exceptions as the rule
selective observation
unconsciously ignoring evidence that challenges our beliefs and cherry-pick evidence that confirms them
illogical reasoning
ignoring the fact that sometimes things happen by chance
