Test 1 (Ch. 1 + 2) Flashcards
social structure
arrangement of relationships and institutions that form society
social problem
agreement that condition threatens quality of life and values and that something should be done to remedy condition
social institution
structure of statuses and roles devoted to meeting needs of people in society
functionalist perspective
-a.k.a. structural functionalism, Emile Durkheim
How does functionalism see society?
a vast organism whose parts are interrelated
How does functionalism view social issues?
caused by changes in norms and systems not adapting
How does functionalism attain balance?
systems work together
conflict perspective
-owes development to Karl Marx, who developed modern socialism
–attempted to prove social issues like employment, poverty, crime, corruption, and warfare aren’t the fault of individuals or poor organizations
-those in power make systems that benefit them, sees conflict due to inequality between the “haves” and “have nots”
How does conflict perspective see society?
systems as structured around power differentials
How does the conflict perspective attain balance?
social movement
symbolic interactionist perspective
-Thomas
–situations people see as real are real in their consequences
-Cooley and Mead
–through our values and behavior, we participate in groups of people like us (peer groups) where we draw our identity and may differ from family
-social construction (some claims of social issues become dominant discourse, while others get less attention)
How does the symbolic interactionist perspective see society?
based on how people view symbols and interaction on a micro lvl.
How does the symbolic interactionist perspective view social issues?
occur when issue or behavior is seen as deviant, regarding dominant values
How does the symbolic interactionist perspective attain balance?
resocializing deviants and changing social norms
How does social construction theory relate to defining causes of social issues?
powerful people and institutions have a stake in deciding what social issues are, how they come about and what to do
natural history approach
idea that social issues develop in a series of stages
4 stages issues go through when being defined as social problems?
1) problem definition
2) legitimacy
3) reemergence of demands
4) rejection and institution building
problem definition
groups attempt to get acknowledgment by a wider population that a condition is offensive, harmful or desirable
-they publish claims and attempt to turn matter into political issue
legitimacy
when groups are seen as credible by official organizations, agencies or institutions, there may be investigations, proposals and creation of new agencies to respond to claims
reemergence of demands
original groups aren’t satisfied with steps taken by official agencies
-they demand stronger measures, more funding, speedier handling
-renew appeals to public
rejection and institution building
complainant groups decide that official responses to demands are inadequate
-develop own organizations to press claims and enact reform
conservative politcal perspective
limited government, free markets, individual liberty, personal responsibility, and strong national defense
-government’s role to give people freedom to pursue goals to solve social issues
-limit involvement of government in solutions, believe private firms governed by need to compete and make profits are best type of organization for coping with issues
liberal political perspective
government has responsibility to address social issues
-government action needed to attain equal opportunity, protect civil liberties and rights
-cautious of market’s dominance and believe its unfair and exploitive to groups
-free market needs to be regulated to protect consumers, employees, and environment
-don’t abdicate personal responsibility
4 themes of the text?
1) empirical approach
2) linking individual experiences with social structure
3) social inequality contributes to social issues
4) understanding social issues requires a comparative perspective
empirical approach
answers questions through data collection and analysis
goals of empirical research
-describe phenomenon
-examine factors that predict or associated with phenomenon
-explain cause-and-effect relationships or give insight on why events do or don’t occur
-understand meanings attached to behavior or situations
quantitative methods
research strategy in which data can be measured numerically
-examples in surveys, experiments, analyses in government statistics or percentages
qualitative methods
research strategy focusing on narrative description with words over numbers to analyze patterns and their meanings
-examples are interviews, focus groups, observational studies, and documents
social policy
formal procedures made to remedy a social issue
-can be made by government officials at local, state or federal level or private citizens in voluntary associations, corporations, or nonprofit foundations
healthcare as a global issue
affluent regions have issues of unequal access to healthcare while controlling costs
impoverished regions have issues of lacking healthcare, spread of disease, high rate of infant and maternal death, low life expectancy, scarcity of medical personnel and equipment, and inadequate sewage and water systems
–malnutrition, decline in breastfeeding, poor maternal health and prenatal care
Poor health in U.S. is due to?
1) inequality
2) lifestyle problems
-fattening, nonnutritious foods, lack of exercise -> obesity, heart disease
-pollution and smoking -> respiratory disease and cancer
-alcohol, advertisements
healthcare as a U.S. problem
-poverty and inequality (race, ethnicity, class) -> lack of health insurance and medical care
-social class influences access to medical care, technology
-efforts to change healthcare system, to make it less costly, more efficient or humane must deal with power of insurance companies, doctors, and other health care providers
-uninsured postpone seeking healthcare, private practice and specializations
-insurance company policies, fee for service system, lack of government funding
-physician shortage, malpractice, aging population
medical sociology
specializes in research on health care system and its impact on the public, especially healthcare access
Medicaid
federal-state health care program for certain categories of low-income people
Health challenges impacting racial and ethnic minorities?
Blacks suffer from almost every illness vs. whites
–less likely to be immunized -> higher death rates from disease
–heart disease -> less likely to get advanced heart treatment
-Native Amer. and blacks are more likely to rate health as fair or poor
-asthma, breast-cancer, HIV, nursing home care
–less likely to have sensory and communication aids (glasses, hearing aids)
Major ethical issues regarding healthcare in the U.S.?
cost and availability of transplants and life prolonging equipment
-if death occurs when heart stops beating or when brain stops functioning, right to die
euthanasia
painless killing of patient suffering from terminal illness or irreversible coma
advance directive
written statement that explains patient’s wishes for medical care should they be unable to communicate to the physician
Affordable Care Act (ACA)
legislation made by Obama passed in 2010 that’s the first overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system since Medicare and Medicaid in 1965
-families previously denied coverage became eligible for health care
-children up to 26 yrs. can stay on parents’ health insurance plan
-small businesses can afford health insurance for employees
Characteristics of uninsured?
-families where one or both parents are employed full time
-family member who’s employed part time, employers don’t give insurance for worker or dependents
-costs too much for family to purchase insurance privately
-unemployed, poor or slightly above poverty line or four times poverty lvl.
-non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics
Major demographic factor influencing healthcare?
aging
-living longer than past generations and need costly medical services as they encounter chronic illnesses of old age
Factors causing high healthcare costs
hospital expanses, specialization, technology, prescription, malpractice
-declining personal income due to wage competition, dwindling government resources at state and federal lvls.,
-new drugs and procedures, profit motive in providing health care
-difficulty of persuading people to change risky behaviors
How does sociological perspectives explain what causes health and healthcare issues in U.S.?
functionalist
–social institutions point out how social institutions like hospitals should function, why they don’t function effectively, and how they can be improved
conflict
–insight in influence of inequalities for wealth, education, and power on access and quality of health care
interactionist
–points to way differences in people’s perception of social conditions influence behavior to others
