The BPS Model, Society, and Culture Flashcards
What is social constructionism?
Theory that defines reality as shared belief among peopl rather than discovering a reality that is inherently valid. How much of it is defined by the people depends on the degree which can vary.
What is a symbolic interactionism?
Reality is created by people through social interactions. This can happen between individuals on a much smaller setting. A person can actively change the meaning through the interaction.
What is functionalism
On what level does it explain society?
How does it define an individual’s contribution?
What is a disadvantage of this theory?
Explains the phenomenon on a macroscopic scale and the large scale forces that can affect people’s lives.
Theory that explains that society works together to maintain stability. Everyone has a function or role in society that makes the society function efficiently. So the actions of individuals are determined by how much they contribute to “stability” (their functions toward achieving stability)
Doesn’t explain large changes
What is conflict theory?
What does it attribute change to?
What is the disadvantage of conflict theory?
What is it suitable in explaining?
Explains the phenomenon on a macroscopic scale and the large scale forces that can affect people’s lives
Survival of the fittest – groups competing for their self-interest (social disruption)
Change due to forces of inequality
Takes out motivation and personal choices (agreement, collaboration)
Suited to explain how changes occur over time
What is Culture
shared set of beliefs and lifestyle
People who grew up in the same culture have the same values, learned behaviors, and approaches to life.
What is society?
o A group of people who share culture
o Encompass many cultures (ex. US)
What is a Social Norm
o expectations that govern what is socially acceptable to a group
What is a Social group
o a group of people that continues to interact with each other
o Group with shared experiences that create group identity
o Members of certain SES – part of community, make them feel connected
o Doesn’t mean they interact
What is a Symbolic Culture
How is symbolic culture reinforced?
What is a good example?
Meanings ascribed to objects, gestures, rituals that has meaning only in the mind.
Ex. Hand shake, $, %, & etc, thumbs up
Reinforced by symbolic interaction – how people assign meaning of this to themselves affect their behavior
LANGUAGE
What are social institutions?
An organizing agent of society that has a hierarchy system.
EX. Government, education, religion, family, health and medicine
Demographics
Do they capture the change in society?
Statistics used to examine the nature of a specific population by quantifying subsets of that population.
Age, gender, nationality, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, SES, immigration status, education level
Demographis is a snapshot of a particular moment in time so they do not capture the ever-changing nature of society.
What is a social movement?
A group of people who share an ideology and work together toward a specified set of goals.
What is urbanization?
Increase in the proportion of people who live in specific urban areas
What is globalization?
Increasing interaction and integration on the international scale through exchange of products, services, ideas, and information.
What is Spatial inequality
Unequal access within population or geographical distribution
Lack of environmental justice
Unequal treatment of social groups with regard to prevention from environmental and health hazards
Ex. Proper sewage treatment in poor areas
People not given the same treatment in the face of environmental hazards or natural disasters
