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Sociology > The Sociological Approach > Flashcards

The Sociological Approach Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is sociology?

A
  • Sociology is the study of society and sociologists investigate and explain the social world and our behaviour in it
  • Sociologists try to understand not only the ways society influences us in our daily lives but also how people shape society
  • They do this by carrying out research studies and developing theories about the relationship between the individual and society
  • The findings from research studies feeds into government policies (such as education) with the aim of making a difference to our lives
  • Sociologists are interested in how factors like gender, ethnicity, and social class affect our decisions about things such as marriage, criminal activity, and careers
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2
Q

What are social structures?

A

Sociologists examine society’s social structures, which are the different parts that make up society

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3
Q

What are some examples of social structures?

A
  • families
  • the education system
  • the criminal justice system
  • the social stratification system
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4
Q

What relationships are sociologists interested in understanding?

A

Sociologists are interested in understanding the relationships between the different structures or parts of society, such as the relationship between young people’s family background and their involvement in crime

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5
Q

What are 3 social processes that interest sociologists?

A

Social processes like socialisation, social control and labelling are also of interest to sociologists

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6
Q

What is socialisation?

A

Socialisation is the process through which we learn the way of life of the society in which we are born

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7
Q

How do sociologists investigate how socialisation works?

A

They concentrate on:
- how we learn the culture
- who is involved in this learning
- what role social structures like families and schools play in the process

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8
Q

What questions do sociologists ask in order for them to understand how social control works?

A
  • Who exercises control?
  • How is control exercised?
  • Who benefits from social control?
  • How do individuals or groups resist social control?
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9
Q

What can sociologists learn about investigating social processes?

A

By studying social processes, sociologists can understand more about the workings of society

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10
Q

What are social issues?

A
  • Social issues are those that affect communities, groups and people’s lives
  • Social issues are often social problems that are damaging to society and need to be tackled through social policies
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11
Q

What are examples of social issues?

A
  • the quality of parenting
  • care of the elderly
  • violent crime and poverty
  • labelling in schools
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12
Q

What are examples of social issues are often social problems that are damaging to society and need to be tackled through social policies?

A
  • racism
  • sexism
  • ageism
  • poverty
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13
Q

What are some key concepts that sociologists draw upon?

A
  • culture
  • values
  • norms
  • socialisation
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14
Q

What is culture

A

Culture refers to the whole way of life of a particular society and includes the values, norms, customs, beliefs, knowledge, skills and language of the society

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15
Q

How does culture vary?

A

Culture varies around the world according to the place and time period

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16
Q

What is one way in which culture varies?

A

One way in which culture varies is in terms of clothing

E.g. brides in India and China wear red, while in the US and the UK brides wear white

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17
Q

What are values?

A
  • Values are ideas and beliefs about what is desirable and worthwhile pursuing
  • They give us general rules to follow
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18
Q

What are examples of values?

A
  • having respect for human life
  • getting top examination grades
  • honesty and loyalty
  • having compassion and empathy
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19
Q

Why don’t all societies share the same values?

A

Due to cross-cultural differences

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20
Q

What is an example of a cross-cultural difference?

A

Wealth and material belongings are regarded as valuable and worthwhile goals in Western societies

E.g. instead of inheriting their deceased relatives’ property, the Apache people of North America gave it away

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21
Q

What are norms and one example?

A
  • Norms provide guidelines in appropriate and expected behaviour in specific social settings such as classrooms, libraries, shops, and cinemas
  • Norms and sanctions change with time and place, just like culture and values do

E.g. people are usually expected to be quiet in a library or in a cinema whilst watching a film

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22
Q

What do norms do?

A

Since there are typically sanctions (rewards and punishments) in place, norms give society order and enable it to run smoothly

e.g.
- People are rewarded for conforming to the norms (positive sanctions)
- Those who deviate from norms are punished (negative sanctions)

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23
Q

What is socialisation?

A
  • Socialisation is the process by which people learn the culture, values and norms of society
  • There are two types of socialisation
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23
Q

What are the two types of socialisation?

A
  • primary socialisation
  • secondary socialisation
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24
Q

What is primary socialisation?

A

Early childhood learning occurs when infants and babies interact with others to acquire the language, behaviour, and skills they will need later in life.

25
Q

What are the agencies of primary socialisation?

A

In most cases, families and parents.

26
Q

What is secondary socialisation?

A

Later childhood learning, which lasts into adulthood, teaches people the norms and values of society.

27
Q

What are the agencies of secondary socialisation?

A

Numerous institutions or groups, including peer groups, the mass media, the workplace, the education system, and religion.

28
Q

How is culture, norms and values acquired from peer groups?

A

Peer groups may pressure members to conform to group norms and values in settings like schools or workplaces. Those who don’t conform risk being rejected.

29
Q

How is culture, norms and values acquired from schools?

A

Students are expected to conform to rules and regulations regarding punctuality and dress.

30
Q

How is culture, norms and values acquired from workplace?

A

Employees learn the rules regarding punctuality, dress and meetings. They may also pick up tips from colleagues.

31
Q

How is culture, norms and values acquired from religion?

A

Followers are expected to put the guidelines into practice, such as the Ten Commandments. It is argued that religion has less of a role in socialisation today due to secularisation.

32
Q

How is culture, norms and values acquired from mass media?

A

The media provides messages about gender roles in advertising, for example, contributing to gender role socialisation.

33
Q

How did Karl Marx contribute to the development of sociology?

A
  • Marx’s ideas inspired the theoretical perspective Marxism or the Marxist approach, which has led to an abundance of research on social class
  • Marx wrote during the early stages of capitalism as he wanted to understand the changes taking place in society at the time
  • He was born in Germany but moved to England in 1849 and focused on capitalism in Britain
  • Many of Marx’s ideas have been adapted to fit modern society
34
Q

What are the key ideas of Karl Marx?

A
  • Marx argued that in order to understand the evolution of societies, one must look at how individuals create the items needed for survival
  • The way people create the resources required to survive is referred to as the mode of production, of which there are two aspects:
  • The means of production are the raw materials or machinery that people use in production, such as big businesses, factories and land
  • The social relations of production are the relationships between people as they engage in production.

Under capitalism, there are two social classes:

  • the bourgeoisie
  • the proletariat
35
Q

What are the bourgeoisie?

A

The bourgeoisie are the minority ruling class who own the means of production and private property

36
Q

What are the proletariat?

A

The proletariat is the majority working class who own nothing but their ability to work as wage labourers

37
Q

What are other classes under capitalism (other than proletariat/bourgeoisie)?

A
  • the petty bourgeoisie who own small businesses
  • the lumpenproletariat who are the criminals, vagrants, and the unemployed who sometimes sell their services to the bourgeoisie
38
Q

What is exploitation?

A

Exploitation is the foundation of the relationship between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat because the former maximise their profits while paying the latter low wages

39
Q

What does Marx believe causes class conflict?

A

While the bourgeoisie is interested in turning a profit, the proletariat is interested in putting an end to their exploitation, and so class conflict results

40
Q

What does Marx believe about class change?

A
  • Marx argued that the class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie was the key to social change
  • Proletariat members would eventually perceive themselves as a social class with shared interests and act to overthrow the capitalist class
  • A social revolution and a shift to communism would result from this, where the means of production would be owned collectively under communism
  • As a result, a society without classes would exist, free from exploitation and private ownership
41
Q

What are criticisms of Marx?

A
  • Although Marx believed that economic division was the foundation of social class, critics like Weber argue that status differences between groups also play a role
  • Marx ignored the divisions in society based on gender and ethnicity
  • According to critics, Marx’s theories are out of date because capitalist societies like Britain have not undergone a revolution
42
Q

How did Emile Durkheim contribute to the development of sociology?

A
  • Durkheim played a significant role in the development of the functionalist perspective in sociology
  • This approach was popular among North American sociologists in the mid-20th century
  • Durkheim made a significant contribution to sociologists’ understanding of the functions of crime, education and religion
43
Q

What are the key ideas of Emile Durkheim?

A
  • Functionalism focuses on the positive rather than negative functions that the different structures perform in society
  • The approach explains social institutions (such as families, the education system, and the criminal justice system) in terms of the functions or jobs they perform to help society run smoothly
  • The various institutions meet society’s needs by carrying out functions that guarantee its survival
  • In the same way, different organs in the human body carry out specific functions to ensure the whole body survives
44
Q

What does Durkheim study?

A

Durkheim studied crime, religion and education by focusing on the functions they fulfil in meeting the needs of society

  • For instance, he claimed that punishing offenders is a crucial function in fostering unity among people since it upholds the values and beliefs that the majority of society holds
  • Crime can promote social cohesion by bringing people together in this way
45
Q

What are criticisms of the functionalist approach?

A
  • Critics argue that functionalism overlooks the dysfunctional aspects of things such as crime, religion and the family, as they don’t always perform positive functions for society

(For example, domestic abuse in families can have devastating effects on individual victims, their friends and families)

  • Some sociologists argue that functionalist theories are outdated

(For example, it fails to consider individual differences within society)

  • Interactionist theorists argue that individuals shape society rather than the other way around
46
Q

How did Max Weber contribute to the development of sociology?

A
  • Weber made a major contribution to a range of sociological topics such as social class, status and power - these are aspects of social stratification
  • Like Marx, Weber was interested in issues such as the development of capitalism and social class
  • Weber recognised that small-scale interactions and social structures influenced human behaviour, which informed the development of social action theory
  • Although Weber is considered the founder of interactionism, he never identified as an interactionist
47
Q

What are the key ideas of Max Weber?

A
  • Social class
  • Status
  • Power
47
Q

What does Max Weber say about social class?

A
  • Weber, like Marx, saw social class as the key division in society and defined it in terms of economic factors
  • Weber agreed with Marx that ownership and non-ownership of property are the most important basis of class divisions
  • However, class divisions aren’t just based on economic factors but also skills and qualifications, which affect the jobs that people get

For example, people with high-level qualifications and specialised skills are in a stronger position in the labour market than those without

48
Q

What does Max Weber say about status?

A
  • Status refers to how much prestige or social standing a group has

For example, judges and surgeons are considered to have high status

  • According to Weber, status and income are not always related because some groups have low status but high incomes, and vice versa

For example, people who sell used cars may have high incomes but low status

49
Q

What does Max Weber say about power?

A
  • Weber argued that an individual or group exercises power when they can get what they want, despite opposition from other individuals or groups
  • People have power when they can influence others to act in a certain way
  • People considered to have power in society include politicians, police officers, judges and religious leaders
50
Q

What are criticisms of Weber?

A

Like Marx, Weber ignored the divisions in society based on gender and ethnicity, as he only focused on class divisions

51
Q

What are overall debates within sociology?

A
  • Sociologists disagree with how they perceive the social world, which is why there are different theoretical perspectives or approaches (such as functionalism, Marxism and feminism)
  • These viewpoints differ in whether they believe that society is founded on conflict (disagreement and disharmony) or consensus (agreement and harmony)
  1. The consensus approach sees society in positive terms
  2. The conflict approach is critical of the way society is organised
52
Q

What is the consensus approach?

A

Collaboration between individuals and groups working towards a common objective is essential to maintaining order and stability in society.

53
Q

Which sociological perspectives are consensus approach?

A

Functionalist sociologists see society as based on value consensus, which is where people agree with society’s norms and values. This consensus arises from the socialisation process during which people learn society’s norms and values.

54
Q

How is social order maintained in consensus approach?

A

Functionalism argues that social order is maintained over time because most people support and follow the rules.

55
Q

What is the conflict approach?

A

The way society is structured gives power to some groups over others.

56
Q

Which sociological perspectives are conflict approach?

A

Marxism and feminism are examples of conflict theories that see society as based on conflicting interests between groups rather than on consensus

The Marxist perspective sees capitalist societies as based on conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariat.

57
Q

How is social order maintained in conflict approach?

A

Social order is maintained because the bourgeoisie have the power to enforce order by influencing which laws are passed.

58
Q

What is the feminist perspective?

A
  • Feminist perspectives explore gender inequality, sexism and discrimination in society
  • As a conflict theory, feminists see society as based on conflicting interests between genders
  • Some feminist approaches see society as patriarchal, as men have power over and dominate women
  • These approaches explore how patriarchy is embedded within social structures such as families, education and the criminal justice system
  • They view domestic violence and men’s control over decision-making as examples of how male dominance underpins family life
59
Q

What is Interactionism?

A
  • Interactionist sociologists focus on small-scale interactions between individuals and groups rather than on the large-scale workings of society

E.g., studying the interaction between students and teachers in the classroom and the impact of labelling

  • Interactionists seek to understand the meanings that people give to actions and situations, usually by using qualitative research methods
  • They are not interested in developing theories about society but instead believe the many daily interactions between individuals shape general society

Sociology (5 decks)

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