Theories- Sociological Theories Flashcards
What is the Marxist perspective on social institutions?
Marx believed that the social institutions fool the working class into thinking that they are getting a fair deal and that their status position is natural and therefore unchangeable.
What is ‘False Class Consciousness’?
The ruling class are seen to be acting for the benefit of society and the working class accept and share this view, due to the influence that the Superstructure (which includes institutions like religion, education and family) has on the public.
Marx refers to this as the false class consciousness as they are totally unaware of the exploitation that they are facing.
What are Althusser’s views?
Althusser takes a structural view to society and is therefore similar to Marx.
However, he also criticises Marx for his economic deterministic beliefs and comes up with his own explanations of how the ruling class control the working classes.
He argues that society is based on three interlocking systems that drive capitalism forward.
Explain Althusser’s Interlocking Systems.
Economic system:
Produce all material goods.
Political system:
Organises society, passes laws and provides leadership.
Ideological system:
Provides all the ideas and belief systems that are followed by the population.
What are Gramsci’s views?
Gramsci is often referred to as a ‘Humanistic Marxist’ because he believed the proletariat can influence social change through developing their own ‘hegemony’ rather than waiting for economic changes that Marx referred to.
He suggested that the proletariat would construct a ‘counter-hegemony’ to provide people with an alternative way of life to the capitalist state.
Explain ‘Capitalism Alternatives’.
Within this framework would emerge working class intellectuals; a group of well-educated working class individuals who could show the proletariat an alternative to capitalism.
In short, the only way to influence a revolution is by winning the hearts and minds of the proletariat and give them something to believe in.
Explain Liberal Feminists.
Liberal feminists are the most optimistic and progressive with regards to their outlook in the quest for equality.
They don’t blame men for inequality however they do believe that gender inequality does still exist although we are moving towards a more egalitarian society.
What is ‘Gender Role Socialisation’?
This is the process in which we learn the core elements of our gender.
This occurs in the family where we are taught to be either male or female due to the way in which our parents raise us.
Gender stereotypes are maintained and reproduced through generations which lead boys to believe they are dominant over women.
Explain the Liberal Feminist view on social policy.
Liberal feminists suggest that although some progress has been made through legislation, there are still some laws that discriminate against women such as being expected to take maternity leave as this can have an impact on their career prospects.
What are Marxist Feminists?
Marxist feminists are inspired by the work of traditional Marxists however they would criticise Marx for overlooking the exploitation of women in capitalism. They specifically focus on the way in which women are exploited within the family unit and therefore benefit capitalism.
What is the Marxist Feminist view on status?
They believe that due to the nature of capitalism, the only way in which status can be gained is to generate wealth through paid employment.
The problem for many women is that much of their days are dominated by unpaid domestic labour that provides them with no status.
What are Radical Feminists?
Their key focus is on ‘patriarchy’ which means ‘rule by fathers’ but has become the term commonly used to describe a male dominated society.
Explain the Radical Feminist’s view on female oppression?
They believe that all societies are patriarchal and therefore all men oppress women through ‘sexual politics’.
Men are the main enemy of all women and therefore patriarchy is the main form of social inequality according to radical feminists.
Explain the Radical Feminist’s view on sexuality.
Along with these beliefs, radical feminists discuss the nature of sexuality which is a central theme of their theory.
Rich argues that men push women into ‘compulsory heterosexuality’ which she believes is narrow and unsatisfying to women but beneficial to men as it fulfils only their desires.
What are Max Weber’s 4 ideal categories of human actions?
- Instrumentally Rational Action
- Value Rational Action
- Traditional Action
- Affective Action
