Theorists Flashcards
Auguste Comte
Coined the term Sociology and its practice. Wanted to begin systematic study of society and social behaviors to improve society. Motivated by instability of the French Revolution.
Harriet Martineau
- Translated Comte’s work, allowing him to be known.
- Wrote first book on sociological methods.
- Wrote insightful observations between social customs of US and Britain.
- Advocated not just study of social problems, but also activism to change them.
Herbert Spencer
- Did not feel compelled to correct society, but only to understand it.
- Applied concept of evolution to societies, in order to see how they change over time.
- Thought society would change on its own eventually, so activism wasn’t required (very popular with elites, then)
Émile Durkheim
- Appointed to be one of the first professors of sociology in France.
- Behavior must be understood within a larger social context, not just in individualistic terms.
- Concluded that division of labor at work led to Anomie in society. So, advocated for creation of new social group (mediators between family and state) that would provide a sense of belonging for people in huge, impersonal societies.
- Contributed in many areas of sociology. (Suicide, religion, workplace)
- Mechanical and organic solidarity
Max Weber
- Verstehen (Insight)
- Ideal Type
- Protestant Work Ethic in Capitalism
Karl Marx
Emphasized that group identifications and associations (age, gender, race, class, etc) influence an individual’s place in society.
W.E.B. DuBois
- Conducted groundbreaking studies in Philadelphia and ATL on life of blacks.
- Founded the NAACP
- Double Consciousness
Charles Horton Cooley
- Interactionist
- Preferred to study groups of relatively small size, such as families, gangs, and friendship networks.
- Looking-glass self- Formation of self through evaluating how others see us.
Friedrich Engels
Together with Karl Marx, prepared the Communist Manifesto and pushed for the proletariat to overthrow the owner class.
Jane Addams
Together with Ida Wells-Barnett, successfully prevented segregation in the Chicago public school system.
Robert Merton
Produced theory most frequently cited for explanation of deviant behavior. When people have no conventional access to advancement, they turn to crime. Called “Innovators” in his theory.
Emphasized combing macro sociology and micro sociology.
Pierre Bourdieu
- Wrote about how capital in its many forms sustains individuals and families from one generation to the next.
- Cultural capital (non-economic goods valued by the elite)
- Social Capital (collective benefit of social networks)
William Domhoff
Made model saying that the elite that rule the US is made up of an intersection of:
1. Social upper class
2. Corporate Community
3. Policy-Planning Network
Erving Goffman
- Interactionist
- dramaturgical approach
- face-work
- impression management
George Herbert Mead
- Interactionist
- 3 Stages of the Self
- Theory of the Self