Theory and methods studies only Flashcards
Who are the key thinkers for functionalism ?
Durkeim
Parsons
Merton
What does Durkheim say about why functionalism is needed to explain society ?
He used the organic analogy to explain why a structural apporoach was needed as society is made up of social facts he also argues that without this structure we would lose our shared norms and values leading to anomie
What does Parsons say to try and explain society ?
He also uses the organic analogy but instead argues society is a system made up of structrural prerequisites (needs that must be met for society to be functional)
How does functionalist Merton differ from the other key thinkers ?
He says that there can be faults in the system which other functionalists do not, he acknowledges there can be faults in the system which can cause harm
How is Murray’s new right a strain of functionalism ?
The new right follows key functionalist ideals but applies them to modern politics, they focus on the impactof people not fulfilling their functions and label this dependent group the underclass
How are Shrildrick and MacDonald a criticism of the new right ?
They conducted a study to look at the cultural dependency however they could not find a family in the most deprived area that had 3 generations of dependency on the welfare state
What does marx argue about the structure of society ?
That there are three ways in which the bourgeoise have power:economic, political and ideological
What does Marx argue about the exploitation and structure in society ?
He argues a structural approach where the w/c are exploited by the u/c and this maintains capitalism. The w/c are unaware and therefore have a false class consciousness
How is Willis an example of how marxism has influenced later theories and methodology?
He used a neo-marxist interactionoist approach to looking at differences in acheivement in w/c boys
How is Gramski seen as a key neo-marxist thinker ?
He argues the idea of hegemony, explaining how te bourgeoise maintain their position in society
How do Westergaard and Resler support the marxist view of society ?
They argue there are still a few identifiable individuals who own the majority of institutions in society
How does Weber criticise the marxist view of society ?
He says the marxist structure is outdated and that the class system now has 7 different classes and thsi is not explainable by the simple marxist view, he argues life chances are more important than social class in todays society
How does Dahrendorf criticise the marxist view of society ?
It is no longer possible to identify the owners of production
What does feminist Millet argue about the radical feminist view ?
That the only solution to the patriarchy is for women to form a womens only culture where they live in female only households and have their own media education etc, free from men
How is the Yorkshire ripper an example of the oppression of women ?
Women were put under curfew where they could not utilise their free will
What did balck feminist Yuval-Davis argue about difference feminism ?
Radical feminists ignore the oppression of black women and this is argued to be ethnocentric feminism
How is Heindensohn supporting evidence for the feminist perspective ?
She argues that there is element of control over women which means that there is a reduction in the number of crimes theynh6jm7u can commit when compaerd to men, thereofre the patriarchy influences crime rates
How does Sharpe act as support for the feminist perspective ?
She found that girls had a shift in their aspirations between the 70s and the 90s from being a housewife to having a career
How does Jackson act as support for the feminist perspective ?
She studied the impact of ladette culture on girls achievement at GCSE
What does Miles argue about feminist methodology ?
That feminist research can never be value free, and research cannot be conducted by men so that male dominance does not impact the results, research cannot be detached and the aim has to be to make the women aware of their oppression
How does Mead support symbolic interactionism ?
We attach meanings to symbols and this is how we communicate, Mead acknowledges that the meaning of symbols can change over time and between different groups
What does Mead argue the difference between the I and the me ?
The I is the private self where a person can express their true feelings and emotions where the me is the public self where they are influenced by shared norms and values
What analogy does Goffman use to support the symbolic interactionist approach ?
The dramatic ideology
What is Goffmans idea about the dramaturgical analogy ?
He argues we are all social actions, this means that there is a difference between how we act in society and in the home, he argues that our appearance and that we have creative freedom inthe way we display ourselves
How does Becker support symbolic interactionism ?
He studied labelling in education and argued that there were stages to labelling which could lead to a self fulfilling prophecy
How does Gillborne support symbolic interactionism ?
He applied Beckers theory of labelling onto ethnic minoritites in education and how they are more likely to become a self-fulfilling prophecy
How does CIrcorel support symbolic interactionism ?
He studied labelling in crime and the impact of labelling involed in stop and search
How does Atkinson support symbolic interactionism ?
Atkinson criticises Durkeims approach to suicide, and argues that official statistics are not social facts and are instead socially constructed, this means that although he argues that his research is scientific it is not
How does Giddens show that there can be a combination between structural and social action approaches ?
He argues that these are the two sides of a different coin and this relationship can be called structraction
How does Willis support the social action approach ?
He applies the qualitative methods of interactionism to the marxist approach to the differences in social class attainment
How does Gidddens criticise postmodern methodology ?
He argues that if we see this approach as accurate then our attempt to study society is pointless
How is Durkeim an example of positivist methods ?
He used quantitative data (official statistics) to conduct his research to find cause and effect for suicide
How are Howard and Harker support for positivist methods ?
They used offcial and non official statistics when trying to find how social class can impact attainment at GCSE
