Understanding the Sociological Imagination Flashcards
Sociological Perspective
a view of society based on the dynamic relationships between individuals and the larger social network in which we live
Personal troubles
personal challenges that require individual solutions
Social issues
caused by larger social factors that require collective solutions
Agency
when individuals have the ability to act independently and to make their own free choices
Structure
the network of stable opportunities and constraints influencing individual behaviors; shapes agency
“Seeing the general in particular”
the ability to look at seemingly unique events/circumstances (particular) and then recognize the larger (general) features involved
“Seeing the strange in the familiar”
what is “normal” and see it as
peculiar, unique or abnormal; why do we
do the things we do?
Sociological Imagination
the ability to understand the dynamic relationship between individual lives and society; involves looking at yourself in a new perspective
Ascribed status
advantages and disadvantages assigned at birth
Achieved status
attributes developed throughout life as a result of effort and skill
Society
people who interact in a defined territory & share a
culture with unique social institutions
Culture
a collection of values, beliefs, ideas, objects, and behaviors shared by a group passed in from generation to next
Social groups
comprise one or more networks who identify with one another and adhere to defined statuses, roles, and norms
institution
a standardized way of
doing something
Formal organizations
a type of secondary group designed to
achieve certain objectives
