What is sociology? Flashcards
What is secularization?
In sociology, secularization (or secularisation)[1] is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions.
What happens if we do not fulfill the role expectation?
One must orient oneself to the expectations of others. Those who do not do so usually have to fear sanctions.
What is the subject matter of sociology?
These three major subject areas of sociology -
social action,
social order,
social change
What are the 3 perspectives from which the subject matter of sociology can be approached?
- from below from the perspective of individual-related social relations,
- from above from the perspective of systems and structures of society as a whole,
- or from the center of the observable social interrelationships.
What is the difference in scale/level of social context to be considered? (Alternative: what are the 3 levels of sociological analysis?)
- Micro level (Social behavior, interaction, etc.)
The level at which individuals operate e.g. pupils - Meso level (norms, roles, organizations, institutions, etc.)
Social contexts at the intermediate level. e.g. schools, families, neighborhoods, organizations - Macro level (social order, change of social order, social system)
social contexts that are broader than Meso-level units. E.g. nations, groups of nations, continents.
What is social inter-role conflict? Give an example of social inter-role conflict.
Inter-role conflict: Conflicting expectations due to multiple social roles
e.g. An average middle-class man
- at home husband and father;
- and in public life
+ teacher at school
+ member of a social club
+ assistant in his wife´s business
–> he is expected to spend time on each social role. He might spend overtime working as a teacher. Thus he has less time to take care of his kids or wife. This raises a conflict in time spent on different roles for the man.
What is social intra-role conflict? Give an example of social intra-role conflict.
Intra-role conflict: Within a role [there are] self-contradictory and conflicting role expectations of different people or social groups.
E.g. a saleswoman has to fulfill expectations from customers e.g. recommend a product that suits customers´ needs. She also has to fulfill expectations from her employer e.g. sell more products. A conflict may rise if the expectations from customers and employers are different. For example, the product does not suit the customer’s needs.
What is the difference between stand and class?
What is “annoying” about society? Was ist „ärgerlich“ an Gesellschaft?
One must orient oneself to the expectations of others. Those who do not do so usually have to fear sanctions.
What is social status and role? (soziale Position und Rollen)
- Status: is the position that an individual is expected to hold in a group or a community. E.g. a woman, an adult, a mother, as ascribed position, or e.g. A doctor, a teacher, a student, etc.
- And the behavior that we expect from the person holding such a position is his role. –> An individual´s role is the behavior expected of him/her in his/her status and in the determination of his/her relationship with other members of his group.
What is meant by the following sentence?
Positions and roles are external to individuals.
- Social positions are not individual characteristics. They are social (“supra-individual”). E.g. Rights and duties conferred by society upon a particular status would be typified and impersonal, and never personalized. (they are “social facts”)
How can role theory explain that there are both “good” and “bad” teachers?
“Social roles are open to individual expression (claims) by those who play them.”
when ‘role-playing” begins, each individual plays his own role not only according to the definition of his particular role as set by society but according to the actual expectation of the other party or parties in relation to whom he plays it.
?example
Why is “playing” roles so important for our life living together in society?
“By “playing” social roles, individuals create reliability, permanence and expectability in social intercourse. –>Without this expectability we cannot act together!
- Whether we like it or not, we all take on social roles in social life and fill them with a (also individual) representation of ourselves that we hope will be valued by others.
- We can only cooperate with each other and only compete and argue with each other if our behaviour is expected by others and the behaviour of others is expected by us.
–>Consequently, whether we like it or not, we have to “act” („Theater spielen“) in social life, i.e. take on social roles, interpret them and act them out. This shaping is oriented towards expectations.
What is sociology?
Sociology is the scientific study of social phenomena. This means that, if you want to give a sociological explanation of human behavior, you need to consider the influence of social contexts and study the resulting collective human behavior.
What does it mean that sociology is a multi-paradigmatic science?
In sociology, there is not one “true” doctrine, but several paradigms (sociology is a multi-paradigmatic science). =>With each of the perspectives, one can see different things.
