General Terms Flashcards
Define sociology
Sociology is the systematic study of social behaviour and phenomena in human societies
Define Macro Perspective
Focus on wider social systems and structures
Define Micro Perspective
Deal with small scale human interactions
Conflict theory (Macro) Definition
Society is imbalanced - a struggle for power and resources leads to exploitation and inequality.
Privileged exploit the underprivileged.
Struggle for power, status & resources creates conflicts which lead to social change.
Importance of conflict theory
Conflict theory offers a critique of those in power and questions the legitimacy of capital accumulation.
Functionalism (Macro)
Definition
Society is balanced - society is made up of several interdependent parts, which function exactly as they should to create and maintain social order
Describe crime as a product of function (Functionalism)
crime - proves the collective values of society and ascribes negative value to unwanted behaviour
Describe crime as a product of dysfunction (Conflict Theory)
crime - people fight for limited economic resources
manifest function
The anticipated and intended goals of an action or social structure; the reason something is done.
Latent function
an unintended consequence or outcome of an activity or social system
Durkheim - Collective Consciousness
refers to the totality of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society. These form a determinate system with a life of its own.
Durkheim - Collective Representations
refers to the ways in which a group thinks of itself in its relationships with the objects which affect it (i.e., symbols a group or society uses to think of and visualize itself).
Define anomie
lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group.
- state of normlessness
Interactionism (Micro)
Definition
Society is a network made up of everyday social interactions. Such interactions shape individuals, identities, and shared meanings of the social world.
Private troubles vs Public Issues
Private - you and your direct connections
Public - affects the larger structure of social and historical life.