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Psych/Soc Correct Deck > Ch. 11: Social Structure and Demographics > Flashcards

Ch. 11: Social Structure and Demographics Flashcards

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1
Q

what is the difference between sociology and psychology?

A

sociology = focus on the way groups organize and interact (the study of society)

psychology = focus on the behaviors of individuals

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2
Q

describe the micro, meso, and marco levels of a sociologist’s view on society?

A

MICRO = family groups and local communities

MESO = organizations, institutions, and ethnic subcultures

MACRO = national and international systems

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3
Q

defn and func: theoretical approaches to sociology

A

many models to help analyze and explain aspects of human social behavior

they each explain certain aspects of society and are inadequate to analyze other aspects

so they aren’t necessarily competing models!

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4
Q

defn: symbol

A

any object, image, sound, or action that carries meaning to humans (need not be physical)

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5
Q

defn, char, weakness: symbolic interactionism

A

sociological approach, micro to meso, reflects on how we use symbols to interact with eachother

the three main assumptions are:

  1. humans act toward symbols based on the meanings that these symbols carry
  2. the meanings symbols carry come from social interaction
  3. humans interpret the meaning of symbols, and this interpretation influences action

overlooks macro structures like cultural norms and class interactions

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6
Q

defn + examples: social construct

A

any idea that has been created and accepted by the people in a society

may include symbols, abstract ideas, physical objects, work ethic, acceptable dress, gender roles

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7
Q

defn, weakness: social constructionism

A

sociological approach, micro to meso, reflects on how we, as a society, construct concepts and principles

cannot account for macro-level phenomena

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8
Q

defn, char, weakness: rational choice/exchange theory

A

sociological approach, micro to meso, focuses on individual decision making

humans will make rational choices to further their own self-interests

people weight the costs and benefits when making choices, ranking their options based on maximizing perceived benefit

views all social interactions as transactions that take into account the benefits and harms to the individual

social rewards: accolades, honor, prestige, approval

punishments: embarrassment, humiliation, sanctions, stigmatization

people evaluate whether there is reciprocity and balance in social relationships

does not explain charitable, illogical, unselfish, or altruistic behavior

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9
Q

defn, char, result, weakness: conflict theory

A

sociological approach, macro, examine the inevitable conflicts between groups

those with power = attempt to preserver power by shaping the structure of society
- uses influence to dictate laws, customs, cultural norms
MAINTENANCE OF STATUS QUO

if those who are lower recognize power differential and see that others are also dissatisfied –> they can organize interest groups and can use tools (protesting, voting) to enact change and equalize power
DISRUPTION AND REVOLUTION

weakness: individuals, social cohesion, cooperation, altruism

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10
Q

defn, char: capitalism

A

an economic system in which individuals and corporations, rather than governments, own and control what Marx called the means of production (property, machinery, factories, means of creating saleable good or service)

leads to a small, wealthy capitalist (bourgeoisie) class = control production means

rest of society = lower, worker (proletariat) class

disparity in power and resources leads to conflict

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11
Q

defn, weakness: structural-functionalism

A

sociological approach, focus on how large societies survive over time, focus on social cohesion and stability

the inverse of conflict theory

each group in society has a role to play in the overall health and operation of society (think of society as an organism, and each group as organs or cells)

the different groups work together in an unconscious, almost automatic way toward maintenance of equilibrium

weakness: explaining social change, how individuals interact within a group

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12
Q

defn: function (structural-functionalism)

A

each social group’s role

the contribution made by that group to the system

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13
Q

who are the important people behind

  1. symbolic interactionism
  2. conflict theory
  3. structural functionalism
A
  1. George Herbert Mead = symbolic interactionism
  2. conflict theory = Karl Marx
  3. structural functionalism = Emile Durkheim
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14
Q

defn: latent vs. manifest function

A

MANIFEST FUNCTION = an intended consequence of the actions of a group within society

LATENT FUNCTION = unintended but beneficial consequences of an organization or institution

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15
Q

defn: dysfunctions

A

negative consequences of the existence of an institution, organization, or interaction

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16
Q

defn: feminist theory

A

sociological theory

critiques the institutional power structures that disadvantage women in society

from a conflict theory perspective: men seek to preserve power (patriarchal)

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17
Q

defn: glass ceiling

A

processes that limit the progress of women to the highest job positions because of invisible social barriers to promotion

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18
Q

defn: glass escalator

A

even in cases where men do not seek to climb the job ladder, invisible social forces sometimes push men up to higher positions

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19
Q

defn: social instituions

A

well-established social structures that dictate certain patterns of behavior or relationships and are accepted as a fundamental part of culture

regulate the behavior of individuals in core areas of society

meso

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20
Q

what are 5 examples of social institutions? + their defn/roles on a large sociological scale

A
  1. family = closely tied to individual, food, shelter, security, intimacy, life rituals; regulate reproduction, socialize and protect children
  2. education = provide population with a set of skills that will be useful to them or society
  3. religion = a pattern of social activities around a set of beliefs and practices that seek to address the meaning of existence
  4. government and economy = systematic arrangements of political and capital relationships, activities, and social structures that affect rule making, representation of the individual in society, rights and privileges, division of labor, and production of goods and services
  5. healthcare and medicine = aimed at maintaining or improving the health status of the individual, family, community, and society
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21
Q

defn: hidden curriculum

A

the social latent function of education of transmitting social norms, attitudes, and beliefs to students

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22
Q

defn: teacher expectancy

A

teachers tend to get what they expect from students

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23
Q

defn: religiosity

A

how religious one considers oneself to be

includes strength of religious beliefs, engagement in religious practices, and attitudes about religion itself

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24
Q

what are the 5 major religions?

A
  1. Buddhism
  2. Christianity
  3. Hinduism
  4. Islam
  5. Judaism
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25
defn: cult
a religious sect takes on extreme or deviant philosophies and transforms
26
defn: secularization
movement from a world dominated by religion toward rationality and scientific thinking
27
defn: fundamentalism
maintenance of strict adherence to religious code
28
defn: democracy vs. monarchy vs. dictatorship vs. theocracy
DEMOCRACY = every citizen has a political voice, usually through. elected representatives MONARCHY = a royal ruler whose powers may be limited by the presence of a constitution, parliamentary system, or other legislative body DICTATORSHIP = a single person holds power, usually includes mechanisms to quell threats to this power THEOCRACY = power is held by religious leaders
29
defn: charismatic authority
a leader with a compelling personality
30
defn: capitalist vs. socialist economies
CAPITALIST - free market trade and laissez-faire policies - business success or failure is driven by consumerism with little intervention from government - private owner or corporation maintains and profits from the business - division of labor = specific components of a larger task are separated and assigned to skilled and trained individuals (specialization and efficiency) SOCIALIST - large industries are collective, shared business - compensation provided based on work contribution of each individual to the system - profit is distributed equally to the workforce
31
what are 8 key goals of healthcare?
1. increased access 2. decreased costs 3. prevention of disease 4. association of patients with PCP 5. increased education with public health outreach 6. decreased paternalism (doctor knows best) 7. reduced economic COI's for drs. 8. life course approach to health
32
defn: life course approach to health
maintaining and considering a comprehensive view of the patient's history beyond the immediate presenting symptoms
33
defn: medicalization
behaviors are now defined and treated as medical conditions
34
defn: illness experience
the ways in which people define and adjust to changes in their health (not doctors)
35
defn: social epidemiology
epidemiology = the study of health and its determinants within a society social epidemiology = the study of the effects of institutions, social structures, and relationships on health
36
what are the 4 key tenets of medical ethics? define them.
1. BENEFICENCE = the physician must act in the patient's best interest 2. NONMALEFICENCE = do no harm (avoid treatment or interventions in which the potential for harm outweighs the potential for benefit) 3. RESPECT FOR PATIENT AUTONOMY = respect patient's decisions and choices about their own healthcare 4. JUSTICE = treat similar patients with similar care, distribute healthcare resources fairly
37
defn: culture
encompasses the entire lifestyle for a given group
38
defn: ethnography / ethnographic methods
ETHNOGRAPHY = the study of cultures and customs ETHNOGRAPHIC METHODS = experimental methods used to study the ethnicity or culture of a group
39
defn: material culture vs. symbolic culture
MATERIAL = physical items one associates with a group (artwork, emblems, clothing, jewelry, foods, buildings, tools) --> often the tangible embodiment of the underlying ideas of symbolic culture SYMBOLIC (nonmaterial) = focuses on the ideas that represent a group of people (encoded in mottos, songs, catchphrases, themes) --> cognitive and behavioral components, informs our cultural values and beliefs, norms, and communication styles
40
defn: culture lag
symbolic culture is usually slower to change than material culture ex: we still prize individuality and prizes, but our devices are beyond that
41
defn: value vs. belief
VALUE = what a person deems important in life (dictates one's ethical principles and standards of beahvior) BELIEF = something that an individual accepts to be true
42
defn: cultural barriers
when a cultural difference impedes interaction with others
43
defn: norms
societal rules that define the boundaries of acceptable behavior
44
defn: ritual
a formalized ceremony that usually involves specific material objects, symbolism, and additonal mandates on acceptable behavior
45
defn: demographics + what are the 5 main demographic categories
population statistics; the mathematical applications of sociology 1. age 2. gender 3. race and ethnicity 4. sexual orientation 5. immigration status
46
defn: life course perspective/approach
considering an individual's age and cumulative life experiences when analyzing their personality, social status, health, and other social metrics
47
defn: dependency ratio
the ratio of the number of members of a population who are NOT in the workforce : number of members that ARE in the workforce depends on the youth ratio and the age dependency ratio quantifies the economic burden felt by the working age population in order to support those outside the workforce
48
defn: youth ratio
the number of people under 15 / the number of people aged 15 - 65
49
defn: age dependency ratio
the number of people over 65 / the number of people aged 15 - 65
50
defn: stable population
the distribution of the population among the age cohorts remains fairly constant when a population's fertility rate and mortality rate remain relatively consistent over a long period of time
51
defn: gender identity
the gender the individual wishes to portray
52
defn: gender segregation vs. gender inequality vs. gender stratification
GENDER ... SEGREGATION = the separation of individuals based on perceived gender (think bathrooms) INEQUALITY = the intentional or unintentional empowerment of one gender to the detriment of others STRATIFICATION = any inequality in access to social resources that is based on gender
53
defn: race vs. ethnicity
RACE = socially constructed groupings of people based on inherited phenotypic characteristics ETHNICITY = socially constructed groupings of people by shared language, cultural heritage, religion, and/or national origin
54
defn: symbolic ethnicity
a specific connection to one's ethnicity in which ethnic symbols and identity remain important, even when ethnic identity doesn't play a significant role in daily life (think St. Patrick's Day)
55
defn: Kinsey scale
a scale describing sexuality made by Alfred Kinsey with 0 = heterosexuality and 6 = homosexuality
56
defn: generational status
the place of birth of a specific person or that person's parents (first generation ...)
57
defn: intersetionality
the interplay between multiple demographic factors, especially when it leads to discrimination or oppression
58
defn: demographic shifts vs. demographic transitions
demographic shifts = changes in the population makeup over time; can be measured by population density demographic transitions: a specific example of a demographic shift that occurs as a country develops from a preindustrial to an industrial economic system
59
defn: population density
the number of people per square km of land area
60
defn: population pyramids
a histogram of the population size of various age cohorts which aid in population projects (which predict changes in population size over time)
61
what are the 4 main demographic statistics? define them
1. FERTILITY RATE = children per woman per lifetime 2. BIRTH RATE = children per 1000 people per year 3. MORTALITY RATE = deaths per 1000 people per year 4. MIGRATION RATE = immigration rate minus emigration rate
62
defn: crude rate
the total rate for a population adjusted to a certain population size over a specific period of time and multiplied by a constant to give a whole number
63
defn: immigration vs. emigration
immigration = movement into a new geographic space emigration = movement away from a geographic space
64
defn: push and pull factors of migration
pull factors = positive attributes of a new location that attract new residents push factors = negative attributes of the old location that encourage existing residents to leave
65
defn and stages, char: demographic transition theory
explains the link between economic development and demographic shift STAGE 1 = preindustrial society = high birth and death rates, stable population STAGE 2 = economic progress = improvements in healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, wages = decrease in death rates = population increases STAGE 3 = improvements in contraception, women's rights, shift from agricultural to industrial = birth rates drop = birth and death rates equalize = population growth hits inflection point and begins to level off STAGE 4 = industrialized society = low birth and death rates = relative constant population
66
defn: Malthusian theory
focuses on how the exponential growth of a population can outpace growth of the food supply and lead to social degradation and disorder resulting hypothetical mass starvation = Malthusian catastrophe
67
what is the theoretical fifth stage of demographic transition?
birth rates continue to drop and fall below the death rate --> decline of total population
68
func: social movements
organized either to promote or resist social change often motivated by a group's perceived relative deprivation (decrease in resources, representation, or agency relative to the whole of society or relative to what the group is accustomed to)
69
defn: proactive vs. reactive social movements
proactive = promote social change reactive = resist social change
70
defn: globalization
the process of merging of the separate nations of the world into a single sociocultural entity spurred on by improvements in global communication tech and economic interdependence
71
defn: urbanization
dense areas of population creating a pull for migration

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