Ch 11 - Social Structure and Demographics Flashcards
(35 cards)
What is functionalism?
focuses on the function of each component of society and how those components fit together
What is the difference between manifest and latent function?
- manifest: deliberate actions that serve to help a given system
- latent: unexpected, unintended, or unrecognized positive consequences of manifest functions
What is the conflict theory?
focuses on how power differentials are created and how these differentials contribute to the maintenance of social order
What is the difference between symbolic interactionism and social constructionism?
- symbolic: the study of the ways individuals interact through a shared understanding of words, gestures, and other symbols
- social: how individuals put together their social reality (how we as a society construct concepts and principles)
What is the rational choice theory and how does it relate to the exchange theory?
- states that individuals will make decisions that maximize potential benefit and minimize potential harm
- exchange theory applies rational choice theory within social groups
What is the feminist theory?
explores the way in which one gender can be subordinated, minimized, or devalued compared to the other
What are social institutions and the most common?
- well established social structures that dictate certain patterns of behavior or relationships are are accepted as a fundamental part of culture
- common: family, education, religion, government and the economy, and health and medicine
What are the 4 key ethical tenets of American medicine?
- beneficence: actin in the patient’s best interest
- nonmaleficence: avoiding treatments for which risk is larger than benefit
- respect of autonomy
- justice: treating similar patients similarly and distributing healthcare resources fairly
What is culture?
encompasses the lifestyle of a group of people and includes both material and symbolic elements
What is the difference between material and symbolic culture?
- material: includes the physical items one associates with a given group, such as artwork, emblems, clothing, jewelry, foods, buildings, and tools
- symbolic: includes the ideas associated with a cultural group
What is cultural lag?
the idea that material culture changes more quickly than symbolic culture
What is a cultural barrier?
social difference that impedes interaction
What does language consist of?
spoken or written symbols combined into a system and governed by rules
What is a value?
what a person deems important in life
What is a belief?
something a person considers to be true
What is ritual?
- formalized ceremonial behavior in which members of a group or community regularly engage
- governed by specific rules, including appropriate behavior and a predetermined order of events
What are norms?
societal rules that define the boundaries of acceptable behavior
What are demographics?
- the statistics of populations and are the mathematical applications of sociology
- one can analyze 100s of demographic variables; some of the most common are age, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and immigration status
What is ageism?
prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a person’s age
What is gender?
the set of behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with a biological sex
What is gender inequality?
the intentional or unintentional empowerment of one gender to the detriment of the other
What is race?
- a social construct based on phenotypic differences between groups of people
- may be either real or perceived differences
What is ethnicity?
- a social construct that sorts people by cultural factors, including language, nationality, religion, and other factors
What is symbolic ethnicity?
recognition of an ethnic identity that is only relevant on special occasions or in specific circumstances and does not specifically impact everyday life
