Chapter 1 Flashcards
(30 cards)
define sociology
the systematic study of human behaviour in a social context
what is the sociological perspective on suicide
the sociological perspective on suicide is regarded as a antisocial and non-social act.
Who is Emile Durkheim
Emile Durkheim is one of the founding fathers of sociology.
What are Emile Durkheim’s contributions to sociology
found that suicide rates and rates of psychological disorder did not vary directly and appeared to vary inversely.
what is the sociological explanation to suicide based on Durkheim’s findings?
- gender
- marital status
- age
- religious affiliations
- suicide rates are strongly influenced by social forces.
suicide due to gender
men were four times more likely to commit suicide than woman.
- woman are seen to be able to be more emotionally expressive and share their troubles with their friends whereas men hold it in.
- men are also most likely not to be given custody of their children during a battle of divorce.
suicide due to age
older individuals were more likely to commit suicide than younger individuals due to having a smaller network as they age.
suicide due to marital status
those who are married are less likely to commit suicide because they had spouses or children to depend on them, give them companionship, and support them.
suicide due to religious affiliation
protestants were more likely to commit suicide than roman catholics, and roman catholics were more likely to commit suicide than jewish people.
what did durkheim argue in regard to suicide
he argued that suicide rates varied as the result of the degree in social solidarity.
what is social solidarity
social solidarity refers to two things:
1. the degree to which group members share beliefs and values
2. the intensity and frequency of they values.
- the more beliefs and values one shares, suicide rates decrease.
- as social solidarity increases, suicide rate decreases.
what did they find in youths today compared to youths before in the 19th century?
youths nowadays are more likely to commit suicide than middle-aged people because of lower levels of social control.
- looking at a graph, instead of suicide rates presenting as a curve it is a U-shaped, declining in the middle-ages and rising later.
who invented the social imagination
social imagination was invented by Wright Mills in 1969
what is the social imagination
social imagination is the ability to imagine the connection between personal troubles and social structures.
ex: if a person loses their job, they might see themselves as a failure. however, someone with social imagination may see the situation as, if lots of people are losing their jobs in the same industry, it is not a personal failure rather larger social forces such as economic downturn.
what are the three levels of social structure
- microstructures
- macrostructures
- global structures
microstructures
intimate social relations formed during face-to-face interaction.
ex: within your family
macrostructures
social relations outside and above one’s circle of intimates and acquaintances
ex: economy, media. politics, etc…
global structures
social relations outside and above the national level
ex: globalization, international organizations, etc…
what is a theory
a tentative explanation of some aspect of social life that state how and why certain facts are related
what is research
process of systematically observing reality to assess the validity of a theory.
what are values
the ideas about what is good and bad, right and wrong
explain functionalism starting with durkheim
he believes that human behaviour is governed by stable patterns of social relations (school).
ex: Durkheim argued that education is a social institution that helps maintain stability in society. Schools do more than just teach academic subjects; they instill values, norms, and discipline, preparing individuals to function in society.
who created the conflict theory
K. Marx
what are the components to the conflict theory
- it focuses on large macrolevel structures
- members of privileged groups seek to maintain advantages while members of subordinate groups struggle to increase theirs. (people who have money vs people who dont)
- major patterns of inequality produce social stability in some circumstances and social change in others.
ex: Inequality between workers and business owners can create stability when workers accept poor conditions but can lead to social change when they resist, such as through strikes and unions, leading to improved labor rights. - elimination of privilege will lower the level of conflict and increase human welfare.
ex: if wealth and education were more evenly distributed, there would be fewer tensions between economic classes, reducing social unrest and increasing overall well-being.
