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MCAT > Chapter 11: Social Structure And Demographics > Flashcards

Chapter 11: Social Structure And Demographics Flashcards

1
Q

Macrosociology

A

Focuses on large groups and social structure

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2
Q

Microsociology

A

Focuses on small groups and the individual

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3
Q

Social structure

A

System of people within a society organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships

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4
Q

Functionalism or functional analysis

A

Study of the structure and function of each part of society; early functionalists viewed society as a living organism

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5
Q

Functions

A

Beneficial consequences of people’s actions; help to keep society in balance

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6
Q

Dysfunctions

A

Harmful consequences of people’s actions as they undermine a social system’s equilibrium

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7
Q

Manifest function

A

If an action is intended to help some part of the system

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8
Q

Latent function

A

Unstated or unrecognized functions; often accompany manifest functions

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9
Q

Power

A

form of influence over other people

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10
Q

Conflict theory

A

Based on the works of Karl Marx; focuses on how power differentials are created and how these differentials contribute to the maintenance of social order

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11
Q

Symbolic interactionism

A

Study of the ways individuals interact through a shared understanding of words, gestures, and other symbols

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12
Q

Symbols

A

Things to which we attach meaning

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13
Q

Social constructionism

A

Focuses on how individuals put together their social reality; social constructs arise from humans communicating and working together to agree on the significance of a concept or principle

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14
Q

Social institutions

A

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

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15
Q

Family

A

Influenced by a number of different factors including culture, value systems, beliefs, practices, gender, age, race, ethnicity, and others

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16
Q

What are the five different types of social institutions?

A

Family, education, religion, government and economy, and healthcare and medicine

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17
Q

What are the four tenets of medical ethics?

A

Beneficence - the physician has a responsibility to act in the patient’s best interests
Nonmaleficence - do no harm
Respect for patient autonomy - physician has the responsibility to respect patients’ decisions and choices about their own healthcare
Justice - the physician has a responsibility to treat similar patients with similar care, and to distribute healthcare resources fairly

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18
Q

Culture

A

Encompassing the entire lifestyle for a given group; it binds our nation-states, political institutions, marketplaces, religions, and ideologies

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19
Q

Material culture

A

Focuses on artifacts (material items that people make, possess and value); sociologists explore the meaning of objects of a given society

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20
Q

Symbolic culture

A

AKA nonmaterial culture; focuses on ideas that represent a group of people; includes both cognitive (informs cultural values and beliefs) and behavioural (cultural norms and communication styles) components

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21
Q

Language

A

The most highly developed and complex symbol system used by most cultures

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22
Q

Values

A

What a person deems important in life, which dictates one’s ethical principals and standards of behaviour

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23
Q

Belief

A

Something that an individual accepts to be true

24
Q

Ritual

A

Formalized ceremony that usually involves specific material objects, symbolism, and additional mandates on acceptable behaviour

25
Demographics
Statistics of populations and are the mathematical applications of sociology
26
What are the common demographic categories?
Age, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, immigration status
27
Ageism
Prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a person’s age
28
Gender
The behavioural, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with a biological sex
29
Gender inequality
Intentional or unintentional empowerment of one gender to the detriment of another
30
Race
Social construct based on phenotypic differences between groups of people
31
Ethnicity
Social construct, which sorts people by cultural factors, including language, nationality, religion, and other factors; one can choose whether or not to display ethnic identity but not racial identity
32
Symbolic ethnicity
Describes a specific connection to one’s ethnicity in which ethnic symbols and identity remain important, even when ethnic identity does not play a significant role in everyday life
33
Sexual orientation
Defined as the direction of one’s sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes
34
Heterosexual
Attraction to individuals of the opposite sex
35
Bisexual
Attraction to members of both sexes
36
Homosexual
Attraction to individuals of the same sex
37
Demographic shifts
Changes in the makeup of a population over time
38
Fertility rate
Refer to the average number of children born to a woman during her lifetime in a population
39
Mortality rate
Refer to the number of deaths in a population per unit time; usually measured in deaths per 1000 people per year
40
What are the trends in the United States population
Population is getting bigger, older (due to a decrease in mortality rate and fertility rate), and more diverse (through immigration, mobility, and intermarriage)
41
Migration
Contributor to population growth
42
Immigration
Defined as movement into a new geographic space
43
Emigration
Movement away from a geographic space
44
Demographic transition
Specific example of demographic shift referring to changes in birth and death rates in a country as it develops from a preindustrial to industrial economic system
45
What are the stages of demographic transition?
Stage 1: preindustrial society; birth and death rates are high Stage 2: improvements in healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, and wages cause death rates to drop Stage 3: improvements in contraception, women’s rights, and a shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy cause birth rates (births per 1000 individuals per year) to drop Stage 4: an industrialized society where birth and death rates are low
46
Malthusian theory
Focuses on how exponential growth of a population can outpace growth of the food supply and lead to social degradation and disorder
47
Social movements
Organized either to promote or resist social change
48
Proactive
Promote social change
49
Reactive
Resist social change
50
Globalization
Process of integrating the global economy with free trade and the tapping of foreign markets
51
What are the positive effects of globalization
Availability of foods
52
What are the negative effects of globalization?
Significant worldwide unemployment, rising prices, and increased pollution
53
Urbanization
Refers to dense areas of population creating a pull for migration; cities are formed as individuals move into and establish residency in these new urban centres
54
Ghettoes
Defined as areas where specific racial, ethnic, or religious minorities are concentrated, usually due to social or economic inequities
55
Slum
Extremely densely populated area of a city with low-quality, often informal housing and poor sanitation

MCAT (12 decks)

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