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Sociology 200 > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

1
Q

analysis

A
  • understanding a phenomenon by breaking it into its parts to see how they fit together
  • gives us an explanation of why and how something happened
  • use theoretical analysis to explain things
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2
Q

3 types of social science theories

A
  • motivational theories
  • normative theories
  • macro-historical theories
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3
Q

motivational theories

A
  • the individual decides how and why they behave a certain way
  • ex. rational choice theory - if you’re motivated by money, you’ll work longer hours, multiple jobs, etc.
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4
Q

critiques of motivational theories

A
  • the worth of something depends on the situation and norms within the society (ie. an iPhone has high worth in North America, but a goat has high worth in a third world country)
  • choices are genetically conditioned (we only have perceived choice on things like reproductive ability, family, sexuality, etc.)
  • individuals aren’t capable of computing cost/reward on actions rationally (the more complicated the decision is, the less likely it is that you’ll think rationally)
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5
Q

normative theories

A
  • assume social norms predict behaviour and actions

- ex. life course theory - norms affect life events, transitions, etc.

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6
Q

critiques of normative theories

A
  • don’t explain HOW norms are formed, just explain what the norm is
  • norm development is due to rational choices of individuals
  • norms vary greatly between societies
  • norms are based on our biological nature
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7
Q

social norm

A
  • rule about behaviour that is held, followed by most, and may become expected
  • 2 types: formal norm and informal norm
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8
Q

formal norm

A
  • laws or rules established by an authority

- ex. contracts

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9
Q

informal norms

A
  • not codified or written down, but shared by many people

- ex. standing in line

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10
Q

macro-historical theories

A
  • assumes forces beyond the individual or society create change
  • forces may be historical or evolutionary
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11
Q

critique of macro-historical theories

A

doesn’t explain variation in human responses (ie. people who want airport security vs. those who refuse to submit to it)

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12
Q

functional theories

A
  • look for function or purpose

- ex. the function of family is reproduction and socialization of children

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13
Q

conflict theories

A
  • human beings are self-oriented and conflict is inevitable due to limited resources and unequal distribution of those resources
  • conflict within the family mirrors conflict within society
  • ex. unequal distribution of power within a family (mirrors unequal distribution of power within society)
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14
Q

feminist theories

A
  • unified by belief that women are oppressed by the patriarchy
  • ex. family reproduces dominant/patriarchal models of child socialization
  • advocate for gender equality
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15
Q

systems theories

A
  • the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and all the parts in the system affect each other
  • ex. there’s more to a family than just the individuals, and all the people in the family affect each other and have different interpersonal dynamics
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16
Q

rational choice and social exchange theories

A
  • assumes individuals have capacity to rationally choose the outcome with the greatest rewards relative to costs
  • ex. choosing between having a Kit-Kat or a Twix bar based on whichever is more rewarding to you
  • if we know what someone’s motivated by, we can predict their choices
17
Q

symbolic interaction theories

A
  • signs and symbols used in interactions have shared meanings, help make sense of the world, and help socialize individuals
  • ex. how do you say “hi” with your hand?
  • if we know the meaning, we can predict behaviour
18
Q

bio-ecological theories

A
  • consider combination of biological and social factors

- ex. relationship between a certain hormone and family interactions

19
Q

developmental and life course theories

A

focus on the progress of life events, transitions, and stages that individuals and families experience through life

20
Q

social dynamics

A
  • change can only be measured across time points
  • ex. change occurs when family A at time point 2 is different than family A at time point 1
  • in order for our analysis to be generalizable, we focus on structural changes to family (ex. birth, death, marriage, divorce, etc.)
21
Q

events

A
  • instantaneous event
  • the date doesn’t carry meaning, the event itself does
  • ex. birth, grad, wedding, death
22
Q

stage

A
  • duration of time characterized by a property not present before the stage and not present after the stage
  • ex. single, cohabiting, married, family with 1 child
  • the beginning of all stages is marked by an event
23
Q

transitions

A
  • periods leading up to events and stages in which a great number of changes occur rapidly
  • ex. the transition leading up to birth (event) and parenthood (stage) is accompanied by pregnancy, baby showers, pre-natal classes, etc.
24
Q

pathway

A
  • process of moving through stages with transitions
  • individuals think of pathways as their choice, but historical and random factors change our pathways (ie. war, depressions, natural disasters)
25
Q

4 major levels of analysis

A
  • individual (ex. breaking up because of addiction, infidelity)
  • dyad/2-person relationship (ex. breaking up because of conflicts/fights)
  • family/social group (ex. breaking up because of influence from in-laws)
  • norms/the institution (ex. breaking up because divorce has become normative)
26
Q

leptokurtic vs. platykurtic

A
  • leptokurtic: peaked curve; the tighter/more leptokurtic the norm, the more likely you are to follow it (high conformity of behaviour)
  • platykurtic: flat curve; the more platykurtic the norm, the less likely you are to follow it (low conformity of behaviour)
27
Q

timing/age-graded norms

A
  • suggest that an event should occur at a certain period of life
  • ex. having a baby in late 20’s-early 30’s
  • can be formalized (ie. drinking age) or informal (ie. the age at which you should have kids)
  • when you’re off-time and don’t follow norms, you experience more challenges
28
Q

sequencing norms

A
  • suggest the order at which one should experience stages or events
  • ex. getting married before having children
  • getting out-of-sequence early in life is associated with later life disruptions (ie. labour force disruptions, divorce, etc.)
29
Q

durations between stages and transitions

A
  • timing and sequencing norms construct expected durations within a stage before making a transition
  • ex. how long would you expect to be engaged?
  • if you’ve been in 1 stage for a long time without moving onto the next one, it’s unlikely that you’ll move into the next one soon
  • ex. married for 10 yrs w/o baby -> unlikely to have baby soon
30
Q

what do normative expectations depend on?

A
  • age (ex. a mid-life crisis is expected for a 40 year old, not a 20 year old)
  • period (ex. people who lived during the great depression would see money and waste in a different way)
  • cohort (ex. baby boomers share common understandings and norms)
31
Q

anticipatory socialization

A
  • training, skills, and knowledge gathered for a possible future role
  • ex. babysitting, camp counselling, etc. are anticipatory social roles for being a parent
  • accounts for much of our ability to adapt to change
32
Q

social expectation

A
  • what we expect to happen based on social norms

- ex. expecting people to stop at a stop sign

33
Q

what are 3 ways to measure stages qualitatively?

A
  • defining by family structure (family members and relationships)
  • defining by normative structure (ex. norms for husband and wife in married stage are different from norms for mother and father in the 1-child stage)
  • defining by developmental tasks (ex. being able to developmentally master commitment before moving on to the married stage… if development is unsuccessful, transition to next stage will also be unsuccessful)
34
Q

processes of the 4 major levels of analysis

A
  • individual -> cognitive consistency
  • relationship -> agreement
  • family -> coalitions
  • institutions -> conformity
35
Q

institutional norms

A
  • social rules agreed on by most members of society
  • can be codified as formal norms with penalties for breaking them (ie. can only be married to 1 person at a time)
  • can be informal norms with informal penalties for breaking them (ie. being shamed for being a teen mom)
  • can be good to adhere to these norms in order to stabilize society, but can also be good to break these norms in order to create social change
36
Q

off-time

A
  • not adhering to age-graded norms
  • usually comes with sanctions or consequences
  • ex. having a baby at 16 or at 60 would be off-time
37
Q

out-of-sequence

A
  • not adhering to sequencing norms

- associated with later life disruptions (such as late labour force entry and divorce)

38
Q

historical dialectics

A

moves from thesis -> antithesis -> synthesis

Sociology 200 (12 decks)

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