Chapter 57: Social Issues Flashcards
Explain the field theory developed by Kurt lewin.
This theory emphasised the interplay between personal characteristics and environment elements.
State what leads to violence
Violence begins when one person fail to esteem the other person stops respecting the other person’s dignity and starts to abuse him/her. This occurs as psychological violence like violent talk and intolerance. Structural violence like unfair distribution of resources due to class or race and violence of poverty which is the indignity of subhuman living conditions.
What types of violence are there
Violence for material gain like mugging
Domestic violence which includes neglect of children battery of spouses and abuse of the elderly
Sexual violence such as rape and sexual harassment
State and collective violence such as colonialism and apartheid
Self inflicted violence like suicide and self mutilation
What theoretical approaches to understanding violence are there
Instinct or socio biological approaches
Frustration aggression approaches
Observational learning approach
State what instinct or socio biological approaches are
This sees violence as an inborn survival strategy where instinct had enabled humans to hunt for food and react to threats.
What is meant by the frustration aggression approaches
This explains violence as the outcome of frustration. When people are frustrated they become angry and anger leads to violent acts especially if the frustration occurs in contexts that have previously been associated with violence.
Discuss the observational learning approach
We learn to be violent through direct reinforcement and through modelling our behaviour on that of others
What are the results of violence
It’s fragmenting in the sense that it breaks up and destroys important linkages and relationships in communities and it’s disempowering in the sense that it undermines people ability to fulfill their appropriate functions in their groups and community.
Alienation is a consequence of societal violence where society is shaped around rules in terms of which people accept personal responsibility for their conduct and expect others to do the same. Violence goes against the rule bound existence and creates a state of lawlessness that threatens people’s psychological well being
What are the affects of alienation
The fear that yourself family or friends will fall victim to violence
The avoidance of all kinds of behaviour that used to be spontaneous like travelling certain roads at certain times which are now seen as dangerous
The experience of being at the mercy of forces beyond your control which gives rise to feelings of helplessness isolation lack of commitment to society and mistrust of people.
What are the impacts of violence on children
It depends on how the child experience it and on what coping mechanisms they apply. Children need supportive home life with firm norms for behaviour. A culture of violence intimidation and terrorism us damaging to psychological well being of children and can result in forms of maladjustment.
What is maladjusted behaviour and that forms are there
Maladjusted behaviour refers to a behaviour pattern that’s displayed in response to a certain situation ( adjustment) but fails to serve the purpose ( maladjustment)
The 1st form is a result of violence is when the behaviour becomes a permanent pattern. Which is continued long after the violence has disappeared.
The second is in reaction to violence is identification with the instigators and perpetrators of violence. The imitation of violent behaviour lies at the root of youth gangs who engage in violence. Children may become mentally lethargic in the presence of recurrent violence
The third is characterized by an uncritical acceptance of reasons why an individual or a group is branded as the enemy.theres uncritical acceptance of the situation of violence as a way of life and an inability to see the necessity of education
The 4th is the development of a skewed morality that comes from fanatical adherence to a certain ideology as children don’t have the opportunity for a balanced critical objective approach to life if they grow up in environments where they aren’t allowed to hear anything not supporting the dominant ideology
What is discrimination
It is negative behaviour towards members of a particular group usually based on stereotypical ideas about the group which leads to prejudice against its members
What is prejudice
It is a specific form of attitude which is negative and characterised by hatefulness and irrational beliefs
What are stereotypes
Stereotypical ideas about a group are based on ignorance and faulty or incomplete knowledge about it
What’s the connection between stereotypes prejudice and discrimination
Stereotypes and prejudice are beliefs systems and discrimination occurs when these belief systems are translated into practices that result in privilege status and power for one group at the expense of another
When and how does sexism or gender bias happen
It is discrimination that occurs mainly against women because of the ideology of patriarchy where manhood is seen as the basic standard of being a person thus personhood is equated with manhood and doesn’t consider a combination of man and woman hood.
Discuss how racism has transformed from its traditional ways to more modern Ways
Former or traditional racism is where a racial group is seen as bad or inferior to another and stated so explicitly but modern rasicm is more subtle as there is no direct denigration of a racial group. Modern racism occurs in racist remarks and jokes that groups of all races make among themselves about another race.
State ways in which racism manifests itself
Unwittingly perpetuating negative stereotypes through selective perceptions of situations
Supporting the principle of equality while resisting it’s implementation through some kind of rationalisation
Implementing non racial policies yet withholding vital enablers of performance
Maintaining distance in interpersonal situations
Passively resisting support for another person by withholding normal supportive actions
What is the difference between traditional and modern racism
The difference between traditional and modern rasicm is a symptomatic change meaning a change in the way in which racism is expressed but not a change in attitude
Describe the cycle of the formation of poor communities
People enter a cycle of poverty and becomes a way of life carried from parents to children increasing the poverty level of each generation.
The victims are characterized by a learnt helplessness in the sense that they feel that nothing can be done about their situation and accept advice from outside experts and do what they are told because they believe they don’t have choices and bargaining power.
What does poverty involve aside from deprevation of resources.
It includes a living situation of hopelessness uncertainty about the future and alienation from society because they feel there is no way out of their circumstances and live with this uncertainty on a daily basis and have no means to buffer themselves against unexpected events threatening their existence.
They feel alienated from society because their experiences is that institutional structures of society don’t serve them.
What does the development of community require
Careful collaboration with community members and use of local knowledge and a process of participatory appraisal.
Knowledge and experience should be gained through co operation with the community.
What is a community
It’s not only a physical or geographical entity but consists of people who experience a sense of belonging to the physical place as well as to one another where there’s a transactional relationship between a community and it’s members.
The identity of community members is determined by the community and converse true also. Members are co creators and responsible for the community they create
What are the 4 characteristics of community development
- Community membership
- invested
- boundaries ( those part of) and ( not members of )
- advantages of membership ( emotional security,sense of belonging) - Influence: is the influence that members have over the community and members ( norms)
- Need fulfillment: the ability to cater for members current and future needs.
- Shared emotional connectedness: history, experience of places shared among members as well as future prospects.
