Class 1 Flashcards
(20 cards)
Define sociology
The study of society and the individual in relationship to society
Macro sociology
Society as a whole Large scale Social structures Institutions Believe that Individual positions within social structures determine behaviour
Micro sociology
Believe that human behaviour is the result of individual interpretations
Focuses on the smallest building blocks of society and builds up to larger social structures
Begins with one on one interactions
Bottom up view
What are the sociological theories
Functionalism (structural functionalism) = always macro
Conflict theory = always macro
Symbolic interactionism = all micro all the time
Social constructionism = both macro and micro
Rational choice / social exchange theory = always micro
Feminist theory = both macro and micro
Functionalism (structural functionalism)
One of the oldest theories
Views society almost as it was a biological organism where all parts exist for a balance or homeostasis within society and everything has a role to play in society (we’re all in the same boat)
Compares society to a living organism
Manifest function = advertised or intended or obvious
Latent function = not advertised it’s unintended or less recognizable
Conflict theory
One of the older theories Points out within society some people or groups have more resources or others and they tend to fight to keep hold of the resources or power they have (not everything is equal) Men vs women Ethnic vs ethnic Etc
Dynamic equilibrium
Parts of a society work together to maintain dynamic equilibrium (like homeostasis)
Functionalism
Who is the major founder of functionalism
Emile Durkheim
- considered a founder of modern sociology and noticed it separate from psych and politics
- dynamic equilibrium results in common consciousness that exerts a strong coercive influence on individual actors (we all have the same idea)
- dysfunctions in society are caused by anomie (NO NORMS) (not all on the same page) and you get different subgroups of all doing different things which in his mind is like cancer and bad news
Conflict theory
Society is a competition for limited resources
Individuals and groups compete for social political and material power
A conflict theory would explain the differences within society as historical differences
Primarily concerned with imbalances in wealth, power, and prestige amount major groups in society and how these imbalances have competitive advantages for some over others
Imbalances create class struggle
Who is the major founder of conflict theory
Karl Marx
- Considered a founder of modern sociology
- Capitalism is his main focus; profit, wealth, wages, inequality
“Carl show me the money Marx”
Max Weber
- considered a founder of modern sociology
- more then one source of conflict not just income, several factors can moderate people reactions to inequality
- rationalization and bureaucracies
“The web guy”
“If you have two people of the working class then you have to consider other areas of conflict such as ethnicity, gender, religion etc”
Class consciousness versus
common consciousness versus
false consciousness
Common consciousness = we are all in the same boat (Durkheim)
Class consciousness = a social condition in which members of a subordinate social class are actively aware of themselves as a group that is exploited by the wealthy (Marx)
False consciousness = lack of awareness; members of a subordinate class see themselves as individuals instead of an exploited group (Marx)
Who is George Herbert mead
Founder of social psychology
His ideas form foundation for the symbolic interactionist school of thought
What is Meads self development stages
Preparatory stage (0-2) - children learn to use language and symbols but only mimic those around them
Play stage (2-6) - children learn to play the roles of others in pretend games such as playing doctor
Game stage (7+)
- children begin to understand the generalized other, the generalized attitude of a large social group
- idea of abstract rules
The first thing that develops is the ME and a response to that social self which is called the I
The me develops through interactions with others and consists of our interpretations of how the generalized other views is
The I arises in response to the me. The I is ones personal identify and individuality
To Mead the actual self consists of the balance of I and Me
Thinking is discussion between I and Me
Me vs I
Me = mirror image of environment
I = individual
(Me comes first)
Symbolic interactionism
Interaction between two things
People act towards things based on meaning
Meanings are derived from social interactions and adapted through individual interpretation
Symbol = a physical thing that stands for a mental thing
Human life if lived in the symbolic domain
Symbols are culturally derived social objects that have shared meanings, which are created and maintained through social interactions
What is the looking glass self
Symbolic interactionism
The self is shaped by others and interactions with others and perception of others
Individuals shape themselves on this perception, tending to confirm expectations
The people you interact with causes you to respond in a certain way (parents see you as an angel, ex sees you as a devil)
Who came up with the looking glass self
Charles Cooley
Symbolic interactionist
Social constructionism
Reality is not inherent but socially constructed
Social constructs = anything that appears natural or obvious to the people that accept it but is largely the invention of a given society
(Childhood is a social construct)
Builds on symbolic interactionism but now with macro levels as well
Rational choice/social exchange
Rational choice theory
- individuals make decisions by comparing the costs and the benefits
- the goal is to maximize benefits and reduce costs
- borrowed from economic theory
Social exchange theory
- individuals respond to rewards and punishments
- the goal is to maximize rewards and reduce punishments
- borrowed from behavioural psychology
Feminist theory
A variety of perspectives on the treatment of women vs men in society
3 waves
- 1 = women’s suffrage
- 2 = social liberties
- 3 = intersectionality (how different identities interact)
