exam 1 Flashcards
Sociological Imagination:
Concept by C. Wright Mills; it allows individuals to understand the relationship between personal experiences and broader social forces.
What does Sociology teach us?
Sociology helps us understand how social forces shape individual behavior and interactions. It also examines patterns of group behavior.
Karl Marx:
Focused on conflict theory and class struggles, emphasizing how economic systems lead to social inequality.
C. Wright Mills:
Best known for the sociological imagination, connecting personal problems to societal issues.
Structural-Functionalism
Views society as a complex system with parts that work together to maintain stability. Each part of society has a function.
Conflict Theory
Focuses on the power struggles between groups in society, particularly relating to class inequalities (Marx).
Symbolic Interactionism
: Focuses on small-scale, everyday social interactions, where meaning is created through language and symbols.
Impact of Social Structures on Individual Behavior
Social structures like family, education, and economy influence how individuals behave and interact in society.
Manifest functions
: Intended, obvious consequences of social structures.
Latent functions:
Unintended, hidden consequences.
Dysfunctions
Negative impacts on society.
Erving Goffman:
Symbolic interactionism, dramaturgical approach (social life as a stage play).
Sociological Methods:
Research methods like surveys, interviews, fieldwork, and experiments used to study social phenomena.
Primary data:
Information collected firsthand by a researcher.
Secondary data
: Pre-existing data.
Qualitative
Non-numerical, descriptive data.
Quantitative
Numerical, measurable data.
Hawthorne Effect:
The alteration of behavior by individuals due to their awareness of being observed.
