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Sociology > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

what is sociology

A

systematic study of society and social interaction

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2
Q

sociological imagination

A

awareness of the relationship between a person’s behavior and experience and the wider culture that shaped the person’s choices and perceptions.
- C. Wright Mills
- looking at problems in context of place and history

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3
Q

the origins of sociology

A

three major social changes are important to the development of sociology
- the rise of factory based industrial economy
- the emergence of great cities in europe
- political changes

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4
Q

global perspective

A

study of the larger world and our society’s place in it
- our ideas are shaped by the nation we live in
- ethnocentrism

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5
Q

ethnocentrism

A

inability to understand, accept, or reference patterns of behavior or beliefs different from ones own

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6
Q

3 main sociological theories/perspectives

A
  • functionalist
  • conflict
  • symbolic interactionist
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7
Q

functionalist perspective

A
  • Macro level view
  • Sees society as a system of parts all functioning together- how does one contribute to the overall stability of society
  • 2 types of functions, Rober Merton, - manifest and latent functions
  • individuals occupy fixed social roles
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8
Q

sociologists associated with the functionalist perspecitve

A

Durkheim, Spencer, Comte

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9
Q

source of social change in functionalist perspective

A

social disorganization and adjustments to achieve equilibrium; change is gradual

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10
Q

latent functions

A

unintended functions

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11
Q

manifest functions

A

intended functions

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12
Q

Major criticisms of the functionalist perspective

A

defends existing social arrangements, a conservative view that underplays power differences among and between groups

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13
Q

View of inequality from functionalist perspective

A

inevitable; functional for society

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14
Q

conflict perspective

A
  • macro level view
  • power struggle
  • karl marx, weber, W.E.B. Du Bois, C. Wright Mills
  • conflict over scarce and valued resources- who benefits from a particular pattern or social arrangement, and at whose expense
  • individuals subordinated to society
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15
Q

view of inequality in conflict perspective

A

results of struggle over scarce resources

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16
Q

source of social change in conflict perspective

A

struggle and competition

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17
Q

major criticisms of conflict perspective

A

exaggerates tension and division in society and understands the degree of cohesion and stability in society

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18
Q

symbolic interactionist perspective

A
  • micro level view
  • society as a product of the everyday interactions - shared meaning
  • George Herbert mead
  • Individuals and society are interdependent
  • interaction is dependent on shared symbols
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19
Q

source of social change in interactionist perspective

A

ever-changing web of interpersonal relationships and changing meaning systems

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20
Q

view of inequality in symbolic interactionist perspective

A

inequality demonstrated through meaning of status symbols

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21
Q

major criticisms fo symbolic interactionist perspective

A

no systematic framework for predicting which symbolic meanings will be generated or for how meanings persist or change. Has a weak analysis of inequality and tends to ignore material differences between groups in society; overstates the subjective basis of society

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22
Q

culture

A

the sociological knowledge, languages, values, customs, and material objects that are passed from person to person anf from one generation to the next in a human group or society

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23
Q

nonmaterial culture

A

non tangible- symbols, philosophy, systems, etc

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24
Q

material culture

A

tangible things

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25
society
people who interact in a defined territory and share a culture
26
culture shock
disorientation when being introduced to a new culture- happens from society to society or within subcultures
27
characteristics of culture
- dynamic; constantly changing - patterned; trackable and observable not random follows a pattern - learned; via socialization - shared; do the cultural things together - transmitted; passed from generation to generation and to others through bleeding of cultures
28
common components of culture
symbols language values beliefs norms
29
symbols
anything that meaningfully represents something else stands for something more than it is
30
language
system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another - cultural transmission; key way we transmit our culture
31
sapir-whorf hypothesis
language shapes the view of reality of its speakers - essential part of how we communicate our culture and shaping how we think
32
values
collective ideas about what is right or wrong, good or bad, and desirable or undesirable in a particular culture - they serve as broad guidelines for social living
33
beliefs
specific statements that people hold to be true - ex US values equal opportunity for all
34
norms
rules or guidelines for behavior - mores, folkways, sanctions - laws are formal, standardized norms that have been enacted by legislatures and are enforced by formal sanctions - reduce chaos by telling society how to act
35
mores
formal norms
36
folkways
informal norms
37
sanctions
formal/informal - formal sanctions are things like laws - informal sanctions are things like funny looks etc
38
subcultures
cultural patterns that set apart some segment of societies population - exist within part of the dominant culture
39
dominant culture
a set of patterns favored by powerful segments of the population - practically everyone participates in many subcultures
40
countercultures
groups that strongly reject dominant societal values and norms and seeks alternative lifestyles - very few people participate in countercultures - dependent on place in time for example historically feminism would be part of counterculture but today is seen as part of dominant culture - ex: cults
41
ethnocentrism
the practice of judging another culture by the standards of ones own culture - bad practice in sociology
42
culture relativism
the practice of evaluating culture by its own standards
43
xenocentrism
another culture is superior to ones own
44
cultural change
- elements of a cultural system are closely integrated - some elements of culture change faster than others- cultural lag - cultural change may be spurred by invention, discovery, or diffusion
45
functionalist perspective of culture
culture helps people meet their biological, instrumental, and integrative needs
46
conflict perspective of culture
values and norms help create and sustain the privileged position of the powerful in society
47
symbolic interactionist perspective of culture
people create, maintain, and modify culture as they go about their daily activities
48
socialization
process by which people understand societal norms and expectations, accept society's beliefs, and be aware of societal values - most crucial during childhood
49
personality
patterns of acting, thinking, and feeling - nature vs. nurture - socialization plays a big role in our personality
50
freud and the psychoanalytic perspective
- biology plays a major role in human development - personality is formed by unconscious forces - the id, I want chocolate - the ego, have a small bite of chocolate - the superego, I am on a diet
51
piaget and cognitive development
stages of cognitive development 1. sensorimotor stage, 0-2 years 2. preoperational stage, 2-7 years 3. concrete operational stage, 7-11 years 4. formal operational stage, 12-adolescence
52
kohlberg and the stages of moral development
1. preconventional level, age 7-10- motivations are just to avoid bad 2. conventional level, age 10-adulthood- motivations are based on how we are perceived by others 3. postconventional level; morality is seen as individual human rights transcending government and society. not everyone reaches this stage
53
charles horton cooley and the looking glass self
what we think of ourselves depends on what others think of us
54
george herbet mead's theory of social self
- self is the dimension of personality composed of self-awareness and self-image. It emerges from social experience- I and me - preparatory stage- 0-3 years; children don't know what's happening but imitate adults - play stage- 3-5 years; take roles and learn about society by acting them out playing dress up etc - game stage- early school years; learn the rules of the game - generalized other refers to the child's awareness of the demands and expectations of the society as a whole or of the child's subculture
55
components of social structure
status- social position a person holds. Holds specific expectations, rights, and duties - ascribed- given at birth; ex race, sex, social class, age, etc - achieved; altered throughout your lifetime; need to do something to get the status a status set comprises all the statuses that a person occupies at a given time - master status - status symbols - role
56
master status
the most important status a person occupies - for children age is often their master status
57
status symbols
material signs that inform others of a person's specific status
58
role
pattern of expected behavior for a particular status - role expectations; how things ought to be - role performance - role strain; incompatibility between roles of a SINGLE status - role conflict; incompatibility between roles of multiple statuses
59
social construct of reality
our perceptions of reality is largely shaped by the subjective meaning that we give to an experience - our reality is not the same for everyone
60
thomas theorem
situations that are defined as real are real in their consequences
61
dramaturgical analysis
erving goffman - front stage; putting our best foot forward, acting a specific way based on the expectations of the role. Our currated version of ourselves - back stage; how we act outside of our role; our authentic and private self - impression management
62
group conformity
group behavior has the potential to impact our behavior
63
solomon asch
classic experiment showing the power of groups in generating conformity
64
stanley milgram
studied obedience he found people are likely to follow directions given by someone in authority, even when it means inflicting harm on others
65
irving janis
contends that the number of united states foreign policy errors were the result of group conformity
66
group think
the tendency of group members to conform, resulting in a narrow view of some issue
67
social institution
a set of organized beliefs and rules that establishes how a society will attempt to meet its basic social needs
68
aggreate
collection of people at the same place at the same time but nothing else connects them
69
category
people who may have never met each other but have a similar characteristic that they share
70
social group
consists of two or more people who interact frequently and share a common identity and a feeling of interdependence
71
primary group
personal small groups whose members tend to have relationships that last a long time. Often engaged in face to face interactions over extended periods of time
72
secondary group
bigger than primary group, not as personal, often focused on some interest or some activity

Sociology (5 decks)

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