Dyad
a group of two
Georg Simmel
Small group guy
Tertius Gaudens
the member of a triad who benefits from conflict between the other two members of the group
Divide et Impera
the role of a member of a triad who intentionally drives a wedge between the other two actors in the group
Small groups
a group characterized by face-to-face interaction, a unifocal perspective, lack of formal arrangements of roles, and a certain level of equality
Party
similar to a small group, but multifocal
Large Group
a group characterized by the presence of a formal structure that mediates interaction and status differentiation
C.H. Cooley
emphasized distinction between primary and secondary groups
Primary Groups (Cooley)
social groups, such as family or friends, composed of enduring, intimate face-to-face relationships that strongly influence the attitudes and ideals of those involved
Secondary Groups (Cooley)
groups marked by impersonal, instrumental relationships (those existing as a means to an end)
Asche Test/Experiment
Group conformity, participants were shown to pick an answer they knew was wrong because the group selected it
Tie
set of stories that explains our relationship to other members of our network (e.g., roommate, girlfriend)
Narrative
sum of the stories contained in a series of ties (e.g., people from your floor, from your class)
Embeddedness
refers to the degree to which ties are reinforced through indirect paths within a social network
Strength of Weak Ties
Provide highest level of social capital. Strong and favor upward mobility or advancement, provide more opportunity than embeddedness does
Social Capital
the information, knowledge of people or ideas, and connections that help individuals enter preexisting network or gain power in them
Social Network
A set of dyads held together by ties between individuals
Human Capital
stock of knowledge, habits, social and personality attributes, including creativity, embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value.[1]
Stratification
refers to the systematic inequalities between groups of people that arise as intended or unintended consequences of social processes and relationships
Social Equality
A condition in which no differences in wealth, power, prestige, or status based on nonnatural conventions exist
3 Dimensions of Stratification
Economic Standing
Prestige
Power
Economic Standing
wealth and income
Prestige
Involves social respect, admiration, and recognition associated with particular statuses
Power
conduct by which we compel others
Wealth
all of a persons assets minus their debts
Income
money received for work or investments
Types of Stratification Systems
Open or closed
Closed Strat. System
Allows little change in social position
Open Strat. System
More upward mobility
Open Strat System Examples
Class System
Closed Strat System Examples
Caste System
Ascription
A person is ascribed a certain status
Ascription
A person is ascribed a certain status from birth
Meritocracy
A person gains power on the basis of their ability
3 Different Standards of Equality
Equality of Oppurtunity
Equality of Condition
Equality of Outcome
Equality of Oppurtunity
Idea that inequality is acceptable so long as everyone has the same opportunities for advancement and is judged by the same standards
Equality of Condition
everyone should have an equal starting point from which to pursue his or her goals (e.g., everyone has same amnt. $$ at beginning of monopoly)
Equality of Outcome
notion that everyone in a society should end up with the same rewards regardless of their starting point, opportunities, or contributions
Asset
Property that has value owned by a person or company
Net Worth
All of a person’s assets minus their debts
Distribution of wealth
Top 10% earners control 80% of the wealth in USA
Trends in Income Groupings
Middle Class is shrinking
Poor is growing
Power of rich is increasing
Caste System
Social strat based on ascription, or birth, or religion
Little or no social mobility
Estate System
Laws written in which rights/duties separate individual (e.g., Landowners have right to vote, others do not) Feudal system in Europe. French in 18th Century
Class System and Stratification According to Marx?
Stratification is rooted in class conflict and is not necessary
Capitalists/Bourgeois/Employing Class (Marx)
People who won and operate factories and other businesses in pursuits of profits
Proletariat (Working Class)
Working people who sell their labor for wages
Contradictory Class Locations (Erik Olin Wright) Example
A branch manager is both a member of the proletariat and the bourgeoise
False Consciousness (Marx)
The phenomenon that promotes the idea that people are lower in the strat. based off of individual abilities. Used to maintain power and prevent uprising according to Marx
Erik Olin Wright
Coined theory of contradictory class locations
Weber on Class
Class is a group with common life chances or opportunities available in the market place Members have of same class have similar value in labor and property
Pareto and 80/20 rule
Roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes…actions of the powerful affect the masses
C. W. Wright was into _____ as pertaining to stratification
Meritocracy
Struct. Functionalist Explanation for Stratification
Social Strat. is inevitable and plays a vital role in the operation of society
Davis-Moore Thesis
Stratification benefits all through specialization and progress
Marx Explanation for Strat.
Stratification is rooted in Class Conflict and is not necessary
Socioeconomic status
Combined measure of a persons work experience + their families social position related to others in terms of education, income, occupation
How does the Pew Report Define Classes?
Lower = 2/3 X the median income Upper = 2 X the median income Middle = inbetween
Is the wealth gap in the united states growing?
YES, middle class is shrinking too
Absolute Poverty
Deprivation of resources against a life-threatening level
Poverty is determined in relation to the cost of food, and the minimum amount of food needed to survive basically
(3X economy food basket adjusted for family size and age of head of family. Developed by Molly Orshansky under LBJ in the 60s and has not been changed since.)
Relative Poverty
the deprivation of some people in relation to those who have more. In US, 30% less of Median income
Which Age Group has Highest poverty rate?
Under 18
Which Race/Ethnicity Rate has highest poverty rate?
Native Americans, then blacks
Which Family Structure has highest poverty rate?
Single Mothers
Percent of poor receiving public assistance
Less than 10%
Collective Action
Action that takes place in groups and diverges from the social norms of the situation
Contagion (Convergence) Theory
theory claiming that collective action arises because of people’s tendency to conform to the behavior of others with whom they are in close contact
Emergent Norm Theory
theory of collective action emphasizing the influence of keynoters in promoting new behavioral norms
Social Movement
collective behavior that is purposeful, organized, and institutionalized, but not ritualized
Alterative Social Movements
Social movements that seek the most limited societal change and often target a narrow group of people
Redemptive Social Movements
Social movements that target specific groups but advocate for more radical change in behavior
Reformative Social Movements
Social movements that advocate for limited social change across an entire society
Revolutionary Social Movements
social movements that advocate the radical reorganization of society
Classical Model of Social Movements
structural weakness in society results in the psychological disruption of individuals
Resource Mobilization Theory
model of social movements that emphasizes political context and goals but also states that social movements are unlikely to emerge without the necessary resources
Political Process Model
Model of social movements that focuses on the structure of political opportunities. When these are favorable to a particular challenger, the chances are better for the success of a social movement led by this challenger.
Value-Added (or Social Strain) Theory
the assumption that certain conditions are needed for the development of a social movement
Emergence (Stage of Social Movement)
the first stage of a social movement, occurring when the social problem being addressed is first identified
Coalescence (Stage of Social Movement)
the second stage of a social movement in which resources are mobilized, concrete action is taken around problems outlined in the emergence stage
Routinization or Institutionalization (Stage of Social Movement)
the final stage of a social movement, in which it is institutionalized and a formal structure develops to promote the cause (e.g., affirmative actions?)
De factor segregation
Segregated in fact (America post. Brown v Board of Ed)
De jure segregation
Segregated by law (Apartheid in South Africa)
Conley’s Definition of the Middle Class?
Those with nonmanual jobs that pay significantly more than the poverty line, highly debated and expansive category. In the US a large swath of society considers themselves middle class.
The Culture of Poverty
Argument that poor people adopt certain practises that differ from those of middle-class or “mainstream” society in order to adapt and survive in difficult economic circumstances
Bell Curve Thesis
Good genes is what prevents people from living in poverty, their nurture and outside circumstances do not matter. Low IQ from parents is a risk factor to children, and is also passed on to them.
Charles Murray
Bell curve thesis
A libertarian political scientist born in 1943
Institutionalized Isomorphism
the similarity of the processes or structure of one organization to those of another, be it the result of imitation or independent development under similar constraints.
Race (Conley Definition)
A group of people who share a set of characteristics– typically, but not always, physical ones– and are said to share a common bloadline
Racism
the belief that members of separate races possess different and unequal traits
Ethnocentrism
Evaluating other cultures according to the preconceptions and standards of one’s own culture
Nativism
the policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants
One-Drop Rule
The belief that “one drop” of black blood makes a person black, a concept that evolved from U.S. laws forbidding miscegenation
Ethnicity
One’s ethnic quality of affiliation. It is voluntary, self-defined, nonhierarchical, fluid and multiple, and based on cultural differences, not physical ones per se
Racialization
the formation of a new racial identity by drawing idealogical boundaries of difference around a formerly unnoticed group of people.
Symbolic Ethnicity
a nationality, not in the sense of carrying the rights and duties of citizenship but of identifying with a past or future nobility. For late generations of white ethnics, something not contstraining but easily expressed, with no risks of stigma and all the pleasures of feeling like an individual
Bogardus Social Distance Scale
empirically measure people’s willingness to participate in social contacts of varying degrees of closeness with members of diverse social groups, such as racial and ethnic groups.
Genocide
Deliberate killing of a large number of people, specifically those of a certain ethnic group.
Straight-Line Assimiliation
Robert Parks’ 1920 universal and linear model for how immigrants assimilate: they first arrive, then settle in, and achieve full assimilation in a newly homogenous country.
Pluralism
The presence and engaged coexistence of numerous distinct groups in one society
Segregation
The legal or social practice of separating people on the basis of their race or ethnicity.
Discrimination
Harmful or negative acts (not mere thoughts) against people deemed inferior on the basis of their racial category, without regard to their individual merit
Prejudice
Thoughts and feelings about an ethnic or racial group, which lead to preconceived notions and judgements (often offensive) about the group