Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Sociology- Culture, socialisation, identity > Social class identities > Flashcards

Social class identities Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 4 classes?

A
  • Upper class (+ super rich)
  • Middle class
  • Working class (traditional + new)
  • Underclass
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is social class?

A

A ‘contested concept’ as it is difficult to define which social class someone belongs to, but there are indicators of an individual’s social class position

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What do postmodernists (Palkuski and Walters) think about social class?

No longer significant

A
  • Social class, as a means of identity, is no longer significant, so is dead
  • There has been a shift from production to consumption in the definition of identity (work centred to consumerism)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What did Offe say about social class identities?

No longer significant

A
  • In today’s society, fewer individuals share a common, unifying experience of full time work
  • We create our own identities, regardless of family’s class, qualifications, job, etc
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is an example of changing social class identities?

A
  • Contemporary UK gives choices and opportunities to everyone (uni, travelling, homeowning)
  • Media gives access to a range of info and cultural experiences
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is an example of social class identities NOT changing?

A
  • Social class backgrounds remain the most significant indicators of outcome (education, health, life expectancy)
  • There is a difference is culture and lifestyle between people from different social and economic backgrounds
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What do marxists think about social class?

A

Social class is still significant, as there are still divisions within society, due to class

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What does Bordieu say about social class?

Marxist

Still significant

A
  • The rich stay rich and at the top of sociey (through capitals)
  • The poor stay poor
  • The ruling class use their power to ensure that they, and their children stay in their societal position
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are the 3 types of capital?

A
  • Cultural capital (knowledge, attitudes, skills, education and advantages)
  • Economic capital (economic resources)
  • Social capital (resources based on group membership, relationships, networks of influence and support)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are some of the indicators of social class?

A
  • Holidays
  • Accent/language
  • Occupation
  • Wealth/assets
  • Housing
  • Money/income
  • Cars
  • Education
  • Norms and values
  • Hobbies/activities
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Who are the upper class?

A

Those with inherited wealth, often in the form of land or money (from inheritance)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are the 3 main groups of the upper class?

A
  • Traditional
  • Owners of industry and commerce
  • Entertainment stars
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are the key features of the upper class?

A
  • Private education
  • Military service
  • Employing domestic staff
  • High culture
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are some of the activities enjoyed by the upper class?

A
  • Polo
  • Shooting
  • Ballet
  • Going to the theatre/opera
  • Hunting
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What did Mackintosh, Mooney and Scott say about the upper class?

A
  • The upper cass operate on ‘social closure’
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is ‘social closure’?

A
  • Closing off opportunities to ‘outsiders’
  • Their (upper class) education, leisure time, daily lives are separated and partially invisible from the rest of the population
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the ‘Old Boys Network’?

A
  • Shows how education connects the upper class, to create a ‘social capital’
  • These connections enale for the rich to remain wealthy and powerful, as they use their connection to maintain status ofr their children too
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is Bordieu’s cultural capital?

A
  • Parents socialise their children into the attitudes and knowledge needed to succeed in high society
  • This may include the right ways of speaking, etiquette and confidence in different social situations
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Who are the super rich?

A
  • People whose economic capital comes from their achievements, not their inheritance
  • Success comes from hard work
  • E.g: Elon Musk
20
Q

What are the characteristics of the super rich?

A
  • Flashy
  • Conspicuous consumers with branded labels
  • Flash cars
21
Q

What did Bordieu say about the super rich?

A
  • They have a large economical capital
  • A low social capital
  • And high social status
22
Q

Who are the middle class?

A

A large class, made up of a wide range of different groups with an emphasis on respectability and self control

23
Q

What are the characteristics of the middle class?

A
  • Children raised with a commitment to education and success in their careers
  • Higher social capital
  • Rapidly expanding as a social class
24
Q

What are the 2 main categories within the middle class?

A
  • Established middle class (larger group, with a higher social and cultural capital)
  • Technical middle class (smaller, socially isolated group with low social and cultural capital)
25
Q

What are the 5 main categories of career within the middle class?

A
  • The professions (lawyers, doctors, teachers)
  • Managers (government officials)
  • Self employed (business owners)
  • Financial and creative (finance workers, stockbrokers)
  • Lower middle class (white collar workers- non manual work- sales staff)
26
Q

What are the norms and values of the middle class?

A
  • Deferred gratfication
  • Commitment to education
  • Concern on own fitness, health, wellbeing
  • Respect for high culture
  • Focus on future orientation
27
Q

What did Wyne say about the middle class?

A
  • Argued the middle class possess economic, cultural and social capital
  • There differ from the working class
28
Q

What did Savage and Roberts say about the middle class?

A
  • It is difficult to generalise middle class identity
29
Q

What did Bordieu say about the middle class?

A
  • Middle class children at university are seen as a ‘fish in water’
30
Q

Who are the traditional working class?

A

Individuals focused on traditional, long established and basic industries (mining, docking, iron and steel, shipbuilding)

31
Q

What are some of the cultural features of the traditional working class?

A
  • Close-knit community
  • Men=breadwinners, instrumental roles
  • Women= houswives, expressive roles
  • Obtaining a skill, getting a job and money are seen as more important than education
  • Strong sense of working class identiy and loyalty to social class
  • Commitment to the old labour party
  • Enjoyment and participation in pop culture
32
Q

What did Bordieu say about the working class?

A
  • Working class children at university are like ‘a fish out of water’ as they are less focused on their education
33
Q

What did Willis say about the working class?

A
  • Found manual labour to be central to a man’s masculinity
  • Working class aspirations are based on parents’ careers and children want to ‘follow in their father’s footsteps’
34
Q

What did Hoggart say about the working class?

A
  • Found the working class had very strong morals and maintaining respectability in the community was linked to ‘doing the right thing’
  • Their security of life, risk of unemployment, injury, ill health and poverty led to:
  • Immediate gratification
  • Present orientation
  • A sense of fatalism
35
Q

What is immediate gratification?

A

Enjoying the pleasure of today, rather than putting it off for later

36
Q

What is present orientation?

A

A focus on the here and now, rather than the future and long-term goals

37
Q

What is a sense of fatalism?

A

An acceptance of their situation, as they don’t see much hope changing or improving their lives

38
Q

What are the cultural features of the new working class?

A
  • Privatised, home-centered family lifestyle
  • Work is now seen as a means of making money
  • Little loyalty to class
  • Changing gender roles
  • Emphasis on consumer goods
  • Rise in number of homeowners
39
Q

What did Skeggs say about the new working class?

A
  • Working class women distanced themselves from the traditional working class norms and values
  • Desire to be seen as respectable- homeowners, careers
40
Q

What did Savage et al say about the new working class?

A
  • Men focus on manual labour and social clubs
  • Women organise their social lives around local families (good social capital)
41
Q

Who are the underclass?

A

The lowest social stratum in a community, consisting of the poor and the unemployed

42
Q

What are the main characteristics of the underclass?

A
  • Bottom of society
  • Lack of opportunities
  • Unqualified and unemployed
  • Idle and lazy
  • ‘Welfare scroungers’
  • Single parent families, irresponsible parenting
  • Poor health
  • Low payed and unskilled jobs
  • Criminality and poverty
43
Q

What did Charlesworth say about the underclass?

A
  • As a form of compensation, the underclass turn to drink and drugs
44
Q

What did Dennis and Erdos say about the underclass?

A
  • Boys growing up with a single mothr turn to crime and deviance as they do not have an appropriate role model to look up to and aspire to be
45
Q

What did Macdonald say about the underclass?

A
  • ‘Underclass’ is used to describe people who are ‘structurally separate and culturally distinct from the regularly employed working class’
46
Q

What do Marxists say about the underclass?

A
  • ‘Lumpenproletariat (lump at the bottom of the pile)
  • Seen in a negatve light due to a lack of contribution to things such as capitalism and consumerism
  • Don’t aid the rich staying rich

Sociology- Culture, socialisation, identity (13 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions