Social Theory Exam 1

Question 1

What is a Theory?

Answer 1

• explanations of observable phenomena
• consist of causal relations & mechanisms

Question 2

Causal relation

Answer 2

• outcome Y depends on some factor X if by modifying X one can affect Y

Question 3

Causal mechanism

Answer 3

• tells us how X produces Y

Question 4

Situational Mechanism

Answer 4

one’s environment may affect what people believe, what they know, what they expect, what consequences they expect to result from action

Question 5

Behavioral Mechanism

Answer 5

how what one believes, knows, wants, and expects affects one’s behavior

Question 6

Transformational Mechanism

Answer 6

how individual actions combine to produce group-level phenomenon

Question 7

Instrumental Rationality

Answer 7

• shaped by anticipated consequences
• calculate the cost and benefits
• selfish

Question 8

Value Rationality

Answer 8

• choose a course of action because they believe in it “for its own sake…independently of its prospect of success”
• “he believes it is the right thing to do”
• absorb values from community
• considers the morality of the decision

Question 9

Affective

Answer 9

• behavior driven by emotion rather than rational calculation
• emotional behavior

Question 10

Traditional

Answer 10

• act out of habit
• unconscious behavior

Question 11

homo-economics

Answer 11

• “a creature who is rational and purely self-interested”
• Independent with total agency
• “under-socialized” conceptualization of the human
• selfish

Question 12

Homo-sociologicus

Answer 12

-“ a creature who follows prevailing social norms without regard to self-interest”
- Dependent without agency
-“over-socialized” conceptualization of the human
- groupish

Question 13

What is culture?

Answer 13

systems of meaning

Question 14

What is structure?

Answer 14

patterns of relationships

Question 15

What describes social reality?

Answer 15

structure and culture

Question 16

Conflict Theory

Answer 16

• Marx coined the theory
• class based welfare; rich get richer
• only can get fixed through revolution
• It seeks to explain political and economic events in terms of an ongoing struggle over finite resources.

Question 17

Marx

Answer 17

• follow the money
• structure determines culture
• explains inequality
• economic structure determines morality

Question 18

Durkheim

Answer 18

• follow the crowd
• organic fluid
• explain loyalty & belief
• social solidarity determines faith

Question 19

Mead

Answer 19

• “the generalized other”
• father of social psychology
• the self is a social construct

Question 20

The generalized other

Answer 20

• concept by Mead
• organized community of or social group which gives to the individual his unity of self
• attitude of the generalized other is at the attitude of the whole community

Question 21

Legal-Rational Authority

Answer 21

• rests on the belief in the legality of enacted rules and the right of those elevated to authority under such rules to issue commands
• bureaucratic in nature
• belief “laws are fair and equally applied”

Question 22

Traditional Authority

Answer 22

• resting on an established belief in the sanctity o immemorial traditions and the legitimacy of those exercising authority under them
• belief “things have always been and will always be this way”

Question 23

Charismatic Authority

Answer 23

• resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him
• belief “I love our leader”

Question 24

Weber’s Legitimacy Types

Answer 24

• legal rationality
• traditional
• charismatic

Question 25

Weber’s Ideal Behavior Types

Answer 25

• instrumental rational
• value rational
• affective
• tradition

Question 26

What two behavior types do social theory’s stem from?

Answer 26

• traditional
• value rational

Question 27

Moral Authority

Answer 27

social integration and authority