Sociology Pt. 2 Flashcards
(33 cards)
Resocialization
Drastically altering an individual’s perception by unlearning previous norms/values & replacing them w/ new ones, often using environmental stimuli.
Steps to Resocialization
- Degradation Process: Break down an individual’s identity + independence
- Adherence Learning: Process of building a new personality or sense of self which is accomplished w/ a system of reward & punishment.
Totalitarian Institutions
Where individuals are isolated from previous norms/values/deviances & are dependent on authority figures or those of a larger group.
Positive vs Negative Resocialization
Positive ex. Alcohol Anonymous - helps stop an addiction
Negative ex. Cults - total + persuasive influence
Sociologists Define a Cult as a Group that…
- Have beliefs considered by most of society to be “strange” or deviating from the norm.
- Have members who demonstrate unusual or excessive devotion to a person, idea, or thing.
- Have leaders who use unethical and/or manipulative methods of persuasion + control to advance their personal goals.
How is a Cult Different From a Religion?
Religions have moral centre that conveys they message that their members can find employment in that society, maintain neighbourly + economic relationships w/ others, & function as empathetic + responsible citizens.
- No forced isolation
- Often multi-generational
- Can have a religion w/out the personal changes
Types of Cults: Extraterrestrial/Apocalyptic
- Predict the end of the world through nuclear holocaust, war, or an act of God
- Use fear to attract followers
- Often isolate themselves in preparation for the last days
- When the prophecy of doom doesn’t come true, followers may remain devoted, saying “It’s just a delay”
Types of Cults: Political
- Form around political groups/political leaders
- “Cults of Personality”
- Leaders perceived as infallible + omniscient
- Use media + propaganda as control tactics
Types of Cults: Destructive
- Plan + carry out violent acts against own members or innocents of society
- Actions may be related to some kind of “end of the world” prophecy
Ex. the Mansion Family attempted to help their leader bring about “Helter Skelter” - a race war that would lead to them taking over the world.
What do Sociologists do?
- Study the interactions among ppl living together in a society & their actions, beliefs, + collective behaviours
- Compare & contrast these behaviours
- Try to explain events + actions w/out focusing on the personal factors of individuals, but rather the overarching influences in society that propel ppl to behave a certain way
- Observe + conduct practical research into key social issues
- Study the role of institutions + how they direct society
- Study the patterned relationships present in some institutions
- Study interactions of ppl in social relationships + create social structures
Roles
Everyone plays diff (multiple) roles in society & they determine our status.
Cults Identified as “Dangerous” to its Members or to Society Exhibit One or More of These Traits…
- Unconditioned dedication
- Exploitation + manipulation
- Charismatic leader, claiming to obtain “special” knowledge/ability
- Leader controls the members’ thoughts, actions, feelings, etc.
- Leader controls family + other impersonal relationships
- Leader isolates members
- Time + daily activities strictly controlled + regulated
- A “reporting” culture
How Cults “Resocialize” their Members
- Coercive persuasion/”brainwashing” = indoctrination or education
- Combination of deception, fear, + dependency
- Destructiveness (labour violations, child abuse, medical neglect, mass suicide/violence)
What Types of Ppl Join Cults
- Experiencing stress, crisis, turmoil
- Want to find meaning in their lives
- Strong desire to belong to a group - smth bigger than themselves
- Lack self-confidence
- Fed up or disillusioned w/ society - want to find a better way of life
- Ignore the way ppl manipulate others
Social Impact of Cults
- Give insight into a sociological phenomenon called “collectivist social thinking”
- Cultural viewpoint characterized by emphasis on cohesiveness among individuals + prioritization of the group over the individual
- Change in societal dynamics –> impact on community
Power
The ability to enforce one’s will + control/direct others in pursuit of those desires. Possessed by the dominant group.
How does One Keep Power?
By keeping the concept of being a dominant group + creating systems to exclude others from access to the power system –> creating systematic obstacles.
6 Main Sources of Power
- Physical force (ex. police)
- Wealth
- State action
- Social power
- Ideas
- Numbers
What’s the difference between race and ethnicity?
The idea of « race » refers to the superficial physical differences that a particular society considers significant while “ethnicity” is a term that describes shared culture.
Goal of Resocailization
The goal is conformity - When ppl change their behaviour to accommodate expectations of an authority figure or those of a larger group.
Prejudice
Pre-judgement about another person based on social group to which that person belongs.
Discrimination
ACTION basen on prejudice.
Racism
When a racial group’s collective prejudice is backed by the power of legal authority & institutional control.
Oppression
A form of injustice that occurs when one group exercises power over another through the use of force, authority, or social norms, leading to the marginalization, exploitation, + suppression of the latter group.
