Unit 2 Flashcards
(37 cards)
What is a theory?
Tool used to understand the human social world
They are carefully thought-out explanations or propositions about the social world and people’s engagement within that world
They withstand the test of time through verification and application
Goes beyond common sense
Why is a theory used in sport?
To understand the role that sport and physical activity play in the social world
Why do we use theory?
Sociological theory encourages us to think about and evaluate social conditions both as they currently are and by putting those conditions into historical context
What is hazing?
If you’re a rookie on the team, the older teammates make you do stupid things to be part of the team
What is microsociology?
Attempts to understand real-life behaviours of people in society
Examines social interactions
Tries to understand how people understand the world around them
It’s the actual people involved and their interactions
What is macrosociology?
Grand theories
Society as a whole
Emphasis on structural processes rather than personal interactions
What is structural functionalism?
Each of the institutions, relationships, roles, and norms that together constitute a society serves a purpose and each is indispensable for the continued existence of the others and of society as a whole
Society is viewed as a complex system so all the systems need to work together to promote stability for society to work
What does Emile Durkheim say about suicide?
Says that someone would take their life because something in their society isn’t stable.
Is structural functionalism a microsociology or a macrosociology?
Macrosociology
What is functionalism in sport?
According to structural functionalists, sport creates group bonds. It encourages a sense of community
It integrates people into society’s dominant values
Sport acts symbolically to represent what is important for communities and ties people in them together
True of false: sport is a significant agent of socialization?
True
What is socialization?
The process by which people are taught to be proficient members of society
It’s how we learn to behave in society
Mostly applies to children
What does Karl Marx believe?
He believed that the economic conditions lay the foundation for social life.the economy shaped social systems and people’s lives within those systems
What theory did Karl Marx invent?
The conflict theory
With the systems there’s conflict to gain control over resources = power
Rich vs poor
What is Max Webers theory?
He says that that Karl Marx’s theory is valid but that conflict can’t only be around the economy
Weber divides it into 3 categories: economic conflict, political conflict and social conflict based on values
Is the conflict theory a microsociology or a macrosociology?
Macrosociology
Weber argued that conflict led to what?
To a greater emphasis on goal-rational action
Human action involving the most calculated and rationalized means toward achieving a particular end
What is the problem in sport with the Weber theory of conflict?
High-performance athletes feel the need to win so they sacrifice health, time with fam, ethics, etc
What is the NHL lockout?
The NHL didn’t want contracts
The teams were too good so they didn’t have competition and lost viewers
They put salary caps
That caused class conflict between the owners and athletes
What is symbolic interactionism?
Constructed based on interactions and meanings we give the world. It’s the way we come to understand the world
Meaning we bring to our social world creates the meaning we bring to our own lives
We assign meaning to things to decide how to act
What is the I in symbolic interactionism?
The response to the Me. The I thinks about these interactions, it processes them. The individual identity stepping it to process what society expects. Our personal responses to what society thinks
What you want to do
What is the Me in symbolic interactionism?
Our social self. What we learn through interactions with others. How we think others see us. It’s society’s view and what is expects from you
Ex: graduate, get a job, have a family
What are the three tenets of symbolic interactionism?
- We act based on the meaning we have given something
- the same thing can have different meanings for different people. So we act differently
- the meaning we give something is not permanent. It can change
What is symbolic interactionism in sport?
Children learn though sport, through interactions
There’s also subcultures created through interactions
- members of a subculture form their own language, belief system, norms and identity
