chapter 4 quiz- sociology

grouping of people with similar levels of wealth, power, and prestige

social stratification

assets the value of everything the person owns and income 

wealth

ability to control the behavior of others, with or without their consent 

power

respect, honor, recognition, or courtesy an individual receives from others

prestige

what does SES stand for

socioeconomic status

rank people according to wealth, power, and prestige

socioeconomic status

* Stratification is necessary of a society 
* Roles must be performed if a system is to be maintained 
* The more important the role- the higher the reward 

functionalist theory

* Weaknesses
* Not everyone has equal access to such resources as education
* Assumes that positions that higher rewards are more important 

functionalist weaknesses

* Competition over scarce resources as cause of social inequality 
* Marxist theory class exploitation 
* Struggle for resources 

conflict theory

* Weaknesses
* Fails to recognize that unequal rewards are based on differences in talent, skill, and desire

conflict theory weaknesses

* Ex. Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Bill Gates, Michael Jordan 
* “Old money” vs. “new money”

upper class

* Ex. CEO’s, doctors 

upper middle class

* Ex. white collar jobs, nursing, middle management, teachers 

lower middle class

* Ex. blue collar, harder labor, factory workers, tradespeople, less skilled 

working classes

Ex. lowest paying jobs, housecleaning, migrant farm work, min wage

working poor

* Ex. undesirable work, only 50% of children in underclass move up 

underclass

movement between or within social classes 

social mobility

* moves from one job to another in equal ranking 

horizontal mobility

* movement between social classes (moves from working class to lower middle class)

vertical mobility

* Social changes within an individual’s life 

intergenerational mobility

our perception of the cause of events and behaviors

attribution theory