SOC 100 Chapter 1

Sociology

The systematic or scientific study of human society and social behavior 

Social Sciences

The disciplines that use the scientific method to examine the social world  

Paradigm

A set of assumptions, theories, and perspectives that makes up a way of understanding social reality 

Microsociology

The level of analysis that studies face-to-face and small group interactions in order to understand how they affect the larger patterns and structures of society 

Macrosociology

The level of analysis that studies large scale social structures in order to see how they affect the lives of groups and individuals

Normative Theory

Focuses on how society should be structured, based on values and moral principles (typically not measurable) 

Empirical Theory

Focuses on explaining how society functions through observable data and scientific (measurable) 

Beginner’s Mind

Approaching the world without preconceptions in order to see things in a new way

Developed by Bernard McGrane

Culture Shock

A sense of disorientation that occurs when entering a radically new social or cultural environment

Sociological Imagination

A quality of the mind that allows us to understand the relationship between our individual circumstances and larger social forces 

Coined by C. Wright Mills

Links microsociology and macrosociology

Macro-micro Continuum

• Society 

• Culture 

• Social institutions 

• Social inequality 

• Groups 

• Roles 

• Socialization 

• Interaction 

• Self 

Auguste Comte

Founder of sociology (social physics, at the time) and positivism 

Harriet Martineau

Translated Comte’s work and had radical views 

Herbert Spencer

Founder of social Darwinism; coined “survival of the fittest”

Structural Functionalism

Assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures 

Founded by Emile Durkheim 

Mechanical vs organic solidarity  

Anomie 

Structure

A social institution that is relatively stable over time and meets the needs of society by performing functions necessary to maintain social order and stability  

Dysfunction

A disturbance to or an undesired consequence of some aspect of a social system; disturbs the equilibrium; tied strongly to institution 

Robert Merton

Identified manifest and latent functions of structural functionalism  

Manifest Functions

The obvious, intended functions of a social structure for the social system 

Latent Functions

The less obvious, perhaps unintended functions of a social system 

Can often result in dysfunction 

Conflict Theory

Sees social conflict as the basis of society and social change; emphasizes a materialist view of society, a critical view of the status quo, and a dynamic model of historical change 

Founded by Karl Marx 

Fueled by social inequality

Proletariat vs bourgeoise

Alienation

Proletariat

Those who have no means of production of their own so they must sell their labor power in order to live  

Bourgeoise

Those who own the means of production

Alienation

Feeling of disconnection from social ties and an increase in impersonal associations

Mechanical Solidarity

The type of social bonds present in premodern, agrarian societies, in which shared traditions and beliefs created a sense of social cohesion

Organic Solidarity

The type of social bonds present in modern societies, based on difference, interdependence, and individual rights

Anomie

“Normlessness”

Alienation and loss of purpose that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change

False Consciousness

A denial of the truth on the part of the oppressed when they fail to recognize that the interests of the ruling class are embedded in the dominant ideology 

Class Consciousness

The recognition of social inequalities on the part of the oppressed, leading to revolutionary action in  

Weberian Theory

Created by Max Weber  

Interested in the shift from a more traditional society to a modern industrial one 

Pessimistic view of social forces, such as work ethic

Rationalization

The Iron Cage

Rationalization

The application of economic logic to human activity; the use of formal rules and regulations in order to maximize efficiency without consideration of subjective or individual concerns  

The Iron Cage

Weber’s pessimistic description of modern life, which are caught in bureaucratic structures that control lives through rigid rules of rationalization 

Bureaucracy

A type of secondary group designed to perform tasks efficiently, characterized by specialization, technical competence, hierarchy, written rules, impersonality, and formal written communication

Symbolic Interactionism

A paradigm that sees interaction and meaning as central to society and assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction 

Proposed by George Herbert Mead  

Helps explain both our individual personalities and the ways in which we are all linked together   

Microsociology  

The Chicago School

Symbolic interactionism  

A type of sociology practices at the University of Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s that centered on urban settings and field research methods  

Inspired by Weber’s concept verstehen 

Pragmatism 

Pragmatism

A perspective that assumes organisms (including humans) make practical adaptations to their environments; humans do this through cognition, interpretation, and interaction

W.E.B. Dubois

Did groundbreaking research on the history of the slave trade, post-Civil War Reconstruction, the problems of urban ghetto life, and the nature of Black American society 

Antiracist, antipoverty, and antiwar 

Helped found the NAACP 

Jane Addams

One of the first proponents of applied sociology  

Considered the founder of social work