sociology exam 2

intersectionality

How a person's various social identities mix together and cross to create unique experiences and effects

The feminization of poverty is particularly acute among families headed by

Hispanic and Black women

Disability Status

People who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which may hinder their full and effective participation in society

Autism

A developmental disorder that impairs the ability to

communicate and interact

Matrix of Domination

refers to the overall organization of power in society

Four main domains of power

structural, cultural, disciplinary, interpersonal

structural domain

focuses on the structures in our society and how they organize power
ex. institutional structures

disciplinary domain

manages power and oppression

ex. registering a car

cultural domain

legitimizes (makes it legitimate or real) power and oppression.

ex. driving on opposite sides of the road

interpersonal domain

deals with everyday interactions and how power plays out or thought about

ex. pulled over by a police officer

culture

the values, social norms, language, and symbols they use to construct how they see the world

beliefs

things you believe are true

values

abstract ideals, things that you prioritize

norms

rules on how to behave

ex. forming lines at stores

cultural universals

Values or modes of behavior shared by all human cultures

ex. marriage

subcultures

subgroups within societies that have distinct cultural ideas, objects, practices, and bodies

countercultures

challenge the meanings and norms that exist in society

ex. feminists

Capital

term for anything that gives the owner value or advantage

Different types of capital

financial, social, human, cultural

cultural capital

cultural knowledge that gives you status and power

ex. things you own

nature

Who a person is determined by biological factors

(e.g., genetics, brain chemistry, etc.)

nurture

Who a person is is determined by their social

environment

socialization

the lifelong learning process by which we become members of our cultures and learn beliefs, values, and norms

primary socialization

during childhood and infancy

secondary socialization

begins after childhood and continues for life.

social reproduction

how societies reproduce themselves

resocialization

the process whereby people learn new rules and norms upon entering a new social world

desocialization

the process whereby people unlearn rules and norms upon exiting a particular social world

total institutions

setting in which people are isolated from the rest of society for a specific period of time and under tight control

agents of socialization

groups of social contexts where processes of socialization take place

social interaction

The process where people act and react in relation to each other

social status

The position a person occupies in a social group based on honor or prestige

ascribed status

A status that was assigned to a person, typically at birth or later on in life

ex. something they have no choice in, like gender

achieved status

A status that is achieved or earned (with at least some effort)

ex. occupation

master status

A status or identity that overpowers all other identities

ex. race

social roles

the expected behaviors of people occupying particular social status or position

role conflict

When different status and roles create different opposing demands

•For example: being a parent and being a worker

role strain

When roles in a single status create conflict

•For example: being a parent and needing to cook (caregiver) versus playing with your kids (being attentive)

impression management

efforts to control how we are perceived by others

face

the esteem in which an individual is held by others

facework

individuals' effort to present themselves or others as honorable and worthy of esteem

losing face

losing composure

saving face

recovering from losing composure

Dramaturgical theory

the view of social life as a metaphorical theater performance, in which we are all actors with roles, scripts, costumes, and sets

backstage

actions not made for public consumption

frontstage

actions made for public consumption

medical sociology

concerned with studying the social causes and consequences of health and illness

social determinants of health

The non-medical factors that influence health outcomes

ex. education, food and water, economic stability

Psychological approach

looks to the mind, thinking and cognition

Psychoanalytic model

mental illness is caused by unconscious conflicts within an individual's mind

Cognitive behavioral model

in between a triggering event and mental illness are cognitive processes of interpretation and their associated behaviors and this is where treatment should be focused

sociological approach

looks outside the individual to how social forces can affect mental health

Social stress model

looks to social forces to understand both the stressors an individual might face, as well as the coping resources they might have at their disposal

medicalization

The process by which problem or issues not traditionally seen as medical come to be framed as such

ex. infertility

Demedicalization

The process of which some aspects of social life are no longer medicalized

ex. homosexuality

Social etiology approach

look for the source of particular mental health issues or disorders in the social arrangements of society

social consequences

illness is the starting point, explores the consequences of illness – both for the individual and for society

labeling theory

suggests that labels can change the way an individual views themselves, leading to changes in their behavior

stigma

Any attribute that reduces an individual from a whole and usual person to one who is tainted and discounted

public stigma

negative or discriminatory attitudes the public carries about mental illness

ex. calling a mentally ill person crazy

self stigma

directed inwards, worries and anxieties

ex. feeling like a burden

institutional stigma

when prejudice and discrimination become embedded in law and the practices of institutions

ex. lower funding for mental illness

Contact hypothesis

suggests that contact under appropriate conditions can reduce prejudice between majority and minority group members

Structural functionalism

theory that every aspect of society serves a function and promoting stability and solidarity for society as a whole

sick role

The social rights and obligations of an individual who is ill

social deviance

any transgression of socially established norms

social norms

rules and expectations within a society

ex. saying thank you

Mores

Moral norms, meaning they have an element of right and wrong

◦ Ex: Stealing, Murder

Folkways

Norms of etiquette that are not very serious if broken

◦ Saying please and thank you

Taboos

Norms about something that is seen as excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred, or allowed only for certain people

◦ Ex: Cannibalism, incest

Formal deviance

Deviance that breaks the law

• Ex. Murder

Informal deviance

Deviance that does not break the law but contravenes social norms

• Ex. Picking your nose in public

Social Control

mechanisms that lead individuals to comply with group norms

Sanctions

reactions by others aimed at promoting conformity

Informal sanctions

often applied by one's peers or other members of society, usually unwritten rules

Formal sanctions

enforced by individuals or organizations with official statuses, such as teachers, police, judicial authorities, etc.

Safer Streets Campaign

focuses on punishing people for small infractions as a way to deter crime

Outreach policing

focuses on helping people avoid crime by treating root causes

Panopticon

Allows all prisoner of an institution to be observed by a single security guard, without the inmates knowing whether or not they are being watched

Division of Labor

specialization of work tasks

Economy

The social institution responsible for organizing the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

Goods

commodities ranging from necessities to luxuries

Services

activities that benefit others

Capitalism

A political and economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and wealth

Socialism

A political and economic system that focuses on partial social ownership of the means of production and wealth

Communism

A political and economic system based on the people or workers owning the means of production and sharing in the wealth it produces

Four Adaptations of Strain Theory

Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism, Rebellion

Conformity

Social standards and value and typical means of achieving those standards

Ritualism

No social standards/values, typicall means of achieving those standards

Retreatism

No social standards or typical means

Rebellion

No social standards or typical means

Innovation

social standards and value, no typical means

human capital

the economic value of a worker's experience and skills.

ex. education

financial capital

the accumulation of wealth

ex. investments

social capital

a set of shared values or resources that allows individuals to work together in a group to effectively achieve a common purpose

ex. asking someone to borrow their car in a pinch.