Soci 201 Dumas - Midterm I

What is the sociological imagination?

the ability to look past the individual and seek explanations that identify social issues. we need to look past private troubles and focus on social issues

Emile Durkheim

studied suicide and came up with the 4 types of suicide. he rejected the idea that suicide was a result of psychological disorder

Expected Results Graph

Cause Variable = X Axis

Effect Variable = Y Axis

social solidarity

the frequency of interaction and the degree of sharing of beliefs, values, and morals in a group

personal problems vs social issues

different causes for some issues

ie. plagiarism

private troubles: time management, impulsive

social issues: education costs, internet

4 types of suicide

Altruistic, egoistic, fatalistic, anomic

Altruistic

high integration, sacrificial

eg. soldiers, terminal people in hospitals, suicide bombers

Egoistic

low integration, loners

eg. school shooters

Fatalistic

high regulation

eg. prisoners, arranged marriages, student due to stress

Anomic

low regulation as a result of social, cultural, financial, political implosions

ex. first nations people and residential schools

Integration

Interaction with society, the opposite of social exclusion

Regulation

Need a certain amount of control

why was Durkheims work significant?

1) there is something unique about sociology

2) causes of suicide are partly social

3) the study of social forces need not leave out biological or psychological forces

EXAM QUESTION: who was the first sociologist?

Not Durkheim! Auguste Comte (1798-1857) is often considered the first well-known sociologist.

T/F Women losing job constantly, she is late (blames society) is she using her social imagination?

False

T/F as social solidarity increases, suicide decreases.

False

T/F Person who loses spouse is more likely to commit suicide than single person

False

What is Sociology?

"the systemic study of human behaviour". study of powerful social forces, which emerged during the time of the industrial revolution (when more people started studying more and caring about social issues). It is not a "science"

What are the 4 sociological promises?

1) sociology promises to help us think critically

2) it promises to explain why we act the way we do

3) it reveals the possibilities of human action

4) shows the correct route to induce positive social change

critical thinking

using careful observation to arrive at a conclusion about our social world rather than basing our understanding upon authority, casual observation, illogical reasoning, etc

three levels of sociological inquiry

Micro-level: individual behaviour ex. males nicer than females bc they open doors

Macro-level: national level (study of social institutions) ex. family, country specific

Global-level: investigation of international phenomenon ex. multinational corportation

5 important sociological perspectives and theories

Functionalism

Conflict theories

Symbolic interactionism

Feminist theories

The postmodern (not a theory)

EXAM QUESTION: What is Alienation?

Alienation refers to the separation of things that naturally go together

Sociological theory came in response to?

- Scientific Revolution/Enlightenment

- Rise of Nation-State

- Effect of industrial revolution

Functionalism

-operates on the macro level

-main focus: values

-strives towards a state of equilibrium and suggests that reestablishing it can best solve most problems

-examines the factors and that hold society together and the norms of society

-how social structures (and institutions) affect social stability

-how social order is supposed by macrostructures

- anomie may lead to social problems

Hobbesian Question

How can a good society exist if everyone has tempts of greed, etc

Functionalism Key Scholars

Perry Cohen

Emile Durkheim

Conflict Theory- Marx

-operates on the macro level

-main focus: class inequality

-strives towards the reduction of privilege, especially class privilege

-Marx is the most important conflict theorist

-we can identify two groups in any given society; the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, who compete for control of the means of production

-examines the forces that pull society apart (who has power)

-Marx compared the process of commodity production to stealing (aka a pimp/prostitute relationship)

Conflict Theory- Weber

-weber believed that capitalism was one of the several factors that influenced social behaviour

-also examined political and religious influences on human behaviour (he was interested in protestant)

-known for verstehende soclogy

Conflict Theory Key Scholars

Marx

Weber

Symbolic Interactionism

-examines human behaviour from the micro-sociological level

-main focus: meaning

-strives for respect for the validity of minority views

-maintains 3 PRINCIPLES:

1) humans act towards things on the basis of the meanings they have for us

2) this meaning is developed in interaction with others

3) these meanings are modified in an interpretive process (constantly changing)

ex. red means stop, shared meanings are basic motivations for peoples actions

-stresses that people help to create their social circumstances and do not merely react to them

Feminist Theories

-operates on both micro and macro-sociological levels

-strives towards the reduction of gender inequality

-patriarchy, a system of male domination:

1) should be examined

2) is the result of social forces, rather than biological imperative

3) should be eliminated

The Postmodern

-not a theory, or scientific

-Theories are merely constructions or narratives

-focuses on consumerism, the explosion of information system

-critical of one-size-fits-all

- no one can be objective, we are all biased to a degree

- always look for self-interest

Anomie

a feeling that occurs as a result of lack of social bonding; a feeling of normlessness or without purpose.

Verstehede Sociology

infers to the meaning behind human action

What "type" of sociologist would be interested in the following scenario?

A man comes home from work early and finds his wife in their bed spanking another man! Absolutely shocked he decides to ...

symbolic interactionism

Peter MacKacy relationship with Belinda Stronach, daughter of billionaire, Belinda abruptly ended the relationship. How would Marx explain?

Relationship was never destined for marriage, because of the different social classes

Durkheim would want to have a relationship with:

Veterinarian

Librarian

Anarchist

Communist

Orderly

Orderly

how do we know our world?

1) Personal Experience

2) Tradition

3) Expertise (Authority)

4) Religion

5) Science

Theory

a set of claims about what exists in our social world and the inter-connections amongst phenomena.

Ideology

a set of beliefs and the inter-connections that one holds

Types of research

Inductive

observations -> generalizations -> theories

Deductive

theories -> hypotheses -> observations

Quantitative and Qualitative

the four requisites of causality

1) Correlation

2) Temporal Sequence

3) Non-spurious relationships

4) Use of Theory

Correlation

the property of things being connected. in order for two things to meet the demands of causality, two variables must be connected. ex. lemons and limes go together but lemons do not cause limes.

- just because they relate does not mean that it is a cause

Temporal Sequence

the proper order of things. in order to say one thing causes another, it must occur before the other. (if one thing happens before the other, they cant cause each other)

Non-spurious relationships

they cant just be coincidental; just because they are seen together doesnt mean they cause each other. When another unrecognized variable is the cause of a relationship of interest, it is deemed spurious. ex. fires and firetrucks are seen together, and one could illogically infer that fires are caused by firetrucks, but the third external variable is the causes of the fire.

Spurious

is when a third variable that you have not discussed in the causation

What is the most difficult causality to prove?

Non-spurious

Use of Sociological Theory

theories open up questions that need to be answered. by contrast, simply identifying statistical correlations may be illogical

How do we learn about our world?

Classical experiment, survey research, and field research (observation studies)

Variable

-a construct (an event or attribute) to which we can assign a value (usually numerical)

-an independent variable (i.e. age) cause a change in the dependent variable (which depends on the independent variable)

Independent

Cause

Dependent

Effect

Classic Experiment

-"hallmark" of scientific research -> isolates experimental effect

- used rarely in sociology more in psychology

-randomly assigns subjects to either an experimental group that experiences the experimental effect or a control group that doesnt

Survey Research

-commonly used in sociology bc relatively few people can be asked about their experience, thoughts, beliefs, and then can be generalized to a larger population

-often accurate but we always face questions of validity (accuracy) and reliability (consistency)

Field Research (observation studies)

-research goes into field and records behaviour of others

-allows us to study things often not possible by other means

-questions of reliability and validity

-ethical concerns paramount (tearoom trade)

-personal interviews are the most commonly used method for deriving information

Tearoom trade

study by Laud Humphreys on impersonal sexual acts between two or more men in a public restroom

Which method would be appropriate? What are the main causes of crime in Canadian society?

Survey research method

Which is the best method utilized by sociologists?

None are the best. Depends on the nature of the question

Agents of Socialization

-family

-school

-peer groups

-mass media

Which is the most important agent of socialization?

Family

Theories of Socialization

Biology: Wilson and the Harlows

Psychology: Freud, Piaget, Kohlberg, Gilligan

Sociology: Cooley, Mead, Goffman

Theories of Socialization: Biology

Wilson, the Harlows

Theories of Socialization: Psychology

Freud, Piaget, Kohlberg, Gilligan

Theories of Socialization: Sociology

Cooley, Mead, Goffman

Wilson

Biology

-wrote a book about genes and how they were responsible for our behaviour

-pioneered the sub-discipline of sociobiology; systematic study of how biology affects social behaviour

-war, peace, envy, competition, and cooperation are believed to be rooted in our genes

-davy & Wilson (1988) cite a study on gendered nature of sexual jealousy

The Harlows

-studied effect of social isolation on monkeys

-found that isolation at a young age caused fear and hostility when introduced to others later in life

-no point to look only at the nature vs nurture

-isolated children:

anna; 5 years of social isolation caused irreparable mental damage

genie; socially isolated and abused since she was 2 years old and was found at 13; had the mental age of a 1 year old

Freud

-psychology

-social psychologist

-believes that our personalities are largely submerged in the unconscious, we can only see the tip of the iceberg

-important bc he drew attention to sexuality and the developmental process

Freud's Dream interpretation, slips of the tongue Introspection

-dream interpretation: would ask people to keep a dream journal and would look for largely sexual symbolism

-slips of the tongue: error of speech, memory or physical action that reveals an unconscious thought or attitude

-introspection: the examination of ones own conscious thoughts and feelings. Freud thought this was a great idea; drugs would remove the inhibition on the Id, so he snorted cocaine

The 3 Components of the Conflicted Mind (Freud)

-the mind is constantly in conflict with deep desires and societal demands

-Id

-Super ego

-Ego

ID

demands immediate gratification, the pleasure principle (wants candy no matter what)

Superego

internalized societal norms, personal conscience (stealing is wrong)

- tells you cant do that, need to be cooperative on society

Ego

seeks to balance fulfill the Id while balancing the norms of the Super ego (I'll save up money and buy the candy)

EXAM QUESTION: The Iceberg Analogy

-the id is submerged (unconscious mind)

-ego and super ego are both somewhat submerged (unconscious and conscious)

Stages of Development (Freud)

-failure to progress through each stage will result in personality disorders

1) Oral - dependent, smoker, drinker

2) Anal - excessively orderly, stubborn, overly generous

3) Phallic - homosexuality

*Biology is Destiny: everyone goes through these stages and struggles, but how people progress through the stages are unique

Piaget

-psychology

-*Freud came first, then Piaget

-literature is drawn increasingly to social force, that shape who we are

1) sensorimotor: sensory contact (babies always playing with things, putting things in their mouthes, etc.)

2) preoperational: begin to use symbols

3) concrete operational: not just acting, actually taking on roles

4) formal operational: develop the ability of abstract thought

Kohlberg

-psychology

-said we should be looking at stages of biological and moral development

-"man is moral to the extent that he is social"

-stages of moral development:

1) preconventional (punishment & obedience)

2) conventional (peer influence primary)

3) post conventional (moral conduct/human rights)

-most people are on stages 1 and 2

Gilligan

-psychology

-well known for her criticism of Kohlberg

-her studies showed that moral development is genered:

1) men are more concerned with law and order

2) women are more concerned with social consequences of social relationships

Cooley

-sociology

-same time as Mead; came out with two key concepts;

1) the looking glass self: we are constantly molding who we are based on how people are treating us (the self grows out of social interactions with others)

2)significant others: to a certain extent, we become whatever the reflection (held up by our significant others) shows us

Mead

-sociology

-similar to what cooley wrote

- for the social self

The three aspects of the Social Self (Mead)

1) "Me": like the looking glass self and the ego - the objective component, we are an object formed by the reflections of others (perceive ourselves from others' standpoints)

2) "I": like the Id - the active component that initiates actions we want to engage in

3) "Generalized other": like the super-ego, this is how we internalize societal norms

Stages of Self Development (Mead)

1) egocentric stage: inability to take on the role of others (we are babies. we cant do anything)

2) imitative stage: simply imitate others (little kids playing doctor, chef, etc.)

3) play stage: imaginative; actually adopting social roles (start to take on roles and make up stories)

4) game stage: child gains an understanding of social expectations and rules (little kids playing roles in sports games)

Goffman

-sociology

-symbolic interactionist

-the dramaturgical approach: suggests we (humans) don't have much sincerity, we are all just actors in a play given roles and scripts and we put on a role performance

-our true selves are backstage

Dramaturgy

-an approach by Goffman in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theoretical performance (social interaction is like drama)

-people (acting in audience) judge eachother, performance to determine a person, character

Stanford Experiment (1971)

-psychological study of human responses to captivity and its behavioural effects on both authorities and inmates in prison

-conducted by a team of researchers led by Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University

-volunteers played the roles of both guards and prisoners living in a mock prison in the basement of the Stanford psychology building

-this environment elicited the worst from people (similar to Abu Ghraib)

-prisoners were given a number instead of a name (were dehumanized and experienced loss of freedom)

-prisoners rebelled and fought against authorities, who got physical and really filled their roles and viewed the prisoners as dangerous and hostile

-slowly got worse every day and eventually completely degenerated

Hawthorne Effect

A change in a subject's behaviour caused by their awareness of being studied.

What do sociologists strive to identify?

1) A type of behavior that for personal, political, or intellectual reasons that they regard as interesting or important; 2) the specifically large social forces that influence that behavior; 3) the larger institutional, political, or other changes that might effectively improve human welfare with respect to the behavior

Determinism

the belief that everything happens the way it does because it was destiny to happen in just that way

Volunteerism

The belief that we control our own destiny

Credentialism

A process of social selection in which class advantage and social status are linked to the possession of academic qualifications

Credential Inflation Theory

A theory stating that educational requirements serve as a function of the interest employers have in locating well socialized and respectable employees

Abstraction

The human ability to create symbols in order to classify experience and generalize from it

Culture

Consists of symbols that people use to communicate and organize their life

Social interaction

Is symbolic communication between people

social structure

relatively stable patterns of social relations

3 main models of socialization

1) Developmental 2)Interactive 3) Normative

Developmental model

Likens people to acorns that have growth potential and develop in stages set by their inherent characteristics

Interactive model

Regards socialization as a creative process that takes place in groups

Normative model

Likens people to empty bowls into which society and culture pour a defined assortment of beliefs symbols, values, and roles

Origins of the Sociological Imagination

Scientific revolution, Democratic revolution, Industrial revolution