Textbook Notes

Absolute Poverty

Refers to a lack of basic necessities.

Blaming the System

Takes environmental factors into consideration and recognizes the systemic discrimination that exists within society.

Blaming the Victim

A view that holds individuals entirely responsible for any negative situations that may arise in their lives.

Caste System

Rooted in religion and is based on the division of labor.

Social Construction of Reality

Our understanding of the world and ourselves is formed through interactions with others, shaping our perceptions and reactions.

Social Inequality and Class

The example of visiting classmates' homes demonstrates how societal factors such as location, size, and upkeep of homes evoke different social reactions and assumptions about class and status.

Material Objects and Assumptions

The discussion expands to other scenarios, like noticing a car, shoes, purses, or technology, where we unconsciously make assumptions based on material possessions, contributing to the division between those who have and those who have not.

Link between Wealth and Power

The relationship between wealth, assets, and power is emphasized. The example of Donald Trump's presidency illustrates how possessing wealth and assets can overshadow other qualifications, indicating that economic hierarchy often correlates with societal influence and control.

Economic Hierarchy and Control

Individuals at the top of the economic hierarchy typically wield more control over the lives of those less well-off, showcasing the influence and power dynamics tied to economic standing.

Social Stratification

The hierarchical arrangement of individuals based on wealth, power, and prestige.

Meritocracy and Ascribed Status

While the concept of a meritocracy, where achievements matter more than ascribed status, is often idealized, research reveals complexities. The relationship between achieved and ascribed statuses influences opportunities, such as education, where family income significantly affects access to higher education.

Education and Socio-economic Status

Elite institutions like the University of Toronto exemplify how cost becomes a barrier, making such education accessible mainly to the wealthy. Economic constraints, like loans and debts, restrict social mobility even when individuals work hard to change their socio-economic status.

Impact of Ascribed Status on Economic Well-being

Personal anecdotes illustrate how ascribed status, like growing up in poverty, can hinder economic progress despite individual effort. Student loans and debt can significantly delay financial stability and wealth accumulation.

Socio-economic Status and Opportunities in Canada

While Canada provides some opportunities for upward mobility, ascribed status often limits access to education and high-paying jobs for certain groups.

Global Inequality and Measurement

Discussion expands to global inequality, examining measurement tools like the Gini coefficient. Research indicates substantial inequality in various regions worldwide, with improvements noted due to economic growth in specific countries like India and China.

Systems of Stratification

This system ranks individuals based primarily on their economic positions, offering room for achieved status. It is considered an open system allowing for social mobility.

Slavery

Historically, one of the most extreme forms of social stratification where people were owned by others.

Conspicuous Consumption

The purchasing of expensive goods and services primarily for the purpose of putting wealth on display.

Davis-Moore Hypothesis

Every society requires people to fulfill all different kinds of roles.

Elite

Those who hold disproportionate financial and other assets.

Low Income Cutoff

Identifies income thresholds of families who are likely to spend a larger portion of their income on necessities than an average family of similar size.

Caste System

Rooted in religion, particularly in Hinduism, the caste system determines a person's status at birth, limiting social mobility entirely.

Clan System

Predominant in agricultural societies like Scotland, the clan system connects individuals to a large network of relatives, sharing a common status within society.

Functionalism

Functionalists, like Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore, propose the Davis-Moore hypothesis, suggesting that social stratification serves a purpose by ensuring that various roles within society are filled.

Conflict Theory

Based on Karl Marx's ideas, conflict theory highlights how the bourgeoisie (owners of means of production) exploit the proletariat (working class) for labor and capital gain.

Max Weber's Contribution

Max Weber offers a different perspective on class inequalities, considering social position as a combination of wealth and status rather than solely based on means of production.

Meritocracy

A system based on achievements rather than on ascribed status.

Poverty

Describes situations where people lack many of the opportunities available to the average citizen.

Prestige

Widespread respect and admiration felt for someone or something on the basis of a perception of their achievements or quality.

Relative Poverty

Emphasizes inadequacy compared to average living standards.

Social Mobility

The ability to move between social classes.

Income Inequality

Further, the text

Health

A state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

Gatekeeper

Talcott Parson’s term for medical professionals who are charged with either verifying our condition as an “illness” or determining that we are “recovered.”

Healthy Immigrant Effect

A trend where newcomers, upon arrival to Canada, are healthier than the average Canadian, mostly because of the requirements of entry

Illness

A period of impaired or abnormal functioning of the body or mind that is not caused by physical trauma

Incidence

Refers to the occurrence or rate at which new cases of a specific illness occur within a given population during a specific period of time

Life Expectancy

The average number of years that a person is expected to live

Morbidity

The prevalence and patterns of disease in a population

Mortality

The incidence and patterns of death in a population

Prevalence

The total number of cases that exist at a specific period of time

Sick Role

A micro-level method of social control

Medicalization

The process whereby nonmedical problems become defined and treated as problems, usually in terms of illnesses and disorders

Social Determinants of Health

The conditions under which people are born, grow, live, work, and age

Social Epidemiology

A branch of epidemiology that focuses particularly on the effects of social-structural factors on health distribution

Life Expectancy

The average number of years a person is expected to live

Functionalism

Beliefs:Functionalists posit that everyone has a role in society for it to function properly

Conflict Theory

Perspective:Views medicine as a major institution of social control, leading to the "medicalization" of society

Symbolic Interactionism

Focus:Examines the meanings people associate with health and illness

Master Status

Certain illnesses become an individual's dominant identity, overshadowing other aspects of their life

Sociological Questions

Sociologists explore how health questions reflect societal concerns, trends, and information seeking.

Influence of Internet Information

Sociologists analyze the influence of internet information on health decisions and identify information gaps in public knowledge.

Patient-Health Professional Interaction

Interactionists emphasize the active roles of patients in seeking medical advice, including seeking online information.

Feminism

Explores gender as a social determinant of health using an intersectional framework.

Medicalization Critique

Criticizes the medicalization of women's bodies for natural physiological processes like PMS and menopause.

Reproductive Focus

Highlights the overshadowing of diverse health concerns by the focus on women's reproductive capacity.

Canadian Healthcare System

Historical Context:Pre-1950s, Canadians were responsible for their healthcare costs, but in 1957, the government began assuming responsibility.

Canada Health Act

Enshrined five principles:universal coverage, accessibility without financial barriers, comprehensive coverage, portability between provinces, and public administration on a not-for-profit basis.

Freebirth vs Hospital Birth

Increasing instances of women choosing "freebirth" (delivering at home without medical assistance) and the reasons behind it.

Current Issues in Healthcare

Factors contributing to hospital wait times beyond an aging population and increased volume.

Sociological Contribution to Healthcare Issues

Policy recommendations, influence on public opinion, and comparative analysis.

Recent Shifts in Health and Health Policy

Mental health and trauma as interconnected social factors, marijuana for medical purposes, medically assisted death, and the opioid crisis.

Climate Change and Health

Health risks due to climate change and its disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations.

Vaccination Trends and Public Health

Disease outbreaks, the anti-vaccination movement, and the global threat of dropping immunization rates.

Sociological Perspectives on Vaccination

Social factors influencing vaccination decisions and their societal effects, disparities in low/middle-income countries, and the global impact of decreased immunization rates.

What is Health and Illness? Perception of health responsibility and the sociology of health and illness.

Impact of Social Institutions

How various social institutions influence health, illness, and healthcare choices.

Dynamic Definitions of Illness

The changing perceptions of health and illness over time and place.

Social Determinants of Health

Income inequality, indigeneity, immigrant status, gender disparities, and other social factors significantly impacting health outcomes.

Social Epidemiology

Factors influencing life expectancy and the theoretical perspectives on health and illness.

Crime

Any act formally banned by law.

Criminology

The scientific approach to the study of the causes of crime.

Dark Figure of Crime

The significant difference between the number of criminal incidents, reporting to police, and conviction.

Deviance

The violation of established social norms, actions, or behaviors.

Folkways

The customs that people take part in every day.

Formal Social Control

Gives Notes Details from the chapter.

Mores

Social norms with significant moral significance that are widely observed in a society.

Informal Social Control

A type of social control that ordinary people can partake in.

Labelling Theory

Argues that people come to identify and behave in ways that reflect how others label them.

Social Construction and Subjectivity of Deviance

Deviance is socially constructed and subjective, varying across cultures and time periods.

Social Control

Social control encompasses all institutions and procedures that influence members of society to conform to expected behavioral rules.

Identity as Deviance

Some people are considered deviant solely based on their identity, which differs from the cultural norm.

Positivism

Focuses on the level of the individual, specifically biology.

Rational Choice Theory

Based on the position that crime is the result of a person’s rational choice to commit it or not.

Social Disorganization

Claims that modern, industrial societies are more susceptible to deviance than others.

Relativity of Deviance

Deviance is relative, varying between different groups, communities, or societies.

Stigma

A mark of shame or social disgrace, and it discredits an individual or group.

Victimless Crime

No one suffers directly from these acts, except the people who engaged in them and their family.

White-Collar Crimes

Are punished more leniently than crimes by the lower class.

Social Construction of Deviance

Deviance and what is considered criminal can shift over time and across cultures, as societal perceptions evolve.

Strain Theory

The idea that the cause of deviance lies in society’s unequal opportunity structure.

Victimless Crimes and Reporting

Some crimes, like gambling, drug possession, or illegal parking, are labeled victimless crimes, with no direct victim other than the participants or their families.

The Dark Figure of Crime

The gap between actual criminal incidents and those reported, investigated, prosecuted, and convicted is known as the dark figure of crime or the crime funnel.

Trends in Crime Reporting

Property crimes significantly outnumber violent crimes, and while overall crime decreased from 1992 to 2012, there has been a recent upward trend in crime rates in the past few years.

Historical Context

Middle Ages and Witch Hunts:During the Middle Ages in Europe, societal explanations for deviance centered around the belief that those who violated social norms were possessed by demons or influenced by magic and spirits.

Rational Choice Theory

Concept:Rational choice theory assumes that individuals make calculated choices before engaging in criminal acts.

Reformist Approaches

Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham:During the mid-eighteenth century, Beccaria and Bentham emphasized that crime wasn't supernatural but a purposeful action that might give pleasure to some individuals.

Biological Approaches

Positivism and Biological Determinism:In the 19th century, positivists advocated for applying the scientific method to study crime, focusing on individual biology.

Sociological Approaches

Functionalism:Social Disorganization Theory:Developed in the 1930s-1940s, this theory argued that modern industrial societies were more susceptible to deviance due to disruptions caused by industrialization, urbanization, and immigration.

Conflict Theory Focus

It revolves around how powerful groups assert control over others through deviance and crime.