Psych/Soci Chapter 11 Social Structure and Demographics

symbolic interactionism

theoretical approach to understand human action and interaction by studying the symbols used to communicate

social construct

any idea that has been created and accepted by the people in a society

social constrcutionism

attempt to understand a society through the study of the society’s social constructs

Rational choice theory (exchange theory)

theory focusing on individual decision making; people make choices based on their own self interest, weighing costs and benefits

conflict theory

macro theory attempting to understand society by examining the inevitable conflicts between groups in society; Marx

structural funcitonalism

the inverse of conflict theory; Durkheim; each group in society has a role to play for the health of society

manifest function

an intended consequence of the actions of a group within a society

latent functions

unintended but beneficial consequences of an organization or institution

dysfuncitons

negative consequences of the existence of an institution, organization, or interaction

social institutions

well established structures that dictate certain patterns of behavior or relationships and are accepted as a fundamental part of culture

social epidemiology

study of effects of institutions, social structures, and relationships on health

culture lag

symbolic culture being slower to change than material culture

life course approach

considering an individuals age and cumulative life experiences when analyzing their personality, social status, health, and other social metrics

dependency ratio

the ratio of the number of members of a population that are not in the workforce to the number of members that are in the workforce

youth ratio

number of people under 15 divided by number of people aged 15-65

age dependency ratio

number of people over 65 divided by number of people aged 15-65

stable population

when a population’s fertility rate and mortality rate remain relatively consistent over a long period of time

demographic shift

change in the makeup of a population over time

fertility rate

average number of children born to a woman over a lifetime in a population

mortality rate

number of deaths in a population per unit time

demographic transition

type of demographic shift that occurs as a country develops from a preindustrial to an industrial economic system

malthusian theory

how the exponential growth of a population can outpace growth of the food supply and lead to social degradation and disorder

globalization

process of merging of separate nations of the world into a single sociocultural entity