Chapter 11 Social Structure and Demographics

Functionalism

focuses on function of each component of society, and how they fit together

Manifest Functions

deliberate actions that serve to help a given system

Latent Functions

expected, unintended, unrecognized, positive consequences of manifest functions

Conflict Theory

focuses on how power differentials are created, and how they contribute to maintenance of social order

Symbolic Interactionism

study of ways, individuals interact through, shared understanding of words, gestures, other symbols

Social Constructionism

explores ways in which individuals and groups make decisions to agree upon given social reality

Rational Choice Theory

individuals make decisions that maximize potential benefit and minimize potential harm

Exchange Theory

applies rational choice theory within social groups

Feminist Theory

explores ways in which one gender can be subordinated, minimized, devalued compared to the other

Social Institutions

well-established social structures dictating certain patterns of behavior or relationships

What are examples of social institutions?

family, education, religion, government, economy, health and medicine

Four Ethical Tenets of American Medicine

beneficence, nonmaleficence, respect for autonomy, justice

Beneficence

patients best interest

Nonmaleficence

avoiding treatments for which risk is larger than benefit

Respect for Autonomy

respecting patient’s rights to make decisions about own healthcare

Justice

treating similar patients similarly and distributing health care resources fairly

Material Culture

physical items one associates with given group

Symbolic Culture

ideas associated with cultural group

Cultural Lag

symbolic culture changes slower than material culture

Cultural Barrier

social difference that impedes interaction

Language

spoken or written symbols combined into system and governed by rules

Value

what a person deems important in life

Belief

something a person considers to be true

Ritual

formalize ceremonial behavior in which members of a group or community regularly engage

Demographics

statistics of populations that are mathematical applications of sociology

Ageism

prejudice and discrimination on the basis of age

Gender

set of behavioral, cultural, psychological traits typically associated with the biological sex

Gender Inequality

intentional or unintentional empowerment of one gender to detriment of other

Race

social construct based on phenotypic differences between groups of people

Ethnicity

social construct that sorts people by cultural factors

Symbolic Ethnicity

recognize ethnicity on special occasions, does not impact everyday life

Sexual Orientation

one sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes

Immigration

movement into a new geographic area

Emigration

movement away from a geographic area

Fertility Rate

average number of children born to a woman during her lifetime in a population

Birth Rate

relative to population size overtime, births per 1000 people per year

Mortality Rate

average number of deaths per population size overtime, deaths per 1000 people per year

Migration

movement of people from one geographic location to another

Demographic Transition

model used to represent drops in birth and death rates as a result of industrialization

Social Movements

organize to promote (proactive) or resist (reactive) social change

Globalization

process of integrating global economy with free trade and tapping of foreign labor markets

Urbanization

large migration to dense areas of population