Soc 101 {Dr. Anderson}: Exam #1

Three Basic Levels of Social Organization

Individual Level

Social Level

Cultural Level

Hierarchy

God

Social Institutions

Groups/Organizations

Individual

What is sociology?

Focuses on the individual, ways in which the group & culture have an impact on individual behavior and thoughts, and seeks to be scientific (but can't be as precise)

Textbook Definition of Sociology

"scientific study of interactions and relations among human beings"

Anderson's Definition

Sociology is the scientific study of human social interaction and how it is organizes, focusing upon the sociocultural context both in how it shapes & guides that action and how in that context our actions and definitions are shaped.

What does it mean that sociology is scientific?

It means that we study it in a distinct, systematic manner.

3 Basic Levels of Social Organization {Sorokin argues that we can break all social settings down into one of these three)

1. Self (Personality)

2. Society (Totality of the Personality)

3. Culture (meanings & values we use when interacting with the group)

3 Levels of Social Paradigms

1. Symbolic Interactions

2. Functionalism

3. Conflict Theory

Symbolic Interactions

How you interact (we act towards things according to the meaning that they have for us)

Functionalism

Focused upon order (how do the various parts of society integrate together?)

Conflict Theory

Who benefits?

5 Points of Positivism

1. Social world should be studied like natural sciences

2. Because behavior falls into patterns, we can look for cause of laws

3. We believe in value/fact dichotomy

4. Methods in natural sciences cannot answer theological/spiritual questions

5. It should be used for very practical purposes

Positivism

The application of the scientific approach to the social world

2 Primary Ways we Research

Quantitative

Qualitative

Quantitative Research

Accumulate statistics & analyze them

Hypothesis is rigid/testable

Qualitative Research

Interested in the process of how social groups develop

Record, witness, survey

4 Types of Variables

1. Independent Variable

2. Dependent Variable

3. Antecedent

4. Intervening (this can intervene between both the independent variable& the dependent variable)

Definition of Culture

Symbolic, values that guide our actions & lead us to behave in certain ways

Independent of our choice or consciousness

Natural Sign

something that is innate to animals & comes from context (physical evidence that in turn links it to context)

Symbols

They do not depend on context for their meaning but are imposed on us by the group (every time we open a cat, we know it is not time to eat just like every time we change our shoes we know we're not taking Rigby for a walk)

NOT TIED TO CONTEXT

Values

Embody general principles of what we would be like, what we believe should be done in an ideal sense *abstract

Norms

Concrete distinctive action= so how do we act on our values?

Examples of Values & Norms at GCC

Chapel -> Card Scanned

Freedom -> No govnt $

Rigorous Academics -> Hard Classes

Well Rounded -> Extra Curriculars

Subcategories of Norms

Folkways

Mores

Taboos

Folkways

Ordinary conventions of life

No serious disagreement if they are violated

Important for a society to run smoothly, but won't turn society over

Mores

Folkways w/ more specific consequences

standards of right & wrong

Essential to what keeps a group cohesive

To violate them would in turn bring them sanction (assault, cheating, etc.)

Taboos

Most serious

Invoke an immediate response if violated

A recoil in emotions or behavior

Mores vs. Taboos

Taboo becoming mores? (homosexuality, having a child out of wedlock, marijuana)

Objects

Culture is manifested in material objects (material objects help us to understand culture... for example GCC: chapel, HAL, dorm room (material objects can manifest old memories), rainbow bridge, tattoos, piercings, haircuts, Greek Letters, etc.)

Roles

Roles represent the cultural script, expectations, and performance of how we act out our status

Parts of a Role

Norms (prescribed for us)

Performance Behaviors (seeking to meet those norms)

Part of a System of Complementarity (mutuality)

Examples of Status & Roles

Status: Parent

Roles: Physical care-taking, chauffeur, teaching, role model.

4 Premises of Symbolic Interactionism

1. We act towards things according to the meaning to which they have for us

2. Meaning is a product of interaction

3. We are always interpreting things based on social cues

4. Misunderstandings come from different meanings

Charles Horton Cooley

Looking Glass Self

Looking Glass Self

We are able to get a sense of who we are based on what we see in the eyes of others

Looking Glass Self Emotional Responses

pride= a sense of self-satisfaction

shame= embarrassment

fear= they're not successfully seeing us in the way we want them to see us

Horton's Two Types of Groups

Primary & Secondary

Mead (I, Me, Generalized Other)

3 points:

1. We are not born with a self (it is a product of our social lives/social experience)

2. Depends on exchange of symbols

3. Taking the Role of the Other

The "I" {unique to us, native to us, never see it}

Spontaneous self, impulsive self, conscious, creative side.

Who we are, no other group ties to change that

Every time we think about what we should do, we engage the I

The "Me" {we see this!}

How we imagine others see us/how they would have us to behave

A social product

Means of self-regulation

our conscience

governs our behavior

The I initiates, The Me evaluated & enforces adjustment

The Generalized other

The broader impact of society itself upon the Me

Composite Me

"What would people in general think if I were to do this?"

How The Generalized Other Develops

1. Imitation (when a child does something because he sees someone else do it)

2. Play (child pretends to be others & takes their role, through this we learn how to take the role of other. the shaping of me is beginning to occur now).

3. Game (where children take a lot of different roles)

Goffman (Dramatic Perspective)

We manipulate aspects of our immediate environment

Self is a character= we are engaged in an ongoing performance of who we are & how we present things to others.

Personal Front

Things that are important to us (our age, sex, height, clothing, jewelry, facial expressions)

How could we manipulate our personal front?

Color my hair, get botox, etc.

Mystification

The other party in this encounter intentionally uses technical language to persuade the other person that they don't know as much as I do

Backstage

Part of our performance that is restricted from others (where we design our persona as to how we want people to believe that we are)

Deference Rituals

How we should respect for the other party (Presentation & Remediation)

Remediation

How we hide embarrassment