Mizzou Sociology 1000 Exam 1 Study Guide

Sociology

the systematic study of human behavior 

4 key concepts of sociology

Science, Social Structure, Social Interaction, Social Change

Nature

biology affects how you act (DNA translates your behavior)

Nurture

how you were raised affects how you act (parents/environment)

Sociological Imagination

helps connect our personal experiences to society at larger and greater historical forces

What tool did C Wright Mills coin?

The Sociological Imagination

Structuration (patterns of social behavior)

we shape society, and society shapes us

Social Institution

established systems of norms, structures, and organizations that provide order and stability within a society

Social construction of reality

people give meaning or value to ideas or objects through social interaction (family, media, school, religion)

Total Institutions

an institution that gives you no control (military/contracts/prison)

Status and Roles

we all possess statuses/positions in society that comes with a set of responsibilities

Ascribed

a position/social position that’s placed upon you

Achieved

a status you must work towards to achieve

Master

status/label that’s imposed on you that overrides everything 

Role Strain

occurs when roles associated with a single status clash

Role Conflict

occurs when the role associated with one status clash with the roles associated with a different status

Status Set

all the statuses you have at one time

Emile Durkheim

argues that anomie is chaos and we want consensus instead (we need to find a way to make everyone feel like they belong)

Anomie

feelings of aimlessness or despair that arise when we can no longer reasonably expect life to be more or less meaningful

Social Cohesion

the way people form social bonds, relate to each other, and get along on a day-to-day basis

Mechanical and Organic Solidarity

everyone shares the same values, beliefs, and behaviors

Organic Solidarity

everyone shares the same values, beliefs, and behaviors

Cooley’s Looking Glass Self

every day we judge ourselves through the eyes of other people

Frude’s: id, superego, ego

how to satisfy our wants in socially acceptable ways

Mead’s I, me, other

we learn about the roles and expectations of society through play

Mead’s theory of play

as we play we practice taking on roles and expectations of social roles (teachers/doctors)

Structural Functionalism

the idea that society is just like the body (society functions like the body)

Conflict Theory

stems from the premise that society is evil and competing for resources

Symbolic Interactionist

the theory that there is meaning in everything

Labeling Theory

individuals subconsciously notice how others see or label them and their reactions to those labels begin to form their self-identity over time

Dramaturgical Theory

the idea of impression management (doing things to make ourselves look good)

Face

our repetition

Frontstage

how you present yourself in the public

Backstage

things you wouldn’t do in public (look a mess/farting)

Culture

a sum of all beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors in society (how people think/act)

Material

any physical object to which we give social meaning

Symbolic

the ideas associated with a cultural group

Static

it doesn’t change over time

Fluid

it can change over time

Norms

everyday expectation on how you are supposed to act

Folkways

customs of behavior/informal expectations (walking on the right side of the hall)

Mores

expectations of behavior based on morals

Cultural Relativism

a perspective that tells us not to judge others through how you personally act (they act that way because of their culture)

Subcultures

subset of population

Culture Jamming

using media to push back against dominant culture

Reflection Theory

the idea that the media we consume is a reflection of our culture and values in society 

Agents of socialization/resocialization

parents, peers, educational system, cycle of socialization, and media

Symbolic Indulgence

they can’t give them multiple nice things but will give them one big item to make up for it

Symbolic deprivation

parents making a child work for what they want

Educational System

an institution that shares knowledge on us and shows us how to socialize

Cycle of Socialization

socialization is a lifeform process

Social Deviance

any transgression of socially established norms

Social Controls

self-control, informal controls, formal controls

Self-Control

we police ourselves

Informal Controls

members of society reward conformity and punish nonconformity

Formal controls

the state or authorities discourage nonconformity

Formal deviance 

rules or laws prohibiting deviant criminal behavior (murder, rape, theft)

Informal Deviance

the unexpressed but widely known rules of group membership

Deterrence Theory

Specific (deterrence theory)

punishments given to individuals that are meant to prevent or deter them from committing crime in the future

General (deterrence theory)

punishments given to individuals that are meant to prevent or deter others from engaging in similar criminal activity

Panopticon

the design of a prison structure by Bentham

Strain Theory

deviance occurs when a society doesn’t give all its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals