Learn: sociology exam 1 uf syg2000 lauteria

the sociological imagination

the ability to connect personal experiences to larger social issues and see how it relates to larger sociological concepts/ society.

ex. laid off of job, larger unemployment issue in the country due to recession)

personal troubles versus public issues

personal trouble: private matters that individuals or families must overcome

(ex: a child becomes sick with the flu)

public issue: patterned problems in a society, experienced by individuals, that are tied to some issue, shortcoming or major change in the social system

(ex. more relaxed culture around vaccinations leads to higher rates of influenza infection)

social contexts

the social environment in which people interact

shapes how people behave

individualizing mindset/frame

a traditional way (particularly in America) of focusing on individual choices and personality, rather than social contexts, to explain behaviors and outcomes

meritocracy

system where rewards and positions are distributed by ability, not social background or personal connections

- can MINIMIZE the responsibility of the government and/or community to address the needs of the people

this plus an individualizing frame allows us to blame individual for circumstances and not not the great sociocultural complexities that could cause this

path of least resistance

common life trajectories, avenues for success, or permitted behaviors that are supported by social systems and structures.

these paths are often commonsense or presumed behaviors for individuals

(ex. WALL-E: paths were focused on leisure and consumption, doing anything other (like swimming) was difficult)

social theories

3 parts:

1. What is the nature of the individual? how does the individual act in the context of society?

2. what is the basis for social order? what is it that holds societies together?

3. what are the circumstances or conditions under which societies change?

paradigms

aka "theoretical traditions" - b/c they have a history and build upon previous arguments over time

distinct sets of concepts and assumptions that guide our inquiry, interpretation, and analysis.

3 main paradigms: symbolic interactionism, conflict theory, and structural-functionism

symbolic interactionism

a theory of the social world that focuses on the meanings that individuals give to objects and social practices and how they use symbolic meanings in their interactions with one another.

made up of: symbols (roles and status, ideas and meanings, and social cues)

interactions(small-scale interactions= social relations

meanings are channeled through behaviors

behaviors confirm and "reify" shared meanings)

impression management(status and stigma)

structure and agency

concepts that shape one another

structure: patterned organization of social life that limits and permits behaviors and opportunities

agency: the capacity of individuals to think, act, make choices, and pursue personal interests

individuals act through and on structures

structures guide behavior but also respond to behavior

norms and culture

1 of the three kinds of structures in society

- provides rules for behavior , cultural expectations, and language

dramaturgy

an analysis of behavior as a "drama" or play

- made of a frontstage and backstage

norms

a basic rule of society that helps us know what is and is not appropriate to do in a situation.

norms evolve over time as social attitudes and expectations change, although that change is very slow.

Folkways

a type of norm (least strict/severe)

folkways are customs or common behaviors shared amongst a group. not morally significant but important for group participation and acceptance.

mores

type of norm (second in severity and strictness)

are norms of morality or "right and wrong". when violated a group may take a significant offense or deem the perpetrator "deviant" or an outsider

taboos

second to most severist/strictest norms

stronger iterations of mores, reflecting deeply held values and beliefs of a group. violators will likely be punished or ostracized.

laws

most severe and most strict.

formally established norms, reflected in a societies legal/penal code rather than in more covert cultural patterns

civil/tactful inattention

the act of ignoring people to an appropriate degree even while noticing that other people are present

communicates many thing in its "inaction": etiquette (through polite ignorance of others and appropriate socialization and etiquette + respect for others personal space)

personal interests(desire to not communicate/engage and "minding my own business", focus on other tasks)

tragedy of the commons

situation in which people acting individually and in their own interest use up commonly available but limited resources, creating disaster for the entire community

culture

systems of belief and knowledge shared by members of a group or society that shape individual and group behavior and attitudes. A society' culture includes its language, customs, symbols, rituals, and other forms of meaning that are widely shared.

culture provides guideposts, shared language, and references to give interpretative frames

conflict theory

one of the three main paradigms in sociology

focuses on "conflict, power, and inequality"

two main subsets: social/class conflict: focuses on how different groups with different access to resources interact with each other.

social inequality and oppression: systems and institutions are constructed to support the powerful and elite, reproducing inequality over time. groups with different experiences in society may create additional conflict (in understanding, expectations, values, etc.)

capital

the capacity to accumulate value over time through further efforts or conversion

structural-functionalism

one of the three main paradigms in sociology

focuses on "social structure, fucntional systems, and system solidarity"

views society as different institutions and systems (organs) that are all necessary for the health of the society and must work together

functional components of society include manifest functions and latent functions

social dysfunction refers to high suicide rate or divorce rates or growing antagonism in the population

manifest functions

stated or overt purposes

(ex. religion providing meaning and a sense of purpose and social control teaching them right and wrong)

latent functions

unstated or hidden purposes

(ex. religion providing social cohesion and socialization - brings people together in a community which lowers rates of deviance and also internalizes specific ways of thinking)

"The Self"

how we view ourselves/who we are, social interaction is vital to the development

features of the self include: affinities(race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality), status and roles (family relations, student , expert ect. , and traits (characteristics like tall smart, avid reader)

also a conscious understanding of individual

The looking glass self

a term coined by Charles Horton Cooley to refer to the process by which our self develops through internalizing others' reactions to us/how they view us

Others (related to looking glass self)

3 types of others:

significant others

reference groups

generalized other

significant others

term coined by George Herbert Mead to mean individuals close enough to us to have a strong capacity to motivate our behavior(ex. family, best friends, partners)

reference group

A set of individuals who share similar preferences or social

positions and have influence on an individual or members of a group."

(ex. Coworkers, classmates, generation or age group, members of an affinity group

generalized other

the social control exercised by common understandings of what is appropriate given a specific time and place (ex. the imagined public or "society" we invoke when contemplating in(appropriate) behavior))

socialization

the process through which we learn how we are expected to behave in society or in particular social settings

2 degrees of socialization: primary and secondary

primary socialization

occurs in early years, and usually at home

influences cognitive frames and an internalization of society's structure

structures the "personality

(in the Freudian sense)

secondary socialization

occurs through institutions outside the family

provides site- and scene- specific norms and behaviors

develops further knowledge and understanding necessary to navigate more complex and diverse social systems

deviance

refers to "actions or behaviors that violate social norms, both formal (law) and informal (folkways, mores)

Studies of deviance are equally studies of social control, evaluating the social systems in place to regulate behavior and respond to deviance.

deviance is not a quality of the act the person commits, but rather aconsequence of the application by other of rules and sanctions to an 'offender.

sanctions and rewards

facilitates social control and hinders deviance

sanctions: any type of punishment, including both formal punishment

(based on laws or written rules) and informal types of punishments

rewards: symbolic representations or material resources that affirm successful adherence to norms, policies, and behavioral guidelines

stigma

refers to a marking, label, or denounced identity that is viewed negatively in a widespread fashion. Stigmatization leads to ostracism, marginalization, discrimination, and abuse.17

criminal deviance

deviance managed by the organizations of institutional criminal justice (legal systems, police, courts)

is ILLEGAL (unlike social deviance)

social deviance

deviance that goes against societal norms and values and is managed by socialization, stigma and informal rewards/sanctions

Hagan's punishment pyramid

1994

three factors: social harm, severity of social response, and collective understanding/agreement about the norm

ranges in severity from social diversions --> social deviations --> conflict crimes --> consensus crimes

theories of deviance

three theories

labeling theory

general strain theory

social network analysis

labeling theory

developed by Becker in 1963

identifying deviance and its extent by how a label has been applied. social groups create deviance by making rules whos infractions create deviance and applying those rules to particular people and labeling them outsiders

Labeling: the attribution of a status marker to indicate some "outsider" quality; the naming of an individual (and not just the associated behavior) as violating set norms and standards

Emphasis: some "deviance" does not get labeled as deviance, usually because of cultural framing or pre-existing social inequality

sequential deviance

a subsection of labeling theory. becker 1963.

begins with changes to the self (interalization of the label) --> social exclusion (denied resources and access) --> deviant group entry (association with similar deviants)

general strain theory

developed by Agnew 1992

based on strain theory (Merton 1930) BUT ISNT)

- based on strain theory but instead expands definition and introduces outcomes of strain.

expanded definition of strain: strains are identified as events or conditions that are disliked by individuals.

characterized by loss of positive stimuli (ex. loss of income), presentation of negative stimuli (ex. physical/verbal assaults), and inability to reach a desired goal (ex. economic barrier to familial expectations

outcomes to strain: strains leads to primary outcome (negative emotional states) and secondary -potential- outcome: reduced impact of social control and social learning of crime (to cope)

strain --> initial response --> coping outcome

strain theory

developed by Merton 1938

focuses on how individuals seek to achieve socially accepted goals (ex. wealth and fame) which are usually encouraged by society. if individuals face difficulties achieving these goals, they experience "strain". sufficient strain may push individuals to engage in deviant behavior to achieve previously identified goals.

social networks

geometry of relationships and connections between people, groups, or organizations.

allows visualization of social relationships between entities called "nodes" connected by some relationship "ties"

social network theory/network analysis

the way of imagining individuals (nodes) in context (social ties) emphasizes how our relationship shape our behavior, both in obvious and non-obvious way

network analysis, seeks to address: how are networks formed and why in specific shapes/structure?

hat influences do have on individual behavior?

homophily

"friendship effect": individuals are more likely to form relational ties to other individuals with similar characteristics

transitivity

"mutuality effect": individuals who share a connection to another are more likely to form ties

joint-task

"activity effect": individuals who share an activity or sustained mode of interaction are more likely to form ties

induction effects

part of network influence: induction is a "direct effect" or "contagion effect". network ties may lead one member to adopt behaviors or traits of a person in network proximity like a disease or fad spreading

three kinds of induction: shared behaviors, norm adoption, skill learning

structure effect

network structure, or individual positions within the network ( not direct relationships), shape behavior and experience

ex. "centrality" refers to how integrated a signle node is in the entire network in terms of number of ties/connections and/or brokerage, or binding parts of the network