Sociology 202 Exam 1 NCSU

the sociological perspective

the ability to sees societal patterns that influence individual and group life; how we create and change the social world

Sociological Imagination

book by C. Wright Mills; talks about the ability to grasp the relationship between lives as individuals and larger social forces, distinguishes individual and society but emphasizes their interaction, one of the first important sociological books written

social inequality

socially-defined categories of people are positioned differently regarding access to different social goods

social diversity

Refers to the variety of group experiences that result from the social structure of society

globalization

social and economic systems all intertwined with in the world, shows patterns in your society you might take for granted, also events in one society may be linked to events in other societies

theoretical frameworks

functionalism, conflict, and symbolic interaction

August Comte

emphasized positivism - relies on scientific evidence, coined term sociology

Emile Durkheim

emphasized importance of social facts and social solidarity, pioneer of functionalism

mechanical solidarity

Social integration stemming from the individual, Individuals play similar roles, Bonds based on shared moral values, This is weakening as societies become more complex

organic solidarity

People play a variety of roles, and the roles are interlinked, Unity is based on role differentiation

Karl Marx

Pioneer of conflict paradigm, emphasized inequality and class conflict saying that workers were exploited in capitalism causing a development of class consciousness

Max Weber

Had early influence on symbolic interaction tradition, rejected Durkheim's study of social facts, emphasized verstehen

Culture

All beliefs, behaviors and products common to members of a particular group (ex: value, cultures, language)

material culture

Physical objects made by members of a particular society that helps shape their lives

nonmaterial culture

Nonphysical products of human interaction (ex: values, beliefs, morals) or shared ideas

values

abstract standards in a society or group that define ideal principles

norms

specific cultural expectations for how to behave in a given situation

folkways

general standards of behavior adhered to by a group (ex: how you dress)

mores

strict norms that control moral and ethical behavior (ex: not wearing clothes to class)

laws

written set of guidelines that define right and wrong (ex: speed limit or murder)

ethnocentrism

evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture

subcultures

smaller cultures that exist in larger cultures and differ from larger culture in important ways (ex: hip-hop culture)

counter cultures

culture that arises in opposition to prevailing culture (ex: hippies against war)

socialization

lifeling process through which people learn values, norms and roles of their cultures

Internalization

Occurs when behaviors and assumptions are learned so thoroughly that people no longer question them, but simply accept them as correct

nature vs. nurture

argument about whether biology or environment have more effect on one's personality

social learning theory

people learn from one another, via observation, imitation and modeling

Looking Glass Self

by Charles Horton Couley, says that our self image is shaped how awe think winters see us

agents of socialization

family, media, peers, education are examples of this

Social Construction of Reality

theorizes that the way we present ourselves to people is shaped by interaction with others and our own life experiences

impression management

people control how others perceive them and care about what others think leading to social conformity and social stability

dramaturgy

elements of human interaction dependent upon time, place, and audience, dramatic or play-like sense developed when around others

frontstage

where performance occurs, what "audience" sees

backstage

relaxed (maybe with people you're comfortable with), "audience" doesn't see and critical to frontstagen performance

status

postion a person occupies in specific social setting or social position

roles

set of norms, values, behaviors and personality characteristics attached to that status (ex: working class citizens may work in low-paying jobs)

role strain

the stress/strain experience by an individual when incompatible behavior, expectations, or obligations are associated with a single social role (ex: student)

role conflict

situation in which a person is expected to play two incompatible roles (ex:boss firing a friend)

deviant behavior

behavior that is recognized as violating expected roles and norms

Emile Durkheim's view on deviance

deviance is a positive thing and it determines moral boundaries/parameters for unacceptable behavior

conformity

cultural goals accepted, means towards goals available

ritualism

cultural goals not accepted, means toward goals available

differential association theory

by Edwin Sutherland, says deviance including criminal activity is behavior learned through interactions with other people, includes how long it lasted and how early it occurred

positivism

view that social phenomena should only be studied using methods of natural science

quantitative approach

measuring methods using numerical distinction and measurements and reducing data into numbers

qualitative approach

methods based on discrete categories the allow us to make non-numerical distinctions

survey research

involves administering questionnaires to learn about characteristics, opinions or behaviors

independent variable

cause variable of a particular result

dependent variable

effect variable

hypothesis

Statements about what one expects to find in research

micro-macro relationship

while larger social forces influence people's lives, individual lives can affect society as well

structure

concerned with how society creates the individual and focuses on social institutions

agency

concerned with the ways that individuals create society through their everyday behaviors and actions
="social structure"

agency vs structure debate

people will behave within societal constraints

scientific view

examining the relationship between structure and process should be a purely scientific endeavor

social reform view

as these relationships are discovered, this knowledge should be used to solve social problems

Social Facts (Durkheim)

Established manners of acting, thinking, and feeling that come to the individual from society through socialization.
-a group's patterns of behavior

Durkheim's study of suicide

He found variations in human behavior that can be explained by social structure rather than individual differences
-viewed suicide as a form of social deviance

Rationalization

The process by which social structures are increasingly characterized by the most direct and efficient means to their ends
-major contribution to sociology

Weber vs Marx on class

- Weber views social stratification as an unequal distribution of economic class, social status, and political power
- This is different from Marx's analysis because he discusses class in the context of social stratification more generally

functions

observable, positive consequences of a structure that help it survive, adapt, and adjust.

Dysfunctions

observable consequences that negatively affect the ability of a given system to survive, adapt, or adjust

Conflict Theory

a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of groups that are competing for social and economic resources
-is inherently unfair

symbolic ineractionism

-examines how individuals and groups interact and the role that symbolizes play in those interactions
-focuses on creation of personal identity

concept

abstract idea that is also known as a theory

indicators

device providing specific information on the state or condition of something, in particular

validity

The quality of being logically or factually sound

reliability

the quality of being trustworthy or of performing consistently well

Hawthorne effect

the alteration of behavior by the subjects of a study due to their awareness of being observed.

inductive reasoning

method of reasoning in which the premises are viewed as supplying some evidence for the truth of the conclusion

deductive reasoning

logical process in which a conclusion is based on the accordance of multiple premises that are generally assumed to be true

Criteria of Causality

correlation, temporal ordering, and non-spuriousness

Spuriousness

the relationship between two variables are influenced by other variables

sample

any subject of people or groups or categories of a population

population

Relatively large collection of people that a researcher studies and about which generalizations are made

random sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of being selected

data analysis

The process by which sociologists organize collected data to discover the patterns and uniformities that the data revels

serendipity

luck, finding good things without looking for them (unexpected findings)

Generalization

Is the ability to draw conclusion from specific data and to apply them to a broader population

researchers positionally

no research can be value free, but sometimes the researcher may have some influence on the work

childhood socialization

Young acquire language, identities, cultural routines, norms, and values as they interact with parents and other family members

anticipatory socialization

Parents teach children what will be expected of them in the future

reverse socialization

The process in which those who are normally being socialized are instead doing the socializing
-children teach parents, parents teach children

adult socialization

This takes place when people enter the work world and become independent of their families

Resocialization

The process by which people unlearn old behaviors, norms, values, and learn new ones

total institution

An organization cut of from the rest of society in which individuals are subject to strict social control

social control

The theory that explains deviance as the result of the weakening of social bonds

Psycoanalytic Theory

A theory of socialization asserting that the unconscious mind shapes human behavior

Functionalism

A theoretical perspective that interprets each part of society in terms of how it contributes to the stability of the whole society

Mead's Theory of Socialization

social roles are the basis of all social interaction -- has stages

Imitation Stage (Mead)

-Copy people around them
-Children do not understand social meaning
-This is where they become social beings

Play Stage (Mead)

-Take on roles of people in their environment
-They incorporate their own relationship to others into the interaction

Game Stage (Mead)

They become capable of taking on multiple roles at the same time

disengagement theory

Theory predicting that as people age, they gradually withdraw from participation in society and are simultaneously relieved of responsibilities

rite of passage

Ceremony or ritual that symbolizes the passage of an individual from one role to another