Sociology: The Sociological Perspective

The systematic study of human society

Sociology

Refers to people who live in a defined territory and share a culture

Society

A view that looks at behavior of groups, not individuals

Sociological perspective

The study of the larger world and our society's place in it

Global perspective

The logical extension of the sociological perspective.

Global awareness

What are the three broad categories that the world's 195 nations can be divided into in reference to their level of economic development?

High-income countries, middle-income countries, and low-income countries

The nations with the highest overall standards of living

High-Income Countries

Sociology is based on a special point of view called the _______, which can be described as seeing general patterns in the lives of particular people.

Sociological perspective

Taking a(n) __________ perspective involves studying the larger world and our society's place in it.

global

The _______ helps us assess the truth of common sense, helps us see the opportunities and constraints in our lives, empowers us to be active participants in our society, and helps us live in a diverse world.

Sociological perspective

This French social thinker coined the term sociology in 1838 to describe a new way of looking at society.

Auguste Comte

Describes people who took the religious view that society expressed God's will

Theological Stage

Describes people who saw society as a natural rather than a supernatural system

Metaphysical Stage

Describes people who view the world and events as explained by scientific principles

Scientific Stage

A scientific approach to knowledge based on "positive" facts as opposed to mere speculation

Positivism

A statement of how and why specific facts are related

Theory

What lists of historical events and tends correctly identifies three factors that led to the initial development of the discipline of sociology in Europe and, and soon after, in the United States?

The new industrial economy, the growth of cities, and political change

A basic image of society that guides theory and research

Theoretical approach

Name the three major theoretical approaches

Structural, Social-conflict, and symbolic-interaction approach

A framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability

structural-functional approach

Social Structure

Any relatively stable pattern of social behavior

The consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society as a whole

Social functions

The recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern

manifest functions

The unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern

latent functions

A framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change

social-conflict approach

Support of social equality for women and men, in opposition to patriarchy and sexism

Feminism

race-conflict theory

The study of society that focuses on inequality and conflict between people of different racial and ethnic categories

A framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals

Symbolic-Interaction Approach

A broad focus on social structures that shape society as a whole

macro-level orientation

A close-up focus on social interaction in specific situations

micro-level orientation

Describes social life as if people are actors on a stage playing various roles

dramaturgical analysis

The idea that interaction is guided by what each person stands to gain and lose from others

social-exchange analysis

A generalized belief about a group of people

stereotype

The study of society that focuses on inequality and conflict between women and men

gender-conflict theory

The study of society that focuses on inequality and conflict between people of different racial and ethnic categories

race-conflict theory

A sociologist following the __________ theoretical approach would be likely to ask the following questions: What are the major parts of society? How are these parts linked? What does each part do to help society work?

structural-functional

Which theoretical approach in sociology would most likely lead to an analysis of sports that shows that the games people play reflect their social standing?

social-conflict approach

Following which theoretical approach would we understand sports not as a societal system but as an ongoing process of face-to-face interaction?

symbolic-interaction approach

If you were to study sports guided by the ______theoretical approach, you might note that people of color are about fifteen times more likely to be players on the field than to be team owners.

social-conflict

The ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a people’s way of life.

culture

Ideas created by members of a society, ideas that range from art to Zen.

Nonmaterial culture

The physical things created by members of a society, everything from apple pie to zippers.

material culture

Personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life.

culture shock

Among all living things on Earth, only humans rely on _____ to ensure their survival.

culture

The _______ hold that people see and understand the world through the cultural lens of language.

Sapir-Whorf thesis

Culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful and that serve as broad guidelines for social living.

values

Rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members.

norms

Norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance.

mores

Norms for routine or casual interaction

folkways

The following is an example of a folkway _____

Not wearing a tie to a formal dinner party

Attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts and behavior is called _____

social control

Mores differ from folkways in that mores ______, whereas folkways _______

have great moral significance; are less important norms that apply to routine or casual interaction

Cultural patterns that set apart some segment of a society’s population.

subculture

The close relationships among various elements of a cultural system.

cultural integration

The concept "cultural lag" refers to the fact that _______

Some cultural elements change more quickly than others, disrupting a cultural system

The practice of judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture.

ethnocentrism

The practice of judging a culture by its own standards.

cultural relativism

Which of the following categories of people provides the best example of a counterculture?

Neo-Nazis

Traits that are part of every known culture.

cultural universals

A theoretical approach that explores ways in which human biology affects how we create culture.

sociobiology

Sociobiology takes a(n) ______ approach to the study of culture.

evolutionary

The social-conflict approach highlights how __________

U.S. culture includes bias that involves gender, race, and ethnicity

Which of the following statements illustrates the social-conflict approach to understanding culture?

In a capitalist society, people learn to define personal happiness in terms of material possessions.

Material culture corresponds to _______ as manifest functions correspond to latent functions.

nonmaterial culture

Generally speaking, U.S. culture favors men over women, white people over people of color, and rich people over poor people. Which key value of U.S. culture identified by Robin Williams Jr. does this pattern of inequality reflect?

group superiority

The lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture.

socialization

The lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture

socialization

Social experience is also the foundation of ______, a person’s fairly consistent patterns of acting, thinking, and feeling.

personality

According to Sigmund Freud’s model of personality, the component that represents the human being’s basic, unconscious drives that demand immediate satisfaction is called the _______

ID

A person’s conscious efforts to balance innate pleasure seeking drives with the demands of society.

Ego

The culture values and norms of the larger society, which are internalized by an individual.

superego

The level of human development at which individuals experience the world only through their senses.

sensorimotor stage

The level of human development at which individuals first use language and other sympbols.

preoperational stage

The level of human development at which individuals first see casual connections in their surroundings.

concrete operational stage

The level of human development at which individuals think abstractly and critically.

formal operational stage

Widespread cultural norms and values we use as references in evaluating ourselves.

generalized other

In Erik H Erikson’s “Stages of Development”, ________ is the challenge of autonomy stage. One has to learn how to cope with the world in a confident way.

toddlerhood

In Erik H Erikson’s “Stages of Development”, _________ is the challenge of gaining identity. In this stage one struggles to establish their own identity.

adolescence

This theorist identified the challenges individuals face at each stage of the life course.

Erik Erikson

This theorist identified four stages of cognitive development: the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage.

Jean Piaget

Which of the following concepts comes closest in meaning to Sigmund Freud's term "superego"?

culture

Learning that helps a person achieve a desired position in the future is referred to as

Anticipatory socialization

The term "cohort" is used by sociologists and demographers to describe

A category of people with something in common, usually their age

A setting in which people are isolated from the rest of society and manipulated by an administrative staff.

total institution

What is the primary purpose of the rigid routines, standardized environments, and strict administration found within a total institution?

Resocialization

According to Erik Erikson, a child in the preschool stage (age four or five) faces the challenge of developing which of the following qualities?

initiative

What term did Sigmund Freud use to refer to a person's conscious efforts to balance pleasure seeking with the demands of society?

ego

Why might a teenager looking to join a new social group start listening to a new type of music?

She is engaging in anticipatory socialization.

The recognized violation of cultural norms" refers to the concept of

Deviance

The violation of a society’s formally enacted criminal law" is defined as

crime

Which Italian physician worked in prisons and theorized that criminals are evolutionary throwbacks who stand out physically with features like low foreheads, prominent jaws, and unusually long arms

Cesare Lombroso

According to Robert K. Merton’s strain theory, an alienated young man who has dropped out of school and spends his time alone drinking alcohol is an example of which type of deviance?

retreatism

According to Robert K. Merton’s strain theory, a clever young man who makes a lot of money as a computer "hacker" is an example of which type of deviance?

innovation

According to Robert K. Merton’s strain theory, a person who is critical of existing society, holds a new vision of the world, and tries to convince others to leave the familiar and join in this new way of life is an example of which type of deviance?

rebellion

Emile Durkheim's basic insight was that ______

there is nothing abnormal about deviance because all societies create deviance, which has positive functions for the operation of society

Which U.S. sociologist developed what is called "strain theory" of deviance?

Robert Merton

They key insight of the _______ theoretical approach is that deviance is a necessary part of social organization.

structural-functional

The __________ approach explains how people define deviance in everyday situations.

symbolic-interaction

The idea that deviance and conformity result not so much from what people do as from how others respond to those actions is known as:

labeling theory

A powerfully negative label that greatly changes a person’s self-concept and social identity is known as a

stigma