Studied by 24 peopleMAJOR THEORETICAL PARADIGMS
a model or framework of a scientific school or discipline within which theories, laws, and generalizations and the experiments performed
Structural Functionalism
in sociology and other social sciences, a school of thought according to which each of the institutions, relationships, roles, and norms that together constitute a society serves a purpose, and each is indispensable for the continued existence of the others and of society as a whole.
Structural Functionalism
Man is a moral (know what’s right or wrong) being, only because he lives in a society (to know the laws). Let all social life disappear and morality will disappear with it.
Social change
is regarded as an adaptive response to some tension within the social system.
Emile Durkheim
The origin of contemporary references to social structure can be traced to the French social scientist
who argued that parts of society are interdependent and that this interdependency imposes structure on the behavior of institutions and their members.
Emile Durkheim
the interrelations between the parts of society contributed to social unity—an integrated system with life characteristics of its own, exterior to individuals yet driving their behavior.
rules are set based on the goals of the people
MECHANICAL SOLIDARITY
sentimental attraction of social units or groups that perform the same or similar functions, such as preindustrial self-sufficient farmers
ORGANIC SOLIDARITY
interdependence based on differentiated functions and specialization, as seen in a factory, the military, government, or other complex organizations.
A.R. Radcliffe-Brown
a British social anthropologist, gave the concept of social structure a central place in his approach and connected it to the concept of function.
In his view, the components of the social structure have indispensable functions for one another—the continued existence of the one component is dependent on that of the others—and for society as a whole, which is seen as an integrated organic entity.
culture of society; bigger picture = to make a rule for all; rules are made based on patterns in diff places.
A.R. Radcliffe-Brown
His comparative studies of preliterate societies demonstrated that the interdependence of institutions regulated much of social and individual life.
defined social structure empirically as patterned, or “normal,” social relations—i.e., those aspects of social activities that conform to accepted social rules or norms.
These rules bind society’s members to socially useful activities.
looked at past rules → adapt
Talcott Parsons
underwent some modification when the American sociologist enunciated the “functional prerequisites” that any social system must meet in order to survive (required context to set a new rule):
developing routinized interpersonal arrangements
defining relations to the external environment
fixing boundaries (limitations)
recruiting and controlling members
stratification system
selected the most talented and meritorious individuals to meet society’s needs, was seen by some as a conservative ideology that legitimated the status quo and thereby prevented social reform.
It also ignored the potential of the individual within society (ruler has all the power; theres a higher voice)
Symbolic Interactionist Theory
is a micro-level (lower level) theory that focuses on the relationships among individuals within a society
Communication
the exchange of meaning through language and symbols—is believed to be the way in which people make sense of their social worlds.
Herman and Reynolds
note that this perspective sees people as being active in shaping the social world rather than simply being acted upon. (looking at symbols before making rules)
George Herbert Mead
considered a founder of symbolic interactionism though he never published his work on it.
Herbert Blumer
coined the term “symbolic interactionism” and outlined these basic premises:
humans interact with things based on meanings ascribed to those things;
the ascribed meaning of things comes from our interactions with others and society;
the meanings of things are interpreted by a person when dealing with things in specific circumstances.
Symbolic Interactionist Theory
Social scientists who apply symbolic-interactionist thinking look for patterns of interaction between individuals.
Their studies often involve observation of one-on-one interactions.
For example, while a conflict theorist studying a political protest might focus on class difference, a symbolic interactionist would be more interested in how individuals in the protesting group interact, as well as the signs and symbols protesters use to communicate their message.
Erving Goffman
The focus on the importance of symbols in building a society led this sociologist to develop a technique called dramaturgical analysis.
Because it can be unclear what part a person may play in a given situation, he or she has to improvise his or her role as the situation unfolds.
Studies that use the symbolic interactionist perspective are more likely to use qualitative research methods, because they seek to understand the symbolic worlds in which research subjects live.
dramaturgical analysis
used theater as an analogy for social interaction and recognized that people’s interactions showed patterns of cultural “scripts.”
qualitative
type of research method that Studies use in the symbolic interactionist perspective
Conflict Theory
looks at society as a competition for limited resources (food, money, oil)
Karl Marx
This perspective is a macro-level approach most identified with the writings of this German philosopher and sociologist, who saw society as being made up of individuals in different social classes (rich, poor, average) who must compete for social, material, and political resources such as food and housing, employment, education, and leisure time.
Ludwig Gumplowicz
Polish-Austrian sociologist
expanded on Marx’s ideas by arguing that war and conquest are the basis of civilizations.
He believed that cultural and ethnic conflicts led to states being identified and defined by a dominant group that had power over other groups.
Max Weber
German sociologist
agreed with Marx but also believed that, in addition to economic inequalities, inequalities of political power and social structure cause conflict.
Georg Simmel
German sociologist
believed that conflict can help integrate and stabilize a society.
no problems = no innovation
He said that the intensity of the conflict varies depending on the emotional involvement of the parties, the degree of solidarity within the opposing groups, and the clarity and limited nature of the goals.
also showed that groups work to create internal solidarity, centralize power, and reduce dissent.
Resolving conflicts can reduce tension and hostility and can pave the way for future agreements.
Frankfurt School
German philosophers in the 1930s and 1940s
developed critical theory as an elaboration on Marxist principles.
CRITICAL THEORY
an expansion of conflict theory and is broader than just sociology, including other social sciences and philosophy.
attempts to address structural issues causing inequality;
it must explain what’s wrong in current social reality, identify the people who can make changes, and provide practical goals for social transformation
Janet Saltzman Chafetz
presented a model of feminist theory that attempts to explain the forces that maintain gender inequality as well as a theory of how such a system can be changed.
critical race theory
grew out of a critical analysis of race and racism from a legal point of view.
SOCIALIZATION
talking and communicate
refers to the lifelong process of social interaction through which people acquire their identities and necessary survival skills in society.
It prepares new members of society and trains them to think, feel, and act in appropriate ways.
is considered the central process of social life, and is also a process of member recruitment and replacement.
SOCIALIZATION
This process enables a person to gradually become a self-aware and knowledgeable human being, and learn the ways, values, rules, and culture of his or her society. (communicate = know who you are)
is also important in politics, and a citizen develops and acquires a process which enables the development of citizens to function effectively within a particular political system.
INTERNALIZATION
refers to the process of accepting the social norms, attitudes, roles, and values transmitted by people and social groups within society as one’s own.
Social Context
This refers to the particular circumstances of a society and consists of its culture, language, and the social structures that define social class, ethnicity, and gender.
Process
This refers to the methods of interaction that enable the content to be given to the person undergoing socialization.
This is considered as a highly interactive process.
Results
This refers to the outcomes of socialization, and are evident when individuals begin to practice the behaviors, attitudes, and values that society considers necessary for them to function effectively as its members.
successful or not?
ENCULTURATION
Growing up in any culture, all humans go through the process of enculturation.
This process is the way in which we obtain and transmit culture.
It describes how each individual comes to terms with the already set ideals that their culture has established
PROSCRIBED
prohibited behaviors and beliefs,
PRESCRIBED
encouraged behaviors and beliefs
Cultural Transmission
the passing of new knowledge and traditions of culture from one generation to the next, as well as cross-culturally.
happens everyday, all the time, without any concept of when or where.
Everything people do and say provides cultural transmission in all aspects of life
The Family
is the primary agent of socialization of an individual upon birth, throughout infancy, and up to childhood.
are essential for the early care and development of the child, and as the child matures, the family becomes an important venue for social engagement and political socialization
Apart from defining the identity of the individual as a member of society, the family itself as an institution is also defined by the changes that society undergoes.
Schools
a critical and active role in socialization, as their various academic and social activities mold students’ beliefs, values, and attitudes.
teach students important values like competitiveness, cooperation, conformity, innovation, punctuality, orderliness, and respect for authority.
In addition, students learn the value of self-improvement and hard work through classroom activities and learning tasks which give them opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills.
Peer Groups
also reinforce acceptable behaviors introduced by the family and school, allow a certain degree of independence from family and certain figures of authority, and are also means for socialization and involvement in social and political issues.
refer to people who share the same interests or characteristics such as age and social background.
for the most part are formed by informal, spontaneous, and voluntary means.
Mass Media
includes forms of communication such as books, magazines, newspapers, other print materials, radio, television, and movies.
It is a powerful agent of socialization which is widely used by many institutions and organizations involved in the use of print and electronic communication.
functions as a socializing agent is also very influential to the political views, behavior, and attitudes of individuals.
Religion and State
Both __ and __are considered as the ultimate sources of authority, making the church and government important agents of socialization.
__ exerts a great influence on the views of a person, legitimizes accepted social practices, provides stability to society, and can even be a source of social change.
The __ , meanwhile, participates in socialization through laws and other regulations that reinforce appropriate behavior, and help form values and attitudes of the citizens.
Major Social and Historical Events
The changes and developments brought about by historical events often cause transformations in the values, attitudes, and views that define societies, leading to further changes in the behavior and traditions of societies.
Social Groups
consists of a number of people who have common identity, some feeling of unity, and a certain common goal and shared norms.
“Social interaction takes place in the context of social groups”
Social organization or institution
a group of social positions, connected by social relations, performing a social role.
It can be also defined in a narrow sense as any institution in a society that works to socialize the groups or people in it.
Social Aggregates
set of people who are in one area
EXAMPLE: people who are riding in a bus
Social Category
a set of people who are share common characteristics
EXAMPLE: MET students in TUP
Social Statistics
is just referring to a numbered categorization of individuals
EXAMPLE: 10 top notcher in Board Exam
Dyad
two people; one relationship
Triad
three people; three relationships
A group of four
six relationships
A group of five
ten relationships
PRIMARY
small in size and characterized by personal, intimate and non-specialized relationships between their members.
EXAMPLE: Family, basketball team, a pair of lovers, clique
SECONDARY
formal, impersonal group in which there is little social intimacy or mutual understanding.
based on task oriented, impersonal and specialized ties with people, they may be small, but often large.
not talking most of the time
IN-GROUPS
feel strong identification and loyalty with the members of their own groups different, either culturally or racially
OUT-GROUPS
a group or category to which people feel they do not belong
REFERENCE
uses as a standard in evaluating or understanding themselves, their attitudes, and their behavior
Formal organization
Money is an important part to these groups, and the organization uses money in fulfilling some objective.
People belong to some type of formal organization because of some purpose.
Voluntary
TYPES OF FORMAL ORGANIZATION
People join of their own volition and receive no financial compensation
Coercive
TYPES OF FORMAL ORGANIZATION
People are required to join for either their own benefit or societal good
Utilitarian
TYPES OF FORMAL ORGANIZATION
People are not forced to join a particular organization but feel compelled to join some.
Informal organization
provide different but important things.
They can provide relaxation and reduce stress.
People can be involved in fun activities.
are what help keep people in good social health and well being.
Note 
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