Exam 2 - SOCY

dyad

a group of 2

• most intimate form of social life

• symmetry must be maintained

• the groups itself exerts no collective influence over the individuals involved

triad

a group of 3

• georg simmel identified the distinction between dyad and triad as the most important distinction in social relations

3 ways george simmel identified ways a third party in a triad can act

• mediator

• tertus gaudens

• divide et impera

mediator

a member of a triad who attempts to resolve conflict between the 2 other actors in the group

tertius gaudens

a member of a triad who benefits from conflict between the other 2 members of the group

divide et impera

a member of a triad who intentionally drives a wedge between the other 2 actors in the group

small group

a group characterized by face-to-face interaction, a unifocal perspective, lack of formal arrangements or roles and a certain level of equality

party

a group that is similar to a small group but it is multifocal

large group

a group characterized by the presence of a formal structure that mediates interaction and, consequently, status differentiation

• ex.) frat or sorority

primary group

social groups, such as family or friends, composed of enduring, intimate, face-to-face relationships that strongly influence the attributes and ideals of those involved

• limited number of members

• key agents of socializtion

• noninterchangeable

• enduring

secondary groups

groups marked by impersonal, instrumental relationships

• impersonal, may/may not know all the members

• instrumental and exist as a means to an end

• affiliation is contingent

• ex.) labor union

in-group

powerful group, which is most often the majority

out-group

stigmatized/less powerful group, generally the minority

reference group

a group to which people compare and measure themselves

ex.) your classmates, subculture groups, others in your major field

social network

a set of relations

• set of dyads held together by ties between individuals

tie

connection between 2 people in a relationship that varies in strength from one relationship to the next

• a story that explains our relationship with another member of our network

narrative

the sum of stories contaminated in a set of ties

embeddedness

the degree to which social relationships are reinforced through indirect ties

• ex.) friends of friends

strength of weak ties

notion that relatively weak ties often turn out to be quite valuable because they yield new information

structural hole

a gap between network cluster, or even two individuals, if those individuals (or clusters) have complementary resources

social capital

the information, knowledge of people or things, and connections that help individuals enter, gain power in, or otherwise leverage social networks

organization

any social network that is defined by a common purpose and has a boundary between its membership and the rest of the social world

formal organization

have a set of governing structures and rules for their internal arrangements

• ex.) military, police, colleges

informal organization

do NOT have such structures and rules

• ex.) social clubs

organizational culture

the shared beliefs and behaviors within a social group

• often used interchangeably with corporate culture

organizational structure

the ways in which power and authority are distributed within an organization

interlocking directorates

the phenomenon whereby the members of corporate boards often sit on the board of directors for multiple companies

conformity

going along with peers

• individuals of our own status who have no special right

obedience

compliance with higher authorities in a hierarchical structure

social deviance

any transgression of socially established norms

• informal deviance

formal deviance

crime - involves the violation of laws

social control

the set of mechanisms that create normative compliance in individuals

normative compliance

the act of abiding by societies norms or simply following the rules of group life

formal social sanctions

rules or laws prohibiting deviant criminal behavior

informal social sanctions

unspoken rules and expectations about the behavior of individuals

robert merton’s strain theory

argues that deviance occurs when a society fails to give all its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals

• when someone fails to recognize and accept either socially appropriate goals or socially appropriate means (or both) they become a social deviant

conformists

accept the goals of a society and the means of achieving them

ritualists

not interested in a societies goals, but they do accept the means of achieving them

innovators

accept the goals of a society, but they look for new, or innovative ways of achieving tem

retreatists

accept neither a societies goals nor the means of achieving them

rebels

don’t accept the goals of the society or the means of achieving those goals, so they create their own goals using new means

labeling theory

people see how they are labeled and accept the label as “true”

• people behave the way they think someone with their label should behave

primary deviance

the first act of rule-breaking, which may result in the rule breakers being labeled “deviant” and thus influencing how people think about and act toward them

secondary deviance

acts of rule-breaking that occur after primary deviance and as a result of a person’s new, deviant, label and people’s expectations of them

stigma

a negative social label that changes ones behavior toward a person while also changing that person’s self-concept of social identity

broken windows theory of deviance

explains how social context and social cues affect the way individuals act

• people who would not exhibit a certain behavior in one social context might do so in another context where the behavior seems more permissible

• philip zimbardo

street crime

crimes committed in public and often associated with violence, gangs, and poverty

white-collar crime

crimes committed by a professional against a corporation, agency, or other business

• ex.) tax evasion, price fixing, corruption of public officials

corporate crime

a type of white-collar crime committed by the officers or executives of a company

impersonal violence

murder, rape, assault

property crimes

robbery, burglary, larceny

victimless crimes

drugs, gambling, prostitution

deterrence theory

philosophy of criminal justice based on the notion that crime results from a rational calculation of its costs and benefits

recidivism

when a person who has been involved in the criminal justice system reverts to criminal behavior

total institution

an institution in which one is totally immersed and that controls all the basics of day-to-day life, no barriers exist between the usual spheres of daily life, and all activity occurs in the same place and under the same single authority

punitive justice

focuses on making violators suffer to define the boundaries of acceptable behavior

rehabilitative justice

examines the specific circumstances of individual transgressors to rehabilitate them

stratification

refers to the hierarchical organization of a society into groups with differing levels of power, social prestige or status and economic resources

bourgeois society

modern capitalist society we live in today

who argued that private property creates social inequality

rousseau

social equality

a condition in which no differences in status exist

• everyone is equal

structural functionalism

inequality is functional because it helps allocate the best people to the. most important roles

• durkheim

• ex.) doctors getting more money

conflict theory

view the social world through the lens of group conflict over resources

• marx

• ex.) women and minorities receiving lower $$

equality of opportunity

the idea that everyone has an equal chance to achieve wealth, social prestige, and power

• ex.) anti-discrimination laws

equality of condition

the idea that everyone should have an equal starting point

• ex.) affirmative action

equality of outcome

the idea that each player must end up with the same amount regardless of the fairness of the “game”

• nobody earns more power, prestige, and wealth by working harder

class system

karl marx

• proletariat: working class

• bourgeoisie: capitalist class

class system

• max weber

• classes based on…

  • wealth

  • prestige

  • power

status hierarchy system

system of stratification based on social prestige

elite mass dichotomy

a system of stratification that has a governing elite, a few leaders who broadly hold the power of society

meritocracy

a society where status and mobility are based on individual attributes, ability, and achievement

socioeconomic status

classified statuses in terms of indicators such as occupation, income, wealth, and education

income

money receivedw by a person for work

wealth

a families or individuals net worth

upper class

termed for the economic elite

middle class

a term commonly used to describe those individuals with non-manual jobs that pay significantly more than the poverty line

many variables associated with poverty

• inadequate nutrition

• low education

• weaker support system

• higher crime risk

patterns of poverty

• age

• feminization of poverty

• education

• working poor

• family structure

• race of ethnicity

• region

sex

perceived biological differences typically used to distinguish males from femalesg

gender

denotes the set of social arrangements built around normative sex categories

sexuality

refers to desire, sexual preference, sexual identity and behavior

essentialists

explain social phenomena in terms of natural, biological, or evolutionary inevitabilities

sociologists

think about the nature-behavior relationships as a 2-way street

the study of gender boils down to seeing how ______ and ______ overlap and shape eachother

nature and nurture

androgynous

neither masculine or feminine

hijaras

in india - example of non-binary people

navajo 3 genders

1.) masculine man

2.) feminine women

3.) nadle

transgender

describes people whose gender does not correspond to their birth sex

cisgender

describes people who’s gender corresponds to their birth sex

hegemonic masculinity

condition in which men are dominant and provleddged

feminism

a social movement to get people to understand that gender is an organizing principle in society and to address gender-based inequalities

patriarchy

a system involving the subordination of femininity to masculinity

parson’s sex role theory

men and women perform their sex roles as breadwinners and wives/mothers because the nuclear family is the ideal arrangement in modern societies

conflict theories - gender

focus on pwoer and argue that patriarchal capitalists benefit through systems that subordinate women

interactionist theories

interactionists theories focus on “doing gender”

• west and zimmerman argue that gender is not a fixed identity or role that we take us into our interactions - product of those interactions

intersectionality

the idea that it is critical to understnad that interplay between social identities

• woman is not a stable or obvious category of identity

sexism

occurs when a person’s sex or gender is the basis for judgement, discrimination, or other differential treatment against that person

sexual harrassment

an illegal form of discriminatino revolving around sexuality

• ex.) inappropriate jokes, sexual “barter”, outright sexual assault

3 forms of harassment

1.) gender harrassment

2.) unwanted sexual attention

3.) sexual coercion

gender harrassment

sexist hostility and crude behavior