SOC101

SOCIOLOGY BEGINS WITH THE INSIGHT THAT EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING IN SOCIETY IS RELATED TO

EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN SOCIETY.

THE CENTRAL PRINCIPLE OF SOCIOLOGY IS HUMAN INTERCONNECTION : NOTHING AND NO ONE

STANDS “OUTSIDE” OF SOCIETY.

SOCIOLOGY ALSO IS FOCUSED ON ANSWERING 2 MAJOR QUESTIONS:

1. WHAT HOLDS SOCIETY TOGETHER?

2. HOW AND WHY DO SOCIETIES CHANGE?

THERE ARE THREE MAJOR SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES INTENDED TO HELP US TO ANSWER THESE

QUESTIONS.

THE FIRST THEORY IS CALLED “SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM,” AND IS THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN SOCIETY IS CREATED FROM OUR WORDS AND

ACTIONS TOGETHER AS INDIVIDUAL HUMAN BEINGS WHO INTERACT IN GROUPS-- WHETHER

FAMILY, WORK, FRIENDSHIP, OR ANY AND ALL OTHER GROUPS.

THE CORE INSIGHT OF THIS THEORY IS THAT HUMAN REALITY IS CREATED—IS “SOCIALLY

CONSTRUCTED”—THROUGH OUR INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER PEOPLE. I ALSO CALL SYMBOLIC

INTERACTIONISM THE “MEANING” MODEL BECAUSE AS HUMAN BEINGS WE NEED TO MAKE SENSE

OF OUR LIVES ABOVE ALL ELSE.

THE SECOND THEORY IS CALLED “STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM,” AND IS THE MORE

“CONSERVATIVE” THEORY FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON ANSWERING QUESTION 1. I ALSO CALL

STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM THE “ORDER” MODEL BECAUSE AS HUMAN BEINGS WE NEED SECURITY

AND CONTINUITY IN OUR LIVES.

THE THIRD THEORY IS CALLED “CRITICAL CONFLICT” AND IS THE MORE “LIBERAL TO SOCIALIST”

THEORY FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON ANSWERING QUESTION 2. SINCE THE HISTORIC GOAL OF CRITICAL

CONFLICT THEORY IS TO ACHIEVE HUMAN FREEDOM AND EQUALITY, I ALSO CALL THIS THEORY THE

“FAIRNESS” MODEL.

LET US BEGIN OUR STUDY OF SOCIOLOGY BY PICTURING SOCIETY AS A HUGE “TREE TRUNK” BEING

CONTINUOUSLY CREATED OR “SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED” BY MILLIONS OF INTERACTING GROUPS OF

PEOPLE; AND LET US ALSO PICTURE OUR STUDY OF THE RESULTS OF THIS SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF

SOCIETY AS THREE LARGE “BRANCHES” GROWING OUT OF THE TRUNK--WITH EACH BRANCH

REPRESENTING A CORE AREA OF SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY THAT HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND THAT

DIMENSION OF SOCIETY; NAMELY, SOCIAL DEVIANCE, SOCIAL INEQUALITY, AND SOCIAL CHANGE.

AS CRUCIAL AIDS TO ASSIST YOU IN THIS STUDY, I ALSO WANT TO INTRODUCE 10 CORE CONCEPTS

AS YOUR SOCIOLOGICAL “TOOL KIT.”

1. SELF

THE COURSE BEGINS AND ENDS WITH THE SELF—IN FACT, YOUR SELF. EACH OF US IS A CONSCIOUS

AGENT WHO THINKS ABOUT REALITY IN LANGUAGE (WORDS) AND THEN CHOOSES TO ACT

ACCORDINGLY.

2.DEFINITION OF THE SITUATION

EVERY PERSON DEFINES EACH AND EVERY SITUATION IN THEIR LIFE ACCORDING TO THEIR LEARNED

(“SOCIALIZED”) BELIEFS AND VALUES. THIS IS A CONSTANT PROCESS WHERE WE LEARN TO TAKE

MOST OF WHAT WE THINK AND DO (OUR ONGOING “DEFINITIONS OF SITUATIONS”) FOR GRANTED.

THIS IS A UNIVERSAL AND CONSTANT HUMAN PROCESS, FROM THE MOST PETTY TO THE MOST

PROFOUND. FOR EXAMPLE, WE GET UP IN THE MORNING AND DECIDE WHAT TO EAT (DEFINE THE

EATING SITUATION OR BREAKFAST); THEN WE DECIDE WHETHER TO WALK TO CAMPUS (WE LIVE

CLOSE) OR DRIVE (WE’RE FEELING TIRED), DEFINING THE TRANSPORTATION SITUATION.

3. LOOKING GLASS SELF

FROM THE TIME YOU ARE BORN SOME PARENTAL FIGURE LOOKS AT YOU AND INTERACTS WITH

YOU EITHER POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY WHILE FEEDING, CLOTHING, HOLDING YOU, ETC. YOU

DEVELOP YOUR IDENTITY/SELF-CONCEPT AS THE RESULT OF THIS PROCESS, EITHER MOSTLY

POSITIVELY IF ADEQUATELY CARED FOR OR MOSTLY NEGATIVELY IF IGNORED OR ABUSED. OVER

TIME IN YOUR CHILDHOOD YOUR IDENTITY OR SELF-CONCEPT SOLIDIFIES, COMING TO REFLECT OR

“MIRROR” YOUR PARENT(S)’ POSITIVE AND/OR NEGATIVE JUDGMENTS OF YOU. THIS PROCESS IS

OBVIOUSLY A CRUCIAL COMPONENT OF YOUR SOCIALIZATION.

4.TAKING THE ROLE OF THE OTHER

THIS IS THE MOST CRUCIAL DIMENSION IN THE PROCESS OF THE CHILD DEVELOPING TOWARD AN

ADULT IDENTITY IN SOCIETY--THAT IS, HUMAN “SOCIALIZATION.” BY AROUND AGE 3 EACH CHILD

STARTS TO BE ABLE TO IMAGINE HIS/HERSELF IN THE SHOES OF HIS OR HER MOTHER, FATHER,

SISTER, FRIEND, ETC. WE START TO SEE OTHER PEOPLE AS INDIVIDUALS SEPARATE FROM

OURSELVES AND WITH WHOM WE CAN IDENTIFY AND WHOSE ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR WE CAN

COPY. WE LEARN TO TRY OUT THE ROLES/IDENTITIES OF OTHER PEOPLE TO ASSESS THE “FIT” WITH

OUR OWN NEEDS AND WISHES. JUST THINK OF THE SMALL CHILD PUSHING A TOY LAWN MOWER

LIKE HIS OR HER FATHER OR HELPING TO MIX THE INGREDIENTS FOR A CAKE LIKE HIS OR HER

MOTHER. YOU GET THE IDEA.

5. IDEAS TEND TO BE REAL IN THEIR CONSEQUENCES

THIS CONCEPT SHOWS THE BASIC LOGIC OF HUMAN THINKING; THAT IS, OUR IDEAS ABOUT WHAT

WE WANT TO HAPPEN ARE LIKELY TO HAPPEN IN REALITY UNLESS BLOCKED BY THE IDEAS AND

ACTIONS OF OTHER MORE POWERFUL PEOPLE OR BY OTHER CONCRETE OBSTACLES. THIS

PRINCIPLE IS CRUCIAL IN OUR STUDY OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY, SOCIAL DEVIANCE, AND SOCIAL

CHANGE.

6.SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY

THIS CONCEPT IS THE TWIN OF NUMBER 5 AND IS CENTRALLY IMPORTANT IN SHOWING HOW AND

WHY PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR DEVELOP IN SOCIETY. THE LABELING OF THE EXPECTED IDENTITIES,

BELIEFS, AND BEHAVIOR OF PEOPLE SETS UP SOCIAL FORCES THAT CREATE THE EXPECTED

IDENTITIES AND BEHAVIOR OF THOSE PEOPLE; THAT IS, WHATEVER IDENTITY OR BEHAVIOR IS

PREDICTED FOR AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP, WHETHER NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE (THE “PROPHECY”),

IS LIKELY TO BECOME TRUE (IS “SELF-FULFILLING”). THIS CONCEPT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO

HELP US TO UNDERSTAND SOCIALIZATION, INEQUALITY BY SOCIAL CLASS, RACE, GENDER, SEXUAL

ORIENTATION, ETC, AND IN INVESTIGATING SOCIAL DEVIANCE.

7.MASTER STATUS

THIS CONCEPT PROFOUNDLY CONNECTS OUR INDIVIDUAL IDENTITIES TO THE LARGER STRUCTURES

AND FORCES IN SOCIETY AND INVOLVES THE 7 MOST IMPORTANT UNIVERSAL POSITIONS OR

“STATUSES” EVERY INDIVIDUAL OCCUPIES IN SOCIETY: THAT IS, SOCIAL CLASS, GENDER, RACE AND

ETHNICITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AGE, ABILITY VS. DISABILITY, AND RELIGION. THESE 7 STATUSES

ARE CRUCIAL IN HELPING US TO UNDERSTAND SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN SOCIETY.

WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED WITHIN THE “MASTER STATUS SOCIAL HIERARCHY?” TRY THIS EXERCISE

AND WRITE DOWN THE RESULTS.

1. SOCIAL CLASS: IF YOU ARE MIDDLE TO UPPER CLASS (ANNUAL FAMILY INCOME OF $50000 OR

ABOVE) + 3 POINTS. IF YOUR FAMILY INCOME IS LESS THAN $50000 - 3 POINTS

2. RACE AND ETHNICITY: IF YOU ARE WHITE + 3 POINTS. IF YOU ARE NON-WHTE – 3 POINTS

3. GENDER: IF YOU ARE MALE + 3 POINTS; FEMALE – 3 POINTS; TRANS-GENDER – 4 POINTS

4. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: HETEROSEXUAL + 3 POINTS; HOMOSEXUAL – 3 POINTS

5. ABILITY/DISABILITY: IF ABLE + 3 POINTS; IF DISABLED (VISIBLY OR NOT; E.G., ADDICTED) –

3POINTS

6. AGE: IF OVER 21 OR UNDER 60 + 3 POINTS; IF UNDER 21 OR OVER 60 – 3 POINTS

7. RELIGION: IF CHRISTIAN + 3 POINTS; IF NON-CHRISTIAN – 3 POINTS; IF MUSLIM, - 4 POINTS

I AM A 79 YEAR OLD WHITE, MIDDLE CLASS, HETEROSEXUAL, ABLE, NON-CHRISTIAN MALE.

A PERFECT SCORE = 21. MY SCORE = 9 WHAT IS YOUR SCORE?

8.POWER

THIS CONCEPT FOCUSES ON THE ABILITY OF AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP TO GET ITS WAY--THAT IS,

TO GET OTHER PEOPLE TO GO ALONG WITH WHAT THAT INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP WANTS--BY