Sociology Chapter 1 Test

What is sociology?

 the scientific study of social structures; patterned ways people interact in social situations

study of social structures

how people interact in relationships

patterns of behavior shared by groups

• how are individuals shaped by the society/culture they live in?

• how do people’s actions change society/culture over time?

  • how society impacts you, and how you impact society

sociological perspective

a view that focuses on the behavior of groups, not individuals

concentrate on categories of people (“the general in the particular”)

Group vs Individual

groups are not collections of individuals

• create new whole with new characteristics (Emile Durkheim idea)

• individual behavior matches group expectations (conform)

not a bunch of individuals, becomes something else (A GROUP)

sociological imagination

 the ability to see the link between society and self (C. Wright Mills)

• people don’t make decisions in isolation, use history to form opinions and decisions

helps us understand effects of events in our daily lives

view society as an outsider, escape out perspective/beliefs

Being able to look at our own society as outsiders and escape our personal perspectives and cultural beliefs to see that the problems people face reflect larger social forces and trends.

Cultural relativism

understanding that what seems strange to outsiders often makes sense within a cultural context

theoretical perspectives

Sociology needs more than one theoretical perspective because the usage of only one theoretical perspective prevents people from seeing other aspects of social behavior. Also, using them all together helps see the most important parts of human behavior.

functionalism, social conflict, symbolic interaction

functionalism

Society is seen as a system whose parts work together in order to promote solidarity and stability. There are stable patterns of social behavior, and all structures have consequences that serve a function for society.

An approach that emphasizes the contributions made by each part of society.

functionalism

• Manifest Functions

• Latent Functions

• Dysfunction

Manifest Function - A contribution made by some part of a society that are intended and recognized

Latent Function - A contribution made by some part of a society that are unintended and unrecognized

Dysfunction - The negative consequences of an aspect of society

main ideas of functionalism

A society is relatively stable A society tends to seek relative stability Most aspects of society contribute to the society’s well being and survival A society rests on the consensus of its members Consensus of values accounts for the high degree of cooperation found in society  Values are broad ideas about what most people consider to be desirable  Influence social behavior See the parts of society as an integrated whole → change in one part leds to changes in other parts

Change in one part  → change in another Industrialization = smaller families Return to stability after upheaval 1960s Anti War protests = didn’t revolutionize US changes absorbed

conflict theory (social conflict)

Society is seen as a structure that is full of inequality. This massive inequality generates conflict and is the motivation for change. All social structures benefit the elite and further deprive the poor.

An approach that emphasizes the role of conflict, competition, and constraint within a society

power (conflict theory)

Power - the ability to control the behavior of others

main ideas (conflict theory)

A society experiences inconsistency and conflict everywhere A society is continually subjected to change A society involves the constraint and coercion of some members by others Contrast of functionalists Focuses on the disagreements among various groups in a society or between societies  Groups and societies compete as they attempt to preserve and promote their own special values and interests Social living is a contest Those with the most power have the most wealth, prestige and privileges Because some groups have more power, they are able to limit the less powerful groups in society Changes in societal position are brought about by the gaining of power

Groups compete to promote own interests As balance of power changes, so does society Ex women’s movement → more positions of power

Symbolic Interactionism

Society is the product of the everyday interaction of individuals. It is complex, changing, and subjective as every individual carries with them their own views, experiences, memories, thoughts, and expectations.

An approach that focuses on the interactions among people based on their mutually understood symbols.

Symbolic Interactionism

• Symbols

• Dramaturgy

Dramaturgy - approach that depicts human interaction as theatrical performances

• Front stage and back stage

Symbol - Anything that stands for something else and has an agreed -upon meaning 

attached to it

• Can be an object, a word, a facial expression, a gesture, or a sound

Main ideas (symbolic interactionism)

People’s interpretations of symbols are based on the meaning they learn from others People base  their interaction of their interpretations of symbols Symbols permit people to have internal conversations that help them gear their interaction to the behavior they think others expect of them and the behavior they expect of others Groups exist only because their members influence each other’s behavior We learn the meaning of a symbol from the way we see others reaction to it  Once we learn the meanings of symbols, we base our behavior on them  We use the meanings of symbols to imagine how others will respond to our behavior We have internal conversations with ourselves that enable us to visualize how others  will  respond to us before we act We present ourselves through dress, gestures, and tone of voice = presentation of self or impression management

Learn the meaning of a symbol by how people react to it We base our interactions based on meanings of symbols Internal conversation about how others will respond to our behavior

Auguste Comte

• Positivism

• Social Statics

• Social Dynamics

considered to be the “Father of Sociology”, concerned with improving society

Believed that social behavior had to be studied scientifically.

Since no science of society existed, he attempted to create his own

wrote and published the first book on sociology (Positive Philosophy)

positivism - the belief that knowledge should be derived from scientific observation

social statics -study of social stability and order

social dynamics - The study of social change

Harriet Martineau

conflict theorist

considered an early feminist theorist because she wrote about the link between slavery and the oppression of women

translated Auguste Comte’s work from French to English

early feminist, believed the lack of economic power kept women dependent on men

Herbert Spencer

opposed social reform, believed the poor deserved to be poor, the rich deserved to be rich

social darwinism —> stems from childhood (only one of 9 siblings to survive)

Herbert compared society to the human body~ each part of society works together to promote its well being

Society is like an organism, it will evolve and change over time

Society is bound to be divided by race and class, and certain groups will dominate over the others

He followed the idea of Social Darwinism, and natural selection

“survival of the fittest”

Conflict theory

• Believed societies evolve through “survival of the fittest”

• Stronger classes would naturally dominate any weaker ones

• Saw competition and struggle as social progress

Functionalism

• Believed each role in society worked together to complement another

• Viewed society as a living organism with different working parts

• If one part where to fail, the society would be forced to adapt

Karl Marx

• Bourgeoisie

• Capitalists

• Proletariat

concerned with the poverty and inequalities faced by the working class, believed there were haves and have-nots. believed class conflict would lead to a classless society (communism)

conflict theory

Bourgeoisie - class owning the means for producing wealth in industrial society (those who own captital)

Capitalist - person who owns or controls the means for producing wealth

Proletariat - working class; people who work for the bourgeoisie and are paid just enough to stay alive (those who work and are paid enough to live)

Class Conflict - the ongoing struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat

Emile Durkheim

• Mechanical Solidarity

• Organic Solidarity

believed society exists because of broad agreements among members of a society

Published his major work, Suicide: A Study in Sociology in 1897

• Human social behaviors are explained by social factors as opposed to psychological ones

• Believed that social science and educational reform could be a way to avoid the perils of social disconnectedness, or “anomie”

• He expressed that suicide rates vary according to group characteristics, not only on the individual acting alone

functionalism

mechanical solidarity - social dependency based on consensus of values and beliefs and dependence on tradition and family

organic solidarity - social interdependency based on a high degree of specialization of roles

• specialized roles where members are dependent on each other for goods and services

Max Weber

• Verstehen

believed sociologists must discover personal meanings, values, beliefs, attitudes underlying human social behavior

Verstehen- understanding the behavior of others by putting yourself mentally in their place

Rationalization - the mindset emphasizing knowledge, reason, and planning

he believed individuals act on the basis of their own understanding, which relates to the idea that people understand symbols generally.

symbolic interactionism

Jane Addams

believed government and business corruption harmed workers, founded hull house

hull house - place designed to help people who needed refuge

served as a model of how to deliver social services to the poor

she became internationally respected for the peace activism that ultimately won her a Nobel Peace Prize in 1931, the first American woman to receive this honor

Focused on the problems caused by the imbalance of power among the social classes

Mainly helped the poor, sick, immigrants, aged, and people who needed refuge

She was also very active in women’s suffrage and peace movements; advocated for labor reforms

during her lifetime she was not considered a sociologist because she was a woman and worked with the poor.

social conflict theory

WEB DuBois

first African American to receive a doctorate from Harvard University.

advocated for civil rights, focused on the social inequality caused by racism

conflict theory

Developed an emancipatory school of sociology that theorized and empirically documented the causes of racial and social inequality

Looked at society through a racial perspective (very uncommon for the time)

Active in the Pan-African movement (concerned with the rights of all African descendants regardless of where they lived)

Documented the experience and contributions of African people throughout the world

Wants to create peace and harmony between races

He analyzed the social structure of African American communities, starting in Philadelphia