Émile Durkheim (Functionalism)
Definition: Society is a system of interrelated parts that work together to maintain stability and order.
Key Theory:
Social facts: External forces like norms, values, and laws that influence behavior.
Collective conscience: Shared beliefs that bind a community together.
Study of suicide: Highlighted how social integration and regulation affect individual actions.
Karl Marx (Conflict Theory)
Definition: Society is structured by economic inequalities and class struggles.
Key Theory:
Historical Materialism: Economic systems drive historical change.
Class Conflict: The proletariat (working class) is exploited by the bourgeoisie (owners of production), creating inherent social conflict.
Alienation: Workers become disconnected from the products of their labor under capitalism.
Max Weber (Interpretive Sociology)
Definition: Focus on understanding social action through subjective meanings and values.
Key Theory:
Verstehen: Interpretive understanding of human behavior.
Bureaucracy: Rational-legal authority organizes society but can lead to an “iron cage” of control.
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: Explored the relationship between religion and economic development.
C. Wright Mills (Sociological Imagination)
Definition: The ability to connect personal experiences to larger social structures and historical forces.
Key Theory:
The Promise: Encourages seeing how individual lives are shaped by societal changes and forces.
Power Elite: A small group of leaders dominate politics, economics, and military.
Sociological Imagination:
The capacity to see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger social and historical context.
Example: Recognizing that personal unemployment may be linked to economic downturns or systemic issues like discrimination.
Patterned Web of Human Interactions:
Refers to the recurring and organized interactions between individuals and groups that form the structure of society.
Example: Family dynamics, workplace hierarchies, and educational institutions as networks of social interaction.
Social Structure:
The organized framework of society consisting of institutions, roles, norms, and hierarchies that guide behavior.
Example: The healthcare system as a structural entity shaping individual health outcomes.
Social Facts:
Elements of society external to individuals, such as norms, values, and laws, which constrain and guide behavior.
Example: The norm of shaking hands as a greeting in certain cultures.
Cultural Norms:
Shared expectations and rules guiding the behavior of people within a group or society.
Example: The expectation of punctuality in professional settings.
Definition: A way of seeing the world that connects individual experiences to societal structures and cultural norms.
Key Elements:
Seeing the general in the particular: Identifying patterns in individual behavior.
Understanding the intersection of history and biography: Personal experiences shaped by broader social forces (Mills).
Functionalism (Durkheim)
Focus: Society functions like an organism; each part plays a role in maintaining stability.
Example: The education system prepares individuals for jobs, supporting the economy.
Conflict Theory (Marx)
Focus: Society is characterized by power struggles and inequality.
Example: Unequal access to healthcare is a result of class disparities.
Symbolic Interactionism (Mead, Goffman)
Focus: Small-scale interactions and the meanings individuals give to actions.
Example: Interactions between doctors and patients shape perceptions of health and illness.
Feminist Theory (Various Thinkers)
Focus: Gender inequality and the social construction of gender roles.
Example: Unequal representation of women in medical research affects health outcomes.
Connection Between Policy and Sociological Context:
Social policies shape health outcomes by defining access to resources like healthcare, education, and housing.
Example: Affordable Care Act (ACA) impacts lower-income populations by increasing healthcare access.
The Role of Sociological Context in Understanding Health:
Health outcomes are influenced by factors like socioeconomic status, cultural beliefs, and historical inequalities.
Example: Misinformation about vaccines (Mnookin, The Panic Virus) reflects social distrust in science and institutions.
Focus: Explores how sociology applies to real-world issues like education, healthcare, and inequality.
Key Points:
Sociology helps explain disparities in health and education.
Policies aimed at addressing inequalities often reproduce structural inequities.
Focus: Examines the cultural and social dimensions of vaccine misinformation.
Key Points:
Distrust in scientific authorities stems from historical missteps and societal anxieties.
Patterns of misinformation are shaped by media and social interaction.
Focus: Examines how social structures influence health outcomes.
Key Findings:
Socioeconomic status (SES) is a key determinant of health disparities.
Cultural norms affect access to healthcare and perceptions of illness.
Focus: Encourages using the sociological imagination to understand personal troubles as public issues.
Key Points:
Individuals often feel trapped by their circumstances without recognizing societal influences.
Understanding historical context is crucial for addressing personal and social problems.
Micro-Level: A patient’s interaction with a doctor.
Macro-Level: How race, class, and gender affect access to healthcare and outcomes.
Conflict Theory Example: Racial disparities in health arise from unequal resource distribution.
Functionalist Example: Healthcare serves to maintain societal stability but may have dysfunctions like unequal access.