Week 1 SOCI242

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

Definitions and Theories

Key Definitions

• 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.

The Sociological Perspective

• 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).

Sociological Theories

1. 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.

2. Conflict Theory (Marx)

   • Focus: Society is characterized by power struggles and inequality.

   • Example: Unequal access to healthcare is a result of class disparities.

3. 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.

4. 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.

Thinking Sociologically: Policy, Health, and Context

• 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.

Key Readings

Conley Chapter 2

• 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.

Mnookin, The Panic Virus

• 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.

Rosich and Hankin: Key Findings from 50 Years of Medical Sociology

• 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.

Excerpt from Mills’ The Promise

• 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.

Application Example

• 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.