Sociology Key Applications (Ch.1-3)

Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Functionalism

a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources (macro-level analysis)

a theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another (micro-level analysis)

a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of various parts, each with a function that, when fulfilled, contributes to society's equilibrium (macro-level analysis)

Society lies at the center of what we do and how we think

1. To explain why something happens 2. To make generalizations 3. To predict (4. To move beyond common sense)

the intellectual and academic disciplines designed to comprehend, explain, and predict events in our natural environments

the intellectual and academic disciplines designed to understand the social world objectively by means of controlled and repeated observations

Believed the engine of human history is class conflict (struggle between capitalists and workers)

Believed religion to be central force in social change (protestant ethic)

founder of sociology; believed sociologists would reform society, making it a better place to live

the application of the scientific approach to the social world

2nd founder of sociology; social darwinism and survival of the fittest; lower and higher forms of society; wrong to help the poor

social reform/justice; strove to bridge gap between the powerful and the powerless

one of the founders of the NAACP

lived long before Durkheim and Weber; studied U.S. social customs such as women not being allowed to vote, education, sex and slavery, and relations between white women and men in the South

came up with sociological perspective; intersection of history and biography

sociological research for the purpose of making discoveries about life in human groups, not for making changes in those groups

the use of sociology to solve problems- from the micro level of classroom interaction and family relationships to the macro level of crime and pollution

Emile Durkheim's term for a group's patterns of behavior

the intended beneficial consequences of people's actions

unintended beneficial consequences of people's actions

an examination of large-scale patterns of society (functionalists and conflict theorists)

an examination of small-scale patterns of society; such as how the members of a group interact (symbolic interactionalists)

the use of one's own culture as a yardstick for judging the ways of other individuals or societies, generally leading to a negative evaluation of their values, norms, and behaviors

not judging a culture but trying to understand it on its own terms

the ways in which people use their bodies to communicate with one another

a system of symbols that can be combined in an infinite number of ways and can represent not only objects but also abstract thought; allows human experience to be cumulative, provides a social/shared past and future, allows shared, goal-directed behavior, has embedded within it ways of looking at the world

We can get instant diagnosis and recommended treatment from the internet, yet we still visit the doctor's office. We no longer need a short school year as less people farm now, yet we still just go for 9 months.

the disorientation that people experience when they come in contact with a fundamentally different culture and can no longer depend on their taken-for-granted assumptions about life

language creates ways of thinking and perceiving; we can learn both the words and ways of looking at the world

specified times when people are allowed to break norms (ex: Mardi Gras)

a society made up of many different groups (ex: America)

Achievement and success, individualism, hard work, efficiency and practicality, science and technology, material comfort, freedom, democracy, equality, group superiority

a reward or positive reaction for following norms, ranging from a smile to a material reward

an expression of disapproval for breaking a norm, ranging from a mild, informal reaction such as a frown to a formal reaction such as a prize or a prison sentence

leisure, self-fulfillment, physical fitness, youthfulness, and concern for the environment

the norms and values that people actually follow; as opposed to ideal culture

a people's ideal values and norms; the goals held out for them

the material objects that distinguish a group of people, such as their art, buildings, weapons, utensils, machines, hairstyles, clothing, and jewelry

a group's way of thinking (including its beliefs, values, and other assumptions about the world) and doing (its common patterns of behavior, including language and other forms of interaction); also called symbolic culture

those who are better adapted to the environment tend to survive and produce more offspring

the debate between genetics and environment as the primary influence on the development of one's personality and behaviors

identical twin brothers separated at birth; case shows that both genetics and environment play a role in development b/c there are many similarities, as well as many differences between the two

Raised baby monkeys in isolation with 2 artificial mothers, one with hard cage and food, one with soft felt and no food; concluded that infant-mother bonding is not the result of feeding, but of "intimate physical contact"

a term coined by Charles Horton Cooley to refer to the process by which our self develops through internalizing others' reactions to us

an individual who significantly influences someone else

the norms, values, attitudes, and expectations of people "in general"; the child's ability to take the role of the generalized other is a significant step in the development of a self

1. Imitation: children under 3, no sense of self, imitate others 2. Play: ages 3-6, play "pretend" others (princess, spiderman, etc) 3. Team Games: after about age 6 or 7, team games ("organized play"), learn to take multiple roles

1. Sensorimotor stage: (birth-2 yrs) understanding is limited to direct contact (sucking, touching, etc), we can't think or recognize cause and effect (we don't know our actions cause something to happen) 2. Preoperational Stage: (2-7 yrs) develop the ability to use symbols, but still don't understand common concepts or know how to take the role of the other 3. Concrete Operational Stage: (7-12 yrs) reasoning abilities are more developed but remain concrete; we are unable to talk about abstract concepts 4. Formal Operational Stage: (>12 yrs) capable of abstract thinking

id: inborn basic drives (food, safety, attention, sex, etc) superego: the conscience; the internalized norms and values of our social groups ego: a balancing force between the id and the demands of society (superego)

anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise

Family/social class, neighborhood, religion, day care, school, peer groups, workplace

giving privileges and obligations to one group of people while denying them to another; gender is a primary basis for social inequality

Working-class parents expect full obedience and tend to use physical punishment; middle-class parents focus more on developing their children's curiosity, self-expression, and self-control, and they are more likely to reason with their children than to use physical punishment

children who spend more time in day care have weaker bonds with their mothers and are less affectionate to them, they are also less cooperative with others and more likely to fight and be mean

give us stereotypical images; commercials show boys competing outside and girls cooperating indoors; action figures for boys and dolls for girls; women as dominant and rugged and women as sexy and submissive (and scantily clad)

childhood: birth to 12 years adolescence: 13-17 years Transitional adulthood (adultolescence): 18-29 years Early Middle Years: 30-49 years Late Middle Years: 50-65 years Transitional Older Years: 65-74 years Later Older Years: 75 years to death