Sociology Chapter 3, 4, 5

anomie

"normlessness"term used to describe the alienation and loss of purpose that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change

gender and sexuality

According to the book, drag shows determine____ and _____. However, drag is based on one of these, not the other

Asch Experiment

Asked to look at a set of 4 straight lines and to match the length of the fourth line to one of the other three. After the first couple rounds, the confederates began to give the same consistently wrong answer. Most subjects felt pressure to comply with the rest of the group. 33% gave in half the time 40% gave wrong answers less frequently 25% refused to give the wrong answer

looking-glass self

Cooley's theory of the self concept as derived from how we imagine others see us, and the feelings about ourselves based on the perceived judgements of others

psychoanalysis

Freud's theory of the unconscious mind as composed of an interrelated system (id, ego, superego) that underlies human behavior; personality develops through psychosexual stages

McDonaldization

George Ritzer's term describing the spread of bureaucratic rationalization and the accompanying increases in efficiency and dehumanization *McDonald's in Japan

Dramaturgy

Goffman's theory of the presentation of self; we are like actors on a stage whose performance strategies aid in impression management

mind self and society

Mead's theory of the self that develops through three stages (preparatory, play, and game); in role taking the particular or generalized other, we learn to see ourselves as others do

Durkheim

This man argued that you need limits otherwise you would want many things you could never have, and the lengths to which we would go in search of our unattainable desires would be boundless (suicide). *coined the term anomie

Max Weber

This man identified three different types of authority that may be found in social organizations. They include: traditional, legal-rational, and charismatic authority

Milgram Experiemnt

Used a laboratory setting to test the lengths to which ordinary people would follow orders from a legitimate authority. Used the roles experimenter, teacher, and learner" Used shock to determine wether people would resist authority *65% administered max voltage

aggregate

a collection of people who share a physical location but do not have lasting social relations *collections of people such as crowds, audiences

group

a collection of people who share some attribute, identify with one another, and interact with each other *ex: family

in group

a group that one identifies with and feels loyalty toward *"us" **comes from family, ethnicity, professional, athletic, etc

reference group

a group that provides a standard of comparison against which we evaluate ourselves *family-- when we try to live up to the standards of our parents, siblings, etc.

subculture

a group within society that is differentiated by its distinctive values, norms, and lifestyle *a culture within a culture **can be based on ethnicity, age, interests, or anything else that draws individuals together

counterculture

a group within society that openly rejects and/or actively opposes society's values and norms *ex: political or activist groups

Folkway

a loosely enforced norm involving common customs, practices, or procedures that ensure smooth social interaction and acceptance *standards of dress and social etiquette **picking nose in public setting

Taboo

a norm ingrained so deeply that even thinking about violating it evokes strong feelings of disgust, horror, or revulsion *a forbidden subject **cannibalism, incest, things you must NOT do

More

a norm that carries great moral significance, is closely related to the core values of a cultural group, and often involves severe repercussions for violators *norms we are all expected to perform **ex: prohibition of theft, rape, and murder; cheating on a spouse

multiculturalism

a policy that values diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds and so encourages the retention of cultural differences within society rather than assimilation

status

a position in a social hierarchy that carries a particular set of expectations *professor, president, parent

saturated self

a postmodern idea that the self is now developed by multiple influences chosen from a wide-range of media sources

Norm

a rule or guideline regarding what kinds of behavior are acceptable and appropriate within a culture *tell us what we should/should not do in a certain situation

achieved status

a status earned through individual effort or imposed by others *occupation, hobby, drug addiction, mental illness

embodied status

a status generated by physical characteristics *beauty or disability

master status

a status that is always relevant and affects all other statuses we possess *context specific, at any moment it may change

Signs

a symbol that stands for or conveys an idea; something that meaningfully represents something else. *ex: traffic signal, price tag, sheet of music, product logo

Language

a system of communication using vocal sounds, gestures, or written symbols; the basis of symbolic culture and the primary means through which we communicate with one another and perpetuate our culture. *varies from culture to culture but is a human universal and present in all societies

crowd

a temporary gathering of people in a public place; members might interact but do not identify with each other and will not remain in contact *throngs of sightseers at a tourist attraction

social identity theory

a theory of group formation and maintenance that stresses the need of individual members to feel a sense of belonging

triad

a three person social group which helps make the group more stable so that conflicts between two members can be refereed by the third

dyad

a two person social group *romantic couple, two best friends, two siblings

Laws

a type of formal norm; provides an explicit statement about what is permissible and what is illegal in a given society

bureacracy

a type of secondary group designed to perform tasks efficiently, characterized by specialization, technical competence, hierarchy, rules and regulation, impersonality, and formal written communication

id

according to Freud, an interrelated part that make up the mind: consists of basic inborn drives that are the source of instinctive psychic energy *selfish and unrealistic part of the mind

superego

according to Freud, an interrelated part that make up the mind: has two components (the conscience and the ego-ideal) and represents the internalized demands of society *keeps us from engaging in socially undesirable behavior and upholds our vision of who we believe we should be

ego

according to Freud, an interrelated part that make up the mind:the realistic aspect of the mind that balances the forces of the id and the superego *operates on the basis of reason and helps to mediate and integrate the demands of the id and superego

Symbolic interactionism

aka social interactionism; a theory that sees interaction and meaning as central to society and assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction *an understanding of self based off social interactionism

definition of the situation

an agreement with others about "what is going on" in a given circumstance; this consensus allows us to coordinate our actions with those of others and realize goals

dramaturgy

an approach pioneered by Erving Goffman in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance *we have a backstage/frontstage. We prepare our backstage for our front-stage. Applying the theory of theater to our daily life

ascribed status

an inborn status; usually difficult or impossible to change *gender or race

total institution

an institution in which individuals are cut off from the rest of society so that their lives can be controlled and regulated for the purpose of systematically stripping away previous roles and identities in order to create new ones

formal norm

an officially encoded norm

out group

any group an individual feels opposition, rivalry, hostility toward *"them" **comes from family, ethnicity, professional, athletic groups

Traditional authority

authority based in custom, birthright, or divine right (usually associated with monarchies and dynasties) *kings and queens inherit the throne

Legal-rational authority

authority based in laws, rules, and procedures, not in the heredity or personality of any individual leader *modern presidencies and parliaments

charismatic authority

authority based int he perception of remarkable personal qualities in a leader. The leader can be revolutionary, breaking rules and defying traditions *Jesus Christ

cooling the mark out

behaviors that help others to save face or avoid embarrassment, often referred to as civility or tact

Culture wars

clashes within mainstream society over the values and norms that should be upheld *often occur over values and morality and the solutions to social problems (liberals and conservatives)

Thomas theorem

classic formulation of the way individuals define situations, whereby "if people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences" *because we encounter ambiguous situations every day, many meanings are possible

social ties

connections between individuals *ties between you and a friend, or ties between you and your friend's cousin

human nature

culture and society that make us human

Antonio Gramsci

developed the idea that when an idea becomes hegemonic, it becomes dominant, or naturalized

role taking emotions

emotions like sympathy, embarrassment, or shame that require that we assume the perspective of another person or many other people and respond from that person or group's point of view

autoethnography

ethnographic description that focuses on the feelings and reactions of the ethnographer

Stanford Prison Experiemnt

examined the power of authority by giving college students the role of guard or prisoner. Students quickly inhabited their roles, but soon exceeded the experimenter's expectations, resulting in an abusive and potentially dangerous situation. Experiment was shut down after 5 days

social influence

exerting group control over others' decisions *peer pressure **you can convince others to act in a certain way

role conflict

experienced when we occupy two or more roles with contradictory expectations *two different roles conflict with eachother

expressions given

expressions that are intentional and usually verbal, such as utterances

copresence

face-to-face interaction or being in the presence of others

psychosexual stages of development

four distinct stages of the development of the self between birth and adulthood, according to Freud; personality quirks are as a result of being fixated, or stuck, at any stage

Values

ideas about what is desirable or contemptible and right or wrong in a particular group; they articulate the essence of everything that a cultural group cherishes and honors *driving force behind norms

Thomas theorem

if one believes a thing is real, it will be real in its consequences. *the interpretation of a situation causes the action. (a teenager who is defined as deviant might begin to act deviant) **A process of social construction

informal norm

implied or unspoken norms. "the way things are done"

backstage

in the dramaturgical perspective, places in which we rehearse and prepare for our performances

region

in the dramaturgical perspective, the context or setting in which the performance takes place *location, scenery, and props

frontstage

in the dramaturgical perspective, the region in which we deliver our public performances

front

in the dramaturgical perspective, the setting or scene of performances that helps establish the definition of the situation

groupthink

in very cohesive groups, the tendency to enforce a high degree of conformity among members, creating a demand for unanimous agreement *can lead to hazing

stereotyping

judging others based on preconceived generalizations about groups or categories of people

secondary groups

larger and less intimate than primary groups; members' relationships are usually organized around a specific goal and are often temporary *college classes, athletic organizations

expressive leadership

leadership concerned with maintaining emotional and relational harmony within the group

instrumental leadership

leadership that is task or goal oriented *less concerned with peoples feelings and more concerned with getting the job done

technology

material artifacts and the knowledge and techniques required to use them *hi-tech electronic and digital devices that are shaping our culture

expressions given off

observable expressions that can be either intended or unintended and are usually nonverbal

behavioral economics

people react to certain situations based on emotion rather than reason

category

people who share one or more attributes but who lack a sense of common identity or belonging *everyone 18 years of age

sanction

positive or negative reactions to the ways that people follow or disobey norms, including rewards for conformity and punishments for violations *positive: express approval (handshake, smile) *negative: express disapproval (frown, harsh words)

coercive power

power is backed by the threat of force

influential power

power that is supported by persuasion

expressions of behavior

small actions such as an eye roll or head nod that serve as an interactional tool to help project our definition of the situation to others

virtual communities

social groups whose interactions are mediated through information technologies particularly the internet

agents of socialization

social groups, institutions, and individuals (especially the family, schools, peers, and the mass media) that provide structured situations in which socialization takes place

feeling rules

socially constructed norms regarding the expression and display of emotions; expectations about the acceptable or desirable feelings in a given situation

norms

specific to a time, place, and culture that tell us how to act in a certain situation

hegemony

term developed by Antonio Gramsci to describe the cultural aspects of social control, whereby the ideas of the dominant social group are accepted by all of society

agency

the ability of the individual to act freely and independently

power

the ability to control the actions of others

Rationalization

the application of economic logic to human activity; the use of formal rules and regulations in order to maximize efficiency without consideration of subjective or individual concerns

sociobiology

the branch of science that uses biological and evolutionary explanations for social behavior *evolutionary drive meet with social patterns

cultural diffusion

the dissemination of material and symbolic culture (tools and technology, beliefs and behavior) from one group to another *cultures share their culture with each other

impression management

the effort to control the impressions we make on others so that they form a desired view of us and the situation; the use of self presentation and performance tactics

Culture

the entire way of life of a group of people (including both material and symbolic elements) that acts as a lens through which one views the world and is passed from one generation to the next. *learned, rather than innate **defined as a "toolkit for living" -Ann Swidler

personal front

the expressive equipment we consciously or unconsciously use as we present ourselves to others, including appearance and manner, to help establish the definition of the situation

preparatory stage

the first stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children mimic or imitate others

social control

the formal and informal mechanisms used to elicit conformity to values and norms and thus increase social cohesion

Sapir Whorf hypothesis

the idea that language structures thought and that ways of looking at the world are embedded in language *words help create perceptions (ex: jocks, cheerleaders, preppies, goths, etc)

Dual nature of the self

the idea that we experience the self as both subject and object, the "I" and the "me"

Symbolic Culture

the ideas associated with a cultural group, including ways of thinking (beliefs, values, and assumptions) and ways of behaving (norms, interactions, and communication) *values, beliefs **can be social interactionism

cultural imperialism

the imposition of one culture's beliefs and practices on another culture through mass media and consumer products rather than by military force *[media is] a kind of invading force that enters a country and takes it over

self

the individual's conscious, reflexive experience of a personal identity separate and distinct from other individuals

authority

the legitimate right to apply or wield power

honor killing

the murder of a family member-who is usually female- who is believed to have brought dishonor to her family

real culture

the norms, values, and patterns of behavior that actually exist within a society (which may or may not correspond to the society's ideals)

ideal culture

the norms, values, and patterns of behavior that members of a society believe should be observed in principle

technological determinism

the notion that developments in technology provide the primary driving force behind social change *computers, cell phones, etc. are defining who we become and how we think, feel, and act in the world

looking glass self

the notion that the self develops through our perception of others' evaluations and appraisals of us *we imagine how we look to others, we imagine other people's judgement of us, and we experience some kind of feeling about ourselves based on our perception of other people's judgements

Material Culture

the objects associated with a cultural group, such as tools, machines, utensils, buildings, and artwork; any physical object to which we give social meaning. *ex: book, pen, etc. **can be social interactionism

nature vs nurture

the ongoing discussion of the respective roles of genetics and socialization in determining individual behaviors and traits *how much of our behavior comes from what we are naturally inclined to and what we are raised to do

group dynamics

the patterns of interaction between groups and individuals *how groups form, change, disintegrate, achieve great goals, or commit horrendous wrongs

primary groups

the people who are most important to our sense of self; members' relationships are typically characterized by face to face interaction, high levels of cooperation, and intense feelings of belonging *families and close friends

generalized other

the perspectives and expectations of a network of others (or of society in general) that a child learns and then takes into account when shaping his or her own behavior *process of having a view of what general society may have on us. Reactions of who we are make us who we are

Particular or significant other

the perspectives and expectations of a particular role that a child learns and internalizes

social loafing

the phenomenon in which as more individuals are added to a task, each individual contributes a little less; a source of inefficiency when working in teams *tug of war

Cultural relativism

the principle of understanding other cultures on their own terms, rather than judging or evaluating according to one's own culture

ethnocentrism

the principle of using one's own culture as a means or standard by which to evaluate another group or individual, leading to the view that cultures other than one's own are abnormal or inferior *our own culture is the "normal one"

social construction

the process by which a concept or practice is created and maintained by participants who collectively agree that it exists *never ending process

cultural leveling

the process by which cultures that were once unique and distinct become increasingly similar *cultures begin to blend, new mixes emerge

Emotion work (emotional labor)

the process of evoking, suppressing, or otherwise managing feelings to create a publicly observable display of emotion

decode

the process of interpreting a message; however, it may not be interpreted in the way that it is being presented

socialization

the process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of society *way that we allow culture to travel so we all understand the norms and behaviors in society which never stops

Role exit

the process of leaving a role that we will no longer occupy

signification

the process of putting a sign to use; process of using a sign -> encode and decode *encode= give sign meaning; decode= process of interpreting a message **when we signify things we encode our message, but that doesn't mean it will be decoded in the way we intend

resocialization

the process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones as a part of a transition in life

play stage

the second stage of Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children pretend to play the role of the particular or significant other

group cohesion

the sense of solidarity or loyalty that individuals feel toward a group to which they belong *team spirit **fraternity brothers are more cohesive than random classmates

role

the set of behaviors expected of someone because of his or her status

role strain

the tension experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role *internal conflict with a certain role that comes from a single role

game stage

the third stage of Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children play organized games and take on the perspective of the generalized other

dominant culture

the values, norms, and practices of the group within society that is most powerful (in terms of wealth, prestige, status, influence, etc.) *culture that most of the society follows

Gestures

the ways in which people use their bodies to communicate without words; actions that have symbolic meaning *body language or nonverbal communication that can be subtle or obvious

social network

the web of direct and indirect ties connecting an individual to other people who may also affect the individual *family, friends, peers, colleagues

encode

to give sign meaning

Conflict theory (approach to culture)

values and norms are part of the dominant culture and tend to represent and protect the interests of the most powerful groups in society

symbolic interactionism (approach to culture)

values and norms are social constructions; meaning is created, maintained, and changed through ongoing social interaction

Structure functionalism (approach to culture)

values and norms are widely shared and agreed upon; they contribute to social stability by reinforcing common bonds and constraining individual behavior

hidden curriculum

values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling because of the structure of the educational system and the teaching methods used *punctuality, discipline, neatness, hard work, competition, etc.

socialization

way that we allow culture to travel so we all understand the norms and behaviors in society which is a CONSTANTLY OCCURRING PROCESS

Naturalized

when people begin to think certain laws are natural because they are hegemonic

signification

when we use signs to communicate