MCAT Psych/Soc: Social Stratification

Social Class

a category of people who share a similar socioeconomic position in society

Spatial Inequality

a form of social stratification across territories and their populations; can occur along residential, environmental and local lines

Social Exclusion

a sense of powerlessness when individuals feel alienated from society

Relative Level of Poverty

a socioeconomic condition in which one is poor relative to the larger population in which they live

Absolute Level of Poverty

a socioeconomic condition in which people do not have enough money or resources to maintain a quality of living that includes basic life necessities such as shelter, food, clothing and water

Achieved SES

acquired via direct, individual effort; obtained through hard work and merit (ex. class system)

Social Mobility

an economic and occupational structure that allows one to acquire higher-level employment opportunities given proper credentials and experience requirements; intragenerational and intergenerational mobility; not directly correlated with education

Meritocracy

based on intellectual talent and achievement; a means for a person to advance up the social ladder; some fear that America's meritocratic system is becoming plutocracy

Intergenerational Mobility

changes in social status are from parents to children

Intragenerational Mobility

changes in social status happen within a person's lifetime

Social Trust

comes from social norms of reciprocity and social networks

Medicare

covers patients 65+, those with end-stage renal disease and ALS

Medicaid

covers patients who are in significant financial need

Poverty

defined by low socioeconomic status and a lack of possessions or financial resources; can be handed from generation to generation

Morbidity

degree of illness associated with a given disease

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

depends on ascribed status and achieved status

Ascribed SES

derives from clearly identifiable characteristics, such as age, gender and skin color; involuntary (ex. caste system)

Poverty Line

determined by the governments estimation of the minimum income requirements for families to acquire their minimum needs, such as shelter, food; does not take into account geographical location

Gender Inequalities in Health

females have better health profiles than males, including higher life-expectancy, lower rates of life-threatening illnesses, and higher rates of accessing and utilizing health resources; women however have higher rates of chronic diseases and higher morbidity rates; men have higher mortality rates

Strain Theory

focuses on how anomic conditions (excessive individualism, social inequality, isolation) can lead to deviance

Social Stratification

focuses on social inequalities and studies the basic question of who gets what and why; related to socioeconomic status (SES); higher among racial and ethnic minorities, female-headed families and elderly

Global Inequalities

globalization has led to further inequalities in space, food and water, energy, housing and education as the production of goods shifts to cheaper and cheaper labor markets; led to significant economic hardship in industrializing nations

Affordable Care Act

increases the coverage rate and affordability for insurances for all Americans, as well as reduces overall costs of healthcare

Capitalist Economies

led to an increase in social inequality, a reduction in social cohesion, and a waning of social capital

Healthcare Access

low income groups and racial and ethnic minorities receive worse care than white Americans; biases against overweight or obese patients are associated with lower quality treatment, including less preventative care and fewer screenings; women tend to have better access to healthcare and use more healthcare resources than men; LGBT men and women have barriers due to prejudices, discrimination, homophobia

Incidence

new cases/population at risk/time

Inequalities in Health

poverty is associated with worse health outcomes, including decreased life expectancy, higher rates of life-shortening diseases, higher rates of suicide and homicide, and higher infant mortality rates; certain racial and ethnic minorities have worse health profiles that others-> African Americans are the worst off, followed by white Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans, while Asian Americans and Pacific islanders have the best health profiles

Strong Ties

refer to peer group and kinship contracts, which are quantitatively small but qualitatively powerful; join communities

Weak Ties

refer to social connections that are personally superficial, but that are large in number and provide connections to a wide range of other individuals (ex. social networking)

Anomie

refers to a lack of social norms, or the breakdown of social bonds between an individual and society; erode social solidarity

Social Reproduction

refers to the emphasis on the structures and activities that transmit social inequality (poverty, isolation) from one generation to the next

Plutocracy

ruled by the upper classes

Power

the ability to affect others' behavior through real or perceived rewards and punishments, and is based on the unequal distribution of valued resources

Mortality

the deaths caused by a given disease

Second Sickness

the exacerbation of health outcomes caused by social injustice; working class has shorter life expectancy than professional groups

Social Capital

the investments people make in their society in return for economic or collective rewards: the greater the investment, the higher the level of social integration and inclusion

Prevalence

total cases/total population/time

Environmental Justice

uneven distribution of environmental hazards in communities; lower-income neighborhoods may lack the social and political power to prevent placement of environmental hazards in their neighborhoods

Residential Segregation

urban vs. suburban vs. rural; urban=more diversity, anonymity, more career options to improve SES, more low-income racial and ethnic minority neighborhoods; affluent neighborhood= higher quality schools, more graduates vs. low income neighborhood= greater poverty, higher unemployment rates; greater movement from urban to suburban (cleaner, less crowded) areas by higher income groups (lower income can't travel)

Five Ethnicities Model

white, black, asian, latino, native american