SOC103 Lecture 1, Introducing Sociology and Social Institutions

Who wrote Suicide?

Durkheim

Who wrote the Division of Labor in Society?

Durkheim

Four types of suicide

Egoistic suicide, anomic suicide, fatalistic suicide, altruistic suicide

Who wrote Stigma?

Erving Goffman (symbolic interactionist)

Parentification

adolescents' adoption of adult family roles by providing instrumental or emotional support for parents

Labelling theory (part of social constructionism)

any given social problem is viewed as such only because influential group of people define it as so

What is Durkheim's general conclusion about rates of suicide?

highest when people are least integrated into domestic religious and political society

Canadian government response to Porter's work?

reduce social inequality by increasing quality and access to public education, post-secondary education

When do social and personal problems emerge, according to functionalism?

response to a loss of integration and regulation

Anomic suicide

results from absence of norms, sudden social disturbance such as financial crisis

How does functional theory view society?

set of interconnected parts that work together to preserve overall stability

Symbolic interactionist interpretation of parentification study

showed how immigrant children were empowered by parentification "meaning" is important

What are Herbert Blumer's four stages of social problem development

social recognition, social legitimating, mobilization for action, development and implementation of an official plan

What does Goffman's study of stigma indicate about social structures

social structures arise out of processes by which people interpret and respond to each other

Interaction

socially recognized pattern of inter-related acts

Social institutions

- relatively stable, shared pattern of behavior based on values and maintained through social interaction - meet people's most important needs

Functionlism after Durkheim

- society as a set of interconnected elements that operate together to maintain stability and efficiency of society - may fail to fulfill intended functions especially during rapid change

Three Aims of Sociology

1. find and explain patterns in people's social relations 2. question common sense 3. solve social problems and find better ways of living together

According to Goffman, how do people hide discreditable facts?

1. passing- effort to hide discreditable or stigmatizing facts about one's identity 2. covering- keep discredited features from gaining attention

What are the four common features of feminist thought?

1. social inequality 2. gendering of experiences 3. problem of victimization 4. intersectionality- other disadvantaged groups

Who coined sociologie?

Comte

Who wrote the Vertical Mosaic?

John Porter (conflict)

What happens when passing and covering doesn't work?

People associate with others similarly stigmatized- subcultures

Who wrote the Social Construction of Reality?

Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann

Latent function

UNINTENDED

What functions do social institutions have according to functionalist theory?

both manifest and latent functions

Characteristics of social structures

control us, change us, resist and produce social change

Which approach was a reaction against functionalism?

critical theory- claimed functionalists paid too little attention to social conflict and social change, conflict usually has social functions

In addition to educational empowerment, what else did Porter call for?

cultural assimilation as in the US, did not support multicultural ethnic mosaic as perpetuated ethic inequality

What is sociology to Comte?

division of science concerned with human beings

What is the aim of Suicide?

draw general conclusions about the social clauses and meaning of suicide through systematic analysis of suicide statistics

"Definition of the Situation"

emerge out of interpersonal negotiations - the definitions and impressions we work out have consequences

Fatalistic Suicide

excess of social regulation, people are deprived of freedom to make choices

What did emotional parentification lead to?

exhaustion in the IMMIGRANT group

How do immigrant adolescents acculturate in comparison to their parents?

faster

Symbolic interactionists

focus on what holds people together in social relationships: shared meanings and interpretations of interactions, symbols used to construct society

Sociology's origins

industrial revolution- new kinds of economic relationships French revolution- new kinds of political relationships

What is main focus of the Vertical Mosaic?

inequalities that different ethnic groups face in Canada, class based inequality, ethnicity and membership predict social class membership

What did language brokering and acculturation gap predict?

instrumental parentification led to self-efficacy in both adolescent groups

Manifest functions

intended and easily recognized

Feminism

interested in how gender inequality makes women's lives different from mens, domination of women is not result of biological but socio-economic and cultural factors

Postmodernism

interested in unmasking ideologies that protect and justify the dominant social order - denies modernism's assumptions (can discover truth)

For Porter, what is the social cost of inequality?

loss of talent due to limited education and social opportunity

Why do emotional parentifiation not affect non-immigrant groups?

native families have more economic, cultural and social capital, resources may help buffer developmental risks

Did marital dissatisfaction have any effect on immigrant parentification?

no

For symbolic interactionists, what do human beings react to ?

not the events, but shared meanings of the events

Functionalist interpretation of parentification study

study concerned with effects of parentification- disruption of family roles

Conflict interpretation of parentification study

study hinted on harmful effects of inequality and disadvantage on people's lives

Modern definition of sociology

study of predictable and recurring relations and social institutions created through such relations

Modernism

suggests that through science we can discover the truth about reality, only one truth per say

Methodology of parentification study

surveys and questionnaires

Social constructionism

the view that we all build society together everyday

Goal of parentification study in Lecture 1

to find out whether parentificaiton is harmful to immigrant youth as to non-immigrant youth (emotional v. instrumental parentification)

What do Berger and Luckmann claim to the the purpose of sociology?

to understand the reality of everyday life

What is the goal of social constructionism

understand how people interact to create a shared reality

What does conflict theory focus on?

unequal distribution of power

Egoistic suicide

when people leave the social groups they belong or when group bonds are weakened by excessive individualism

What is the main purpose of The Division of Labor?

when societies become more complex, they have to develop new forms of cohesion based on mutual interdependency