Sociology Ch. 5: Social Interaction, Groups, and Social Structure

If a woman keeps getting into trouble at work for taking time off to handle family emergencies, what is she experiencing?

role conflict

A type of formal organization that uses rules and hierarchical ranking to achieve efficiency is known as

a bureaucracy

Which of the following situations is likely to result from a hierarchy of authority?

A high-ranking manager makes decisions that affect many employees.

Which of the following was characteristic of the emergence of postmodern societies?

Mass consumption of consumer goods and media images.

Sandy had worked for the same company for 15 years. Over the years the company began to modernize, and some workers were replaced by technology. Emphasis was placed on efficiency and predictability. Sandy's company was undergoing

McDonaldization

rural life in which people have similar backgrounds; limited social change

Gemeinschaft

In this type of community, there is little agreement about values, and social control relies on formal means, such as laws and policies.

Gesellschaft

urban life in which people do not have similar backgrounds; social change is evident

Gesellschaft

Today, Steve went into a grocery store where a stranger checked out his purchases and another stranger bagged his groceries. Then he went to a fast-food restaurant and purchased a hamburger from another stranger, and on his way home he stopped at an intersection, where an unknown police officer raised her hand. These experiences are all characteristic of

Gesellschaft relationships.

Which of the following statements about an ascribed status is correct?

It is generally biological in origin, but it is significant mainly because of the social meanings attached to it within a given culture.

The process by which the principles of bureaucratization, namely predictability, efficiency, and dependence on non-human technology, are coming to dominate more sectors of U.S. and global society is called

McDonaldization

________ is used to describe the process by which the principles of bureaucratization have increasingly shaped organizations worldwide.

McDonaldization

Which of the following is a characteristic of a secondary group?

Relationships are generally superficial.

Which of the following characteristics applies to Gemeinschaft?

Rural life typifies this form.

Bureaucratization is

The process by which a group, organization, or social movement becomes increasingly bureaucratic.

According to interactionists, which factors define our understanding of reality? 1. the standards and values of dominant groups 2. various groups' power within society 3. the standards and values of subordinate groups 4. social interaction

The standards and values of dominant groups, various groups' power within society, and social interaction

Which of the following are examples of how an ascribed status can influence an achieved status? 1. A student who attended a prestigious college is admitted to a respected graduate program. 2. A female student is discouraged from pursuing a career as an engineer. 3. An older job applicant is rejected because he is perceived as being "out of touch." 4. An employee recommends their friend for a job, and the friend is hired.

a female student is discouraged from pursuing a career as a engineer, an older job applicant is rejected because he is perceived as being "out of touch"

An industrial society is defined as

a society that depends on mechanization to produce goods and services and relies on new inventions to facilitate production.

In the most technologically advanced form of preindustrial society, members are engaged primarily in food production. They increase their crop yields through such innovations as the plow. This type of society is called a(n)

agrarian society

Feeling estranged or dissociated from the surrounding society is called

alienation

Agrarian societies feature

an increase in agricultural technology and more specialized roles within society.

The term ______ refers to the unofficial activities and interactions that are a basic part of daily operations within formal organizations.

bureaucracy's other face

The failure of various government intelligence-gathering organizations to detect the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, illustrates which poorly functioning aspect of government bureaucracy?

division of labor

an alliance that is geared toward a common goal

coalition

U.S. public schools are funded primarily through property taxes. This means children living in affluent communities go to schools that have better equipment and higher-paid teachers than children living in less wealthy communities. As a result, children in wealthier communities often receive a better education than children in impoverished communities. Which sociological theory best explains this problem

conflict

A set of expectations for people who occupy a given position or status is called a social

role

Robert Merton referred to the overzealous conformity to official rules and regulations as goal

displacement

According to Max Weber, there are five basic characteristics that make up an ideal bureaucratic structure. What are those basic characteristics? 1. employment based on social connections 2. division of labor 3. employment based on technical qualifications 4. sociocultural evolution 5. written rules and regulations 6. hierarchy of authority 7. impersonality

division of labor, employment based on technical qualifications, written rules and regulations, hierarchy of authority, and impersonality

In Ebaugh's four stages of the process of role exit, which of the following is a core element of the first stage?

doubt

The classical theory of formal organizations states that workers are motivated almost entirely by

economic rewards

When a bureaucracy establishes a hierarchy of authority, which of the following can occur? 1. Employees do not have a voice in decision making. 2. Employees know who is in command. 3. Mistakes are hidden. 4. Employees have a voice in the decision making.

employees do not have a voice in decision making, employees know who is in command, and mistakes are hidden

True or false: Ascribed status and achieved status function independently of one another.

false

True or false: Interactionists believe that our perception of reality is defined by objective aspects of social life.

false

A(n) ______ is a group that is designed for a special purpose and structured for maximum efficiency.

formal organization

Ferdinand Tönnies used the term ________ to refer to communities that are large, impersonal, and often urban, with little consensus concerning values or commitment to the group.

gesellschaft

Your boss is a staunch follower of the rules, which were written decades ago and no longer apply in an era of modern technology. Your boss suffers from

goal displacement

A number of people with similar norms, values, and expectations who interact with each other on a regular basis is known as a(n)

group

You walk into your women's studies class, and you look at the person sitting to your left. He is the only male in the class; he is about 20 years old, wears a wedding ring, and carries a bag with a tennis racquet. Which of his characteristics is most likely his master status in the context of this class?

his gender

In a ______ society, people plant seeds and crops but still use minimal agricultural technology.

horticultural

Which type of society is based on kinship ties, little division of labor, and scarce resources?

hunting-and-gathering

The practice of buying more than we need or want, and often more than we can afford is referred to as

hyper consumerism

any group to which people feel like they do belong

in-group

A society that depends on mechanization to produce its goods and services is called a(n)

industrial society

Integrated and persistent social networks focused on making sure society's core needs are met are called social

institutions

Statuses, social roles, groups, social networks, and social institutions are the five elements of social

interaction

Which of the following statements are true about industrial society? 1. It relies on new sources of energy. 2. It applies human and animal sources of power to labor tasks. 3. It depends on mechanization to produce its goods and services. 4. It focuses on traditional tools and equipment for agricultural production.

it relies on new sources of energy and it depends on mechanization to produce its goods and services

________ consist of organized workers who share either the same skill or the same employer.

labor unions

In societies with minimal division of labor, a collective consciousness develops that emphasizes group solidarity. This collective frame of mind is called

mechanical solidarity

According to the sociologist Émile Durkheim, organic solidarity exists when societies become

more advanced technologically and more interdependent on each person's expertise.

any group to which people feel like they do not belong

out-group

Which type of society is economically engaged primarily in the processing and control of information and has a main output of services instead of manufactured goods?

postindustrial

In a(n) ______, occupations devoted to the teaching, generation, or dissemination of ideas are common, and jobs in such fields as advertising, human resources, and computer information systems are typical.

postindustrial society

Which type of society is technologically sophisticated and preoccupied with consumer goods and media images?

postmodern

Groups that play a pivotal role in the socialization process are called

primary group

What is a small group that is characterized by intimate, face-to-face association and cooperation called?

primary group

There are a number of functions that a social institution must fulfill to survive. What are some of those functions? 1. providing a sense of purpose 2. preserving order 3. separating people into higher and lower status positions 4. teaching new recruits

providing a sense of purpose, preserving order, and teaching new recruits

Your best friend decides that she likes the goth subculture. She begins to dress in black, hang out with new people, listen to new music, and act unlike her previous self. Sue has adopted the goths as a(n)

reference group

any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves

reference group

The term social interaction refers to the ways in which people

respond to one another

Which term is used to refer to incompatible expectations that arise when the same person holds two or more social positions?

role conflicts

A formal, impersonal group in which there is little social intimacy or mutual understanding is called a ______ group.

secondary

Students who expect their professor to be knowledgeable about her subject and show up to class are holding the professor to a(n) ______ role.

social

The health care system, the mass media, and the government are all examples of

social institutions

social relationships that link a person directly and indirectly to others

social network

Sociological research that maps sexual relationships amongst high school students is an example of research on

social networks

Which of the following terms refers to the way in which a society is organized into predictable relationships?

social structure

Which of the following refers to the long-term social trends in societies that result from the interplay of continuity, innovation, and selection?

sociocultural evolution

"President of the United States," "mother," and "wife" are all examples of ______ positions.

status

______ refers to socially defined positions within a group or society

status

Cultural information about how to use the material resources of the environment to satisfy human needs and desires is called

technology

Effie had a solid education, a great attitude, and an eagerness to learn. As a result, she was steadily promoted to more responsible positions. After two years, Effie was promoted to a director position, but she discovered she did not have the qualifications or skills the position required. Effie was a victim of

the Peter principle

The hypothesis that states that every employee within a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence is known as

the Peter principle

Activists in a large city join forces to create a new organization with the goal of preserving landmark buildings that have historical importance. At first, the organization functions democratically, but over time it is taken over by three people. These leaders establish a bureaucratic structure that helps them to maintain control of the organization. These developments can be best explained by

the iron law of oligarchy

The sociologist Robert Michels argued that the rank and file of a movement or organization look to leaders for direction. As such, they reinforce the process of rule by a few. He referred to this idea as

the iron law of oligarchy

When workers become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice obvious problems, they are experiencing

trained incapacity

Which of the following are downsides of division of labor?

workers have weakened job security and workers can experience aleination