SOCY 1001 CU Boulder Midterm

What are the main agents in your socialization, and how do those different actors "socialize you" differently?

Primary- When you first acquire the base skills to function as a member of society, these are the first people to socialize us at a young age: family mostly, friends maybe? Secondary- This is socialization outside of the family later in life: co-workers, friends, bosses, etc

What is the ideology of rationality?

Rationalization, according to Max Weber, means The application of the most efficient means to achieve given goals The unintended, negative consequences of doing so.

Symbolic Interaction Theory

Sense of individual self is formed through interactions with others

Define status and role and discuss the relationship between the two.

Status- Relative social, professional or other standing of someone Role- The function assumed or part played by someone in a society etc.

Is the Gini coefficient of the U.S. higher or lower than other developed nations?

The Gini coefficient is higher in the U.S. than other developed nations; there are extreme differences between the wealth of the top 1% and the poorest people

What does the Gini coefficient represent?

The Gini coefficient is the level of economic inequality in a country: a 0 would indicate all households make the same money (communism), a 1 would indicate only one person/household makes all the money in the entire country

Ascription-based:

The allocation of rank depends on the features with which a person is born (ascribed characteristics).

What is culture?

The body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people.

Cultural Relativism

The idea that all cultures must be understood and interpreted from the perspective of that culture and that none are better or worse than others.

how would a conflict theorist explain prostitution?

The proletariat are continuing to sell their labor to the various classes above them, however the unideal situation and need to sell sex is created by the extreme inequality in the spread of money in a society, with the bourgeoise having most of it.

Explain consumerism and how it relates to status.

The tendency to define oneself in terms of the goods purchased. Excessive consumption:-puts limits on who we can become-degrades the natural environment Relates to status in that amount and types of goods show and determine one's status and society. Showing off "goods" is a way of showing off status.

Explain why probability sampling and representativeness is important for survey research.

-Allows the sample of the research to more representative of the population. For example, we don't want research about Americans to only be conducted on white males when America consists of way more types of people.

How is the "looking-glass self" different from "dramaturgy?"

-In dramaturgical sociology, it is argued that the elements of human interactions are dependent upon time, place, and audience

What is spuriousness?

-When two things have a mathematical correlation but they do not directly cause each other. The data can appear causal but it is not. -Normally there is a third variable that connects the two, and the third variable may not be known

How does Charles Horton Cooley define the "looking glass self?"

-When we interact with others they react and we learn to view ourselves based on their reactions

What is the "code of the streets" and what purpose does it serve?

-a set of informal rules that govern interpersonal public behavior within inner-city neighborhoods that have high racial segregation, structural resource deprivation, etc.

Discuss the differences between "street" & "decent".

-decent families: accept mainstream values, "the working poor," have high hopes for their children and believe in hard work and self-reliance, working for a better life for themselves. Still follow the code but believe they are doing so in a moral way -street families: poor families who believe in the code, have a lack of respect for the position they are in and who is around them, rather than attempting to pull themselves out of poverty they accept the position they are in and act "accordingly" through violence and crime

A functionalist? (Durkheim)

-institutions maintain or undermine social stability - manifest(intended) and latent (result of ) functions

Explain why survey results are dependent on the form, wording and context of a question.

-issue with "framing questions". The question may unintentionally lead the participant to an answer that was not inherently their own.

Describe the sociological imagination in your own words.

-seeing the connection between social structures and personal issues

What does it mean to say that "there is no self outside of the social (world)?"

-sense of self comes from interactions with others and without these social interactions, one cannot develop a sense of self. -social interactions enable infants to develop a sense of self. Example Sigmund Freud, the Id, superego and ego

inductive research

-starts with an observation -"Researcher gathers data then constructs a theory to explain the findings/patterns"

Explain the Hawthorne Effect

-the alteration of behavior by the subjects of a study due to their awareness of being observed as well as "bonding" between individuals in the study.

What is resocialization?

Powerful socializing agents deliberately cause a rapid change in one's values, roles, and self-conception

Explain in your own words what is meant by what the article coins, "collateral" consequences.

These are downsides that (I believe) the imprisoners are aware of but allow for the sake of the incarceration system Ex. forcing families to drive extensive distances to see their loved ones in exchange for the increased security of a larger facility further away

According to survey data do people in the U.S. want more, less or about the same level of inequality as we have?

They want less inequality than we have, because currently the wealthiest 1% holds most of the wealth

How is the concept of class related to race?

Typically, white people are associated with a higher class than minorities, especially black people

Is upward mobility more likely in societies with higher or lower rates of inequality? Why?

Upwards mobility more is likely in societies with lower inequalities because you have more spread of wealth and surplus; thus, everyone has more of an opportunity for upward mobility When there is lots of inequality, we see the worst levels of education, drug addiction, etc.

Ethnocentrism:

evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture.

What does the author contend is the relation between abortion and crime?

increased legalization of abortion will decrease rate of crime

Identify the three main purposes of sociological research.

Describe a phenomenon Predict a phenomenon (independent variable influences dependent) Understand a phenomenon (what is the mechanism by which x--->Y) -spurious: 3rd factor that causes both, Not casual

What is counterculture?

Differs from a subculture in that its norms and values are often incompatible with or in direct opposition to the mainstream.

Why was durkheims study of suicide significant? What did he do for the field of sociology?

- norms tightly govern behaviors in society

According to Durkheim, in what ways does social solidarity relate to suicide?

- people believe suicide is a form of individualistic expression - influenced by social forces

deductive research

- starts with questions -A researcher tests a theory by collecting and examining evidence to see if the theory is true

How does the concept of individualism relate to the sociological imagination?

-Individualism: emphasizes the autonomy of the individual (power, free will, etc) as opposed to a social group or community. "You can be whoever you want to be". -Sociological Imagination: the quality of mind that enables one to see the connection between personal issues and social structures The lens in which we look through -*the individual has the ability to choose but is based on social structures. A person who is a part of an individualistic culture will have a sociological imagination that views things as more dependent on autonomy than on group needs.

Define micro-, meso- and macro-levels of analysis?

-Micro: intimate social relations such as dating -Meso: social relations within intermediate-sized units such as policies within a university -Macro: social relations within larger aggregates/units such as nations

What is self-socialization?

-there is a level of choice/agency in socialization: People pick who they want to be around but those we are around will shape us

Why is this particularly hard to reconcile with the ethos of American individualism?

-we are not entirely autonomous like we want to believe, we need a social structure to develop our sense of individuality.

What is the relationship between norms and culture?

A norm is a generally an accepted way of doing things. relationship: every culture has its own unique set of norms that other cultures might not practice

What is a subculture?

A particular social world that has a distinctive way of life, including its own set of values and norms, practices and beliefs, but that exists harmoniously within the larger mainstream culture.

What do I mean when I say that sociology is a way of THINKING and a way of LOOKING at the world?

A way of thinking refers to sociological theories and how outer forces influence individuals. A way of looking refers to the methods used to research this idea and study human behavior in a social context such as surveys, field research, etc.

What are the 3 components of a "Cultural Survival Kit"? Why are they necessary?

Abstraction - create ideas or ways of thinking that are not linked to particular instances. Cooperation - establishing generally accepted ways of doing things. Production - making and using tools and techniques that improve our ability to take what we want from nature.

What were some of the types of material culture that served as signals of class?

Bread: people who ate white bread, especially Wonder Bread, were often of a lower class, while people who ate whole wheat or fancy artisan or sourdough bread were typically higher class

Is the Rooster Sex Survey that I talked about in class considered valid research? Why or why not?

If he was measuring only something in college students then yes, however if that was meant to reflect on the sex lives of the whole U.S. population then the sample was skewed toward college students (people who can afford college, certain age group, etc) Note: Valid means that the data is actually reflecting what the data is supposed to reflect. For example, if we are measuring happiness is the information we are collecting actually telling us something about happiness?

Describe the importance of individualism in U.S. culture.

Individualism is the main aspect of US culture. People have the idea that they can choose to "be who they want" and have the ability to create it for themselves.

Rational Choice Theory

Individuals weigh the cost and benefits of actions based on self-interests

Has inequality in the U.S increased or decreased in the last 50 years?

Inequality has increased; the rich get richer and poor get poorer, by a lot

What does the concept "invisible punishment" mean and why is it important?

Invisible punishments are the unforeseen consequences on those who are imprisoned and their families. Some examples of this include: the distance to travel to prisons far away from the family, the stigma of being associated with someone imprisoned, etc It's important because the prisoners are being punished in more ways than they were actually sentenced to and their families are also being punished.

In what ways are the efforts of Westerners to develop the non-Western world examples of ethnocentrism?

We view our society as right, whether it's manifest destiny (God given right to rule) or bias based on living in the culture. We then view other cultures who don't have our same culture, political system, etc, as wrong and try to change them to fit what we view as right when in reality we need to view it from a cultural relativism perspective in which all cultures should be interpreted from their unique viewpoint and not as an outside looking in and judging.

What are the author's explanations for this relationship?

When there are a high number of (unwanted) births then roughly 16 years later the crime rate increases because of the higher number of youth of the same age. This is the age where most people who are going to be criminals begin being criminals. Those who were born into families that did not have an option of abortion often are socialized to engage in crime.

How does the concept of "white trash" fit into this?

When white people are poor, this is considered an anomaly and they are looked down upon as the lowest of the low, hence the name white trash

(Structural) Functionalism:

behavior is shaped by social structures and institutions

Conflict Theory:

major patterns of inequality produce stability in some circumstances and change in others

Feminist Theory

male domination and female subordination are determined by power and social convention

What are social structures?

stable patterns of social roles, organizations, and statuses

conflict thoery

suggests that eliminating inequality will lower the level of conflict and increase total welfare

egoistic suicide

suicide that occurs when one is not well integrated into a social group

Achievement-based:

the allocation of rank depends on a person's accomplishments

Material culture

the physical things created by members of a society

anomic suicide

type of suicide that occurs when the structure of society is weakened or disrupted and people feel hopeless and disillusioned

altruistic suicide

type of suicide that occurs where ties to the group or community are considered more important than individual identity (ex: suicide bombers)

Nonmaterial culture

values, beliefs, behaviors, and social norms