Psy&Soci

Which of the following sociological theories would argue that religion promotes social solidarity and a collective consciousness? Question 7 Answer Choices A. Structrual functionalism B. Conflict theory C. Feminist theory D. Symbolic interactionism

A

What are some of the flaws in Marx's therory?

-ignores altruism -didn't anticipate labor unions to fight exploitation

What is the "me" and the "I"?

'Me' is the social self that someone develops; -The 'me' develops through interactions with others and consists of our interpretations of how the 'generalized other' view us. 'I' is a response to that social self. -The 'I' arises in response to the 'me'. The 'I' is one's personal identity and individuality

What are the three 'waves' of feminism?

*1st 1920s- women wanted the right to vote (white, upper class), to own property, equal rights within marriage *2nd 1960s- women wanted = opportunity (white women), gender equality, equal pay *3rd 1980s- focused on intersectionality, the study of how different social identities such as gender, race, class, etc interact; we acknowledge differences among women (inequality and race)

What is rational choice theory?

-Individuals make decisions by comparing the costs and benefits -The goal is to maximize benefits and reduce costs -Borrowed from economic theory

Exchange theory

-Individuals respond to rewards and punishments -The goal is to maximize rewards and reduce punishment -borrowed from behavioral psychology

What is symbolic interactionism?

-People act towards things based on meaning. -Meanings are derived from social interactions and adapted through individual interpretation. -Symbols are culturally derived social objects that have shared meanings, which are created and maintained through social interaction. -The central theme of symbolic interactionism is that human life is lived in the symbolic domain. -Through language and communication, symbols provided the means by which reality is constructed.

What are some Durkheim's assertions?

-Post-industrial societies are quite complex -these societies require many different types of people working together with an intricate division of labor to make society function -a dynamic equilibrium results in social structures working synergistically toward societal solidarity, resulting in a common consciousness that exerts a strong coercive influence on individual actors. -societies that have thrived for generations have evolved healthy self-regulating and self-correcting mechanisms -dysfunctions in societies are caused by anomie

What are some of Mead's assertions?

-Preparatory state (0-2): children learn to use language and symbols, but only mimic those around them -Play stage (2-6): Children learn to play the roles of others in pretend games such as 'playing doctor' -Game stage (7+): Children begin to understand the 'generalized other", the generalized attitude of a larger social group.

What is the conflict theory?

-Society is a competition for limited resources -Individuals and groups compete for social, political, and material power. Ex. government spending allocation

What is the looking glass self?

-The self is shaped by others and interaction with others and perception of others. -Individuals shape themselves on this perception, tending to confirm expectations

What are Marx's assertions?

-Under capitalism, those who are able to use private ownership to produce profit are incentivized to minimize the wages of their workers, creating a cycle of greater and greater inequality. -workers would inevitably realize that they are being exploited, resulting in a series of worker's revolutions -capitalism would then be replaced with socialism, an economic system in which most means of production are collectively owned in order to benefit all members of society equally

Emile Durkheim

-a founder of modern sociology -established sociology as separate from psychology, political philosophy

Who is George Herbert Mead?

-considered a founder of social psychology -His ideas form foundation for symbolic interactionist school of thought

Functionalism

-society is a complex system -individual parts work together to maintain solidarity, order, balance, and social stability. -Parts of a society work together to maintain dynamic equilibrium

What does Max Weber?

-there could be more than one source of conflict, no just income/economics -several factors can moderate people's reaction to inequality, such as agreement with authority figures, high rates of social mobility, and low rates of class difference -the defining transformation of Western cultures was increasing rationalization, societies' trend toward increasing efficiency and away from traditional religious standards of spirituality and morality -rationalization also promotes the proliferation of highly impersonal bureaucracies, agencies of non-elected officials that administer the laws of society

What are some of the flaws in Durkheim's theory?

-too broad -overly optimistic -tends to support status quo

What are the three stages Charles Cooley suggests that one's concept of oneself is developed?

-we imagine how we must appear to others -we imagine what others must think about us based on their observations of us -we develop our feelings about ourselves based on our (truly or falsely) imagined judgements of others. This can causes us to behave in ways that confirm these imagined judgements.

How does Durkheim define anomie?

A mismatch between the wider social standards and the standards of individuals or smaller groups within that wider society. (normlessness, society tells one thing, people experienced differently)

What is class consciousness?

A social condition in which members of a subordinate social class are actively aware of themselves as a group that is exploited by the wealthy.

What is feminist theory

A variety of perspectives on the treatment of women vs. men in society -Different treatments women and men received

What is glass ceiling?

a metaphor representing an invisible barrier that prevents a given demographic from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy

What is false consciousness?

According to Marx, false consciousness is a lack of such awareness; this occurs when members of a subordinate class see themselves as individuals instead of as an exploited group

What is social construct?

Anything that appears natural or obvious to the people that accept it but is largely the invention of a given society; Ex. money, childhood (different societies and different times have conceptualized childhood in very different ways)

The feminist perspective is considered to be one of the more modern sociological theories, but there are similarities between the concepts behind this perspective and the traditional perspective called: Question 1 Answer Choices A. structural functionalism. B. conflict theory. C. symbolic interactionism. D. rational choice theory.

B The feminist perspective is interested in persistent gender inequalities, which is comparable to the interest of conflict theorists (choice B is correct). These theorists are interested in the competition for limited resources and the subsequent inequalities, but the focus is often on differences based on socioeconomic status. The other traditional perspectives are less related to the feminist perspective; functionalists are interested in the contributions of individual structures to the greater social order and interactionists are interested in social interactions and the important meanings created through these interactions (choices A and C are wrong). The rational choice perspective is one of the economics-based theories and it is not considered a traditional sociological perspective (choice D is wrong).

What is micro sociology?

Bottom-up view -begins with one on one interactions -focuses on the smallest building blocks of society and builds up to larger structures Premise: human behavior is the result of individual interpretations

common conciousness

Common consciousness is Durkheim's term where a society shares values, beliefs, and/or social norms that exert a cohesive pull, connecting members to one another. This is a functionalist concept

What do conflict theorists primarily concerned with?

Conflict theorists are primarily concerned with imbalances in wealth, power, and prestige among major groups in society and how such imbalances competitively advantage the haves over the have nots. These imbalances create a class struggle between those who control production (such as factory owners) and those who provide labor power (such as factory workers)

In some societies, it is a strict social norm that men do not express their emotions while women are freer to do so. Which sociological theory would be most likely interested in studying such a phenomenon? Question 17 Answer Choices A. Symbolic interactionism B. Social constructionism C. Conflict theory D. Feminist theory

D

How might the research findings described in the passage be interpreted according to the sociological paradigm of functionalism? Question 2 Answer Choices A. The difference between public and private school students showed that private schools students valued their education more than public school students. B. The difference between public and private school students indicated that public school students had a different understanding of what education means compared to private school students. C. The difference between public and private school students were based solely on their different socioeconomic statuses and backgrounds, and those differences were perpetuated over generations. D. The difference between public and private school students was grounded in the usefulness of a private school education over a public-school education in terms of future opportunities and success.

D Choice A discusses the value that private school students attribute to their education, which is more of a symbolic interactionist interpretation (eliminate choice A). Choice B says that there is a different understanding of what "education" means to the two groups of students, which is a social constructionist understanding (eliminate choice B). Choice C refers to social reproduction, the perpetuation of socioeconomic status over multiple generations (eliminate choice C). Choice D speaks to the usefulness of a private school education, which would be the functionalist interpretation (choice D is correct).

Which of the following is NOT considered to be one of the main classical theories? Question 1 Answer Choices A. The conflict theorist's perspective B. The functionalist's perspective C. The interactionist's perspective D. The social constructionist's perspective

D Three theorists are considered to be the founders of the modern sociological tradition as a separate scientific field: Durkheim, whose ideas are the foundation of functionalism; Marx, whose ideas are the foundation of the conflict theory; and Weber, whose ideas are the foundation of symbolic interactionism (choices A, B, and C are considered the main classical theories and can be eliminated). The final perspective, social constructionism, is an important part of sociological discussions; however, it is not considered to be one of the foundational theories (choice D is not considered to be one of the main classical theories and is thus the correct answer).

If the researchers wanted to explore this question further using an experimental study, which of the following changes might they make? Question 1 Answer Choices A. Choose a greater number of schools to observe, both public and private B. Create a longitudinal study where public or private school attendance is the independent variable and success in later life is the dependent variable Correct Answer C. Increase the number of data points studied, including family history and extracurricular activities D. Focus on the experiences of one student at a private school and compare that to the experiences of a student at a public school

D While increasing sample size (choosing a greater number of schools) would be helpful in improving experimental design generally, that assumes that the study is already using experimental designs. In this case, it is simply increasing the number of schools that are being observed and from which data are collected (eliminate choice A). Redesigning the study to include an independent and dependent variable is an experimental design (choice B is correct). Choice C suffers from a problem similar to the one for choice A: the researchers would be increasing the amount of data but not changing the structure of the experiment (eliminate choice C). Choice D describes the case study approach, which would not be experimental in design (eliminate choice D).

Who is the founder of conflict theory?

Karl Marx

What is rationalization of society?

Modern society has increasingly become concerned with efficiency, predictability, calculability, dehumanization. Instead of human behavior being motivated by customs and traditions, rationalization led to behaviors that were guided by reason and practicality.

Compare functionalism with an organism

System: education, government, healthcare Organs: schools, universities Cells: students, people

halo effect

The halo effect refers to a tendency to attribute many positive attributes to someone based on a single positive attribute. For example, we may think someone is kind, smart, and generous simply because they are attractive. However, it is not a factor that leads to attraction to another person

What is macro sociology?

Top down view -Begins with society as a whole -Focus on large-scale social structures and drills down to how these structures affect groups/individuals Premise: individual positions within social structures determine behavior

What is capitalism?

an economic system that encourages private ownership in order to produce profit and thereby wealth

Is social constructionism macro or micro?

can be either

is feminist theory macro or micro?

can be either

What is the 'generalized other'?

common behavioral expectations of society; We have a sense of others judging me, not necessarily in neg way. Sense of how am I been seen from the outside

What is the manifest function

intended or obvious; Education example: learning, prepare people to enter work force, degree for a job

Is functionalism micro or macro?

macro

is conflict theory micro or macro

macro

Is exchange-rational theory micro or macro?

micro

Is symbolic interactionism micro or macro?

micro

What is social constructionism?

reality is not inherent but socially constructed; -People actively shape their reality through social interactions/agreement-it's something constructed, not inherent. Things are social products made of the values of the society that created it

What is socialization?

the dynamic, ongoing process by which an individual internalizes the values, beliefs, and norms of their society and learns to function as a member of that society

What is glass escalator?

the way men are often fast tracked to advanced positions when entering primarily 'pink collar' professions

What is the latent function

unintended or less recognizable Education example: socialization, wage gaps, social stratification, come into contact with diversity