Sociology Ch 1.3

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

German philosopher and sociologist that believed society as being made up of individuals in different social classes who must compete for social, material, and political resources such as food and housing, employment, education, and leisure time.

Georg Simmel (1858-1918)

German sociologist that believed that conflict can help integrate and stabilize a society.

Which theory do you think better explains how societies operate—structural functionalism or conflict theory? Why?

I think structural functionalism better explains how societies operate. Structural functionalism (Emile Durkheim) is the way each part of society functions together to contribute to the whole. In the 1960s, functionalism was criticized for being unable to account for social change, or for structural contradictions and conflict (and thus was often called "consensus theory"). Also, it ignores inequalities including race, gender, class, which cause tension and conflict. Functionalism or conflict theory (Karl Marx) is a theoretical approach that sees society as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of individuals that make up that society. Predictably, conflict theory has been criticized for its focus on change and neglect of social stability. Some critics acknowledge that societies are in a constant state of change, but point out that much of the change is minor or incremental, not revolutionary.

Ludwig Gumplowicz (1838-1909)

Polish-Austrian sociologist that expanded on Marx's ideas by arguing that war and conquest are the basis of civilizations.

Structural Functionalism

The way each part of society functions together to contribute to the whole (macro or mid level analysis)

theory

a proposed explanation about social interactions or society

dynamic equilibrium

a stable state in which all parts of a healthy society work together properly

dramaturgical analysis

a technique sociologists use in which they view society through the metaphor of theatrical performance

hypothesis

a testable proposition

functionalism

a theoretical approach that sees society as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of individuals that make up that society

symbolic interactionism

a theoretical perspective through which scholars examine the relationship of individuals within their society by studying their communication (language and symbols) (Microlevel analysis)

conflict theory

a theory that looks at society as a competition for limited resources (macro level analysis)

macro-level

a wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a society

Who coined the phrase symbolic interactionism? a. Herbert Blumer b. Max Weber c. Lester F. Ward d. W. I. Thomas

a. Herbert Blumer

grand theories

an attempt to explain large-scale relationships and answer fundamental questions such as why societies form and why they change

constructivism

an extension of symbolic interaction theory which proposes that reality is what humans cognitively construct it to be

Who believed that the history of society was one of class struggle? a. Émile Durkheim b. Karl Marx c. Erving Goffmann d. George Herbert Mead

b. Karl Marx

Which research technique would most likely be used by a symbolic interactionist? a. Surveys b. Participant observation c. Quantitative data analysis d. None of the above

b. Participant observation

Emile Durkheim

believed that society is a complex system of interrelated and interdependent parts that work together to maintain stability, and that society is held together by shared values, languages, and symbols (social facts)

George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)

considered a founder of symbolic interactionism

Which of these theories is most likely to look at the social world on a micro level? a. Structural functionalism b. Conflict theory c. Positivism d. Symbolic interactionism

d. Symbolic interactionism

A symbolic interactionist may compare social interactions to: a. behaviors b. conflicts c. human organs d. theatrical roles

d. theatrical roles

Erving Goffman (1922-1982)

developed dramaturgical analysis

social institutions

patterns of beliefs and behaviors focused on meeting social needs

paradigms

philosophical and theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed in support of them

dysfunctions

social patterns that have undesirable consequences for the operation of society

manifest functions

sought consequences of a social process

Robert Merton (1910-2003)

structural functionalist that pointed out that social processes have many functions (manifest, latent, dysfunction).

social facts

the laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, customs, fashions, rituals, and all of the cultural rules that govern social life

function

the part a recurrent activity plays in the social life as a whole and the contribution it makes to structural continuity

social solidarity

the social ties that bind a group of people together such as kinship, shared location, and religion

micro-level theories

the study of specific relationships between individuals or small groups

latent functions

the unrecognized or unintended consequences of a social process