Sociology Chapter 1

How did Herbert Spencer and Karl Marx differ in their views regarding social change?

Spencer believed interfering with the existence of poverty was dangerous to societal change, while Marx believed a planned revolution to destroy systems already set in place would better society and increase change.

functionalism

the approach that emphasizes the contributions made by each society (human body comparison)

Dramaturgy

Approach that depicts human interaction as theatrical performances

five concepts of sociology

1) functional integration - interdependence of parts of a system 2) power - ability of one party to get other parties to do its will 3) culture - language, norms, beliefs, etc. shared by society 4) social action - way in which people's actions are coordinated with their environment 5) social structure - patterns of social behavior in society

Symbolic Interactionism

Approach that focuses on the interactions among people based on mutually understood symbols

Suppose that Auguste Comte, Max Weber, and Jane Addams were all researching the same group of people. On what aspect of the group do you think each of these sociologists would focus, and why?

Auguste Comte would focus on the relationship between social stability and social change, because of his foundation of the term positivism. Max Weber would focus on individual aspects of the group (values, beliefs, and attitudes) to study their social behavior. Jane Addams would focus on who was impoverished and who was well-off within the group due to her observations of issues with societal classes.

What is the primary way in which Harriet Martineau advanced the study of human social behavior?

Believed lack of economic power for women was intentional and therefore made contributions in research methods and feminist theories.

According to George Herbert Mead, how do people develop a sense of self?

By interacting with the world around us, including symbols, language, and communication, we can develop our sense of self.

How did Émile Durkheim and Max Weber differ in their explanations of human social behavior?

Durkheim emphasized the need to study social factors to explain human behavior while Weber believed explaining human behavior lied in the factors of personal values, beliefs, and attitudes.

What does each theoretical perspective believe about where a society's power lies?

Functionalism states that power comes from all of the parts of society working together (the contributions they make). Conflict Perspective states those with the most wealth, prestige or privilege hold the most power. Symbolic Interactionism states that power lies in the symbolism that society chooses to believe in.

In what way did Weber's emphasis on rationalism affect the study of sociology?

He believed rationalization led to the industrial society he was living in, and also contributed to research techniques that prevented personal bias from interfering with results.

Du Bois attacked the idea of segregation whole Washington believed segregation should be accepted to gain economic power.

How did W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington differ in their responses to society's discrimination against African Americans?

They all connected their findings to how social structures were unfair to African Americans.

In their studies of sociology, what focus did W.E.B. Du Bois, Robert E. Park, and Julian Samora share?

how is a sociological perspective different from the perspective used by psychologists?

It focuses on the behavior patterns shared by groups of people, not just the individual.

What did Jane Addams observe about society? How did her observations affect her life's work?

Jane Addams observed how people were impacted by corrupt business and governments. Because of what she witnessed, she spent her life trying to solve problems that stemmed from unfair distribution of power in social classes.

What problems do you think would develop if a society implemented the idea of Social Darwinism? Do you think there would be any benefits? If so, what are they? If not, why not?

Many problems would occur if Social Darwinism were set in place. Government aid, such as FASFA for college students or welfare for families with one parent, would be eradicated. This would leave many individuals without a way to gain access to higher education and would cause many families to suffer if they can't afford basic needs. Government aid is needed because it is one of the many foundations of our current society. The only benefit would be people would perhaps be more motivated to become more self sufficient and be less afraid to take career orientated risks.

What do supporters of the conflict perspective mean when they speak of "power"? Where does this "power" come from?

Power to them is the ability to control the behavior of others. It comes from wealth, prestige and privilege.

According to Auguste Comte, what had to happen before a society could advance?

Social behavior had to be studied in a scientific manner.

The Conflict Perspective

approach emphasizing the role of conflict, competition, and constraint within a society

According to the conflict perspective, why does society change?

balance of power shifts

According to functionalism, when does a high degree of cooperation exist?

when shared values are taken into account