The Sociological Imagination

What is the sociological imagination according to Mills?

C. Wright Mills believed the sociological imagination is an awareness of the relationship between individuals and social forces that shape our lives. *Goal*: grasping the intersection between self and society, and understanding the social era in which we are living.

What is the difference between mechanical and organic solidarity, according to Durkheim?

Division of labor. *Mechanical solidarity* is traditional societies, has cohesion because of their similarity, and has *small* division of labor. Social and cultural values are widely shared. *Organic solidarity* is modern societies, example is the US; cohesion because of their *differences* and are reliant on others for social survival; has *complex* division of labor, and social and cultural values are shared/challenged.

What is the iron cage of rationality, according to Weber?

In sociology, the iron cage is a term coined by Max Weber for the increased rationalization inherent in social life; He observed that the social actions of individuals became more based on rationality instead of on values and tradition.

What is sociology?

Sociology is the scientific study of social structure and social interaction, and the factors making for change in each.

What do sociologists mean by social structure?

Structure is the relatively permanent components of our social environment, and are important because we need consensus, order, and predictability.

What is the difference between a private trouble and a public issue?

Think of C. Wright Mills and the sociological imagination. Private troubles = milieu. Public issues = structural. Basically, private troubles are the persons fault. Public issues are the result of a problem with structure overall, not just one person.

What is anomie, according to Durkheim?

a condition where *societal norms are in conflict or entirely absent*

What is alienation, according to Marx?

a situation where *individuals are estranged from their social world and each other*. 4 things that we alienate: product, process, others, and self.

What is a social institution?

an organized system of beliefs and behaviors centered on meeting basic social needs. Examples include family, government, economy, education, religion, etc.

What is foci?

behaviors, settings, interactions, and small group dynamics.

How did Karl Marx see society being held together?

believed society is characterized by *the economic system*. Concerned with changes from industrialization and capitalism. Industrial revolution

What is the *symbolic interactionist* theoretical approach?

humans create their social worlds through interaction, communication, and the use of symbols; *we only experience the world through a symbolic sense*; we get our definitions of symbols from significant others. Society is socially constructed through human interpretation.

What is the *social conflict* theoretical approach?

it examines the ways in which *groups disagree, struggle over power, and compete for scarce resource*s. Things like conflict, hegemony, social inequality, and social change are aspects of the social conflict approach. Conflict is competition over valued items, and hegemony is the dominance of one social group over another.

What is a sociological perspective?

seeing "the general in the particular" and that it helped sociologists realize general patterns in the behaviour of specific individuals. *One can think of sociological perspective as our own personal choice and how the society plays a role in shaping our individual lives.*

How did Emile Durkeim see society being held together?

societies are characterized by *unity and cohesion*, as members are bound by common interests and attitudes. Believed in social solidarity and division of labor.

What is the *structural functionalist *theoretical approach?

society is a complex set of interdependent *parts that work together to ensure social survival*; society is a social system with institutions, structures, consensus, and common values.

What is agency?

the freedom to make choices and to act.

What is the Thomas Theorem?

things defined as real are real in their consequences.

How did Auguste Comte see society being held together?

was the founder of sociology; believed in *positivism and social engineering*. Is considered the founder of sociology.