Ch. 2: Social Theory

three common themes sociological theories address

-What is the nature of the individual? How does the individual act in the context of society? -What is the basis for social order? What is it that holds societies together? -What are the circumstances or conditions under which societies change?

Imagine you are a sociologist interested in designing a research study to investigate whether there are differences in college students' academic outcomes depending on whom they have in their social networks to help them through college. What social theorist might be most useful in helping you with this experiment?

Georg Simmel

_____ refers to the increasing flow of goods and services across national borders.

Globalization

_____ is one of the themes that nearly all social theories have sought to address.

How does the individual act within the context of society?

How is sociology different from economics?

It makes use of a number of different theoretical traditions.

Which pair of social theorists are similar in that they both emphasized how social class matters in social life?

Marx and Bourdieu

Which sociological theorist was most interested in understanding how people interpret and give meaning to the world around them?

Max Weber

A sociologist wants to do research about how elementary school children learn to monitor and discipline themselves. Which theorist's work might be useful for informing this research topic?

Michel Foucault

Which social theorist is primarily associated with the development of structural functionalism?

Talcott Parsons

Drawing on the theory developed by Karl Marx, Rupert Murdoch, owner of one of the world's largest media conglomerates, is best characterized as _____.

a member of the bourgeoisie

capital

a resource that can be used to make investments

social forces

all the forms of social structure (hierarchy and institutions) that any individual must operate within

social theory

an overarching framework that suggests certain assumptions and assertions about the way the world works. These frameworks are used for posing research questions and evaluating evidence related to those questions.

organic soliditary

as societies become more advanced, they are held together through the mutual dependence and interdependence individuals have with one another

What term best describes the idea that capitalists are driven to push down the wages of workers, which is in direct conflict with the goals of workers, who seek to secure higher wages?

class struggle

Which theoretical perspective focuses on how social and economic inequalities persist because powerful individuals and groups work to protect their advantages?

conflict theory

Different theoretical traditions offer _____ answers to the question, "What are the circumstances or conditions under which societies change?"

different

What concept refers to W.E.B. Du Bois's idea that unlike white Americans, black Americans must live multiple lives, one as a black person and one as an American?

double consciousness

sacred

holy; worthy of special reverence

Which of the following concepts would symbolic interactionists most likely use in their research?

impression management

modes of production

in Marxist theory, a mode of production is a concept for characterizing the dominant economic system in a society. a mode of production has 2 parts, the forces of production and the social relations of production

proletariat

individuals in capitalist economies who work in exchange for pay; working class

Karl Marx's social theory primarily focuses on _____.

inequality in economic systems

What concept refers to the interlocking nature of interlocking nature of inequality, or how gender inequalities are formed in relation to inequalities based on race, class, and sexuality?

intersectionality

Which of the following is the best example of cultural capital? -having lots of friends -knowing a lot about fine wine -owning a home -donating large amounts of money to charity

knowing a lot about fine wine

Contrary to dominant theories, W.E.B Du Bois argued that racial inequality was _____.

manufactured by American society

According to Karl Marx, capitalism, feudalism, and slavery are all examples of _____.

modes of production

_____ solidarity, unlike _____ solidarity, is associated with an extensive division of labor in society.

organic; mechanical

Within a symbolic interactionist framework, Herbert Blumer distinguished between 3 types of objects that can be the subject of interpretation. What were the 3 types of objects?

physical objects, social objects, and abstract objects

socialist

productive forces of society are collectively owned (not by individual business owners)

mechanical solidarity

refers to the factors that hold primitive societies together, mostly through family and kinship ties and a collective consciousness shared by all members of the community

When feminist social theorist Simone de Beauvoir wrote, "One is not born a woman but becomes one," she was pointing to a difference between an individual's _____ and _____.

sex; gender

Imagine you are entering an elevator full of people. When you step in, you most likely turn around to face the door like everyone else. Drawing on the work of Emile Durkheim, your behavior has been impacted by a _____.

social fact

Emile Durkheim emphasized _____, while Mark Weber emphasized _____ in his theory of society.

social facts; social action

What theme can readily be found in Emile Durkheim's theoretical work?

social solidarity

Human nature is not natural; it is learned. People learn how to behave in society through a process of _____.

socialization

Social theorists working in the tradition of _____ theorized that social change happened much like the theory of _____.

structural functionalism; evolution

Which of the following terms best describes theories that consciously connect social structure with individual action? -micro theories -macro theories -grand theories -structural individualism

structural individualism

Social theories are _____.

systematic ideas that help explain the relationship between individuals and society

bourgeoisie

the group in a capitalist economy who own a business and employ people to work for them. this term is used in the Marxist tradition to refer to the most powerful class in the capitalist society

class struggle

the idea that classes of people who are treated differently by the economic system are inevitably going to be in conflict with one another

socialization

the process by which individuals come to understand the expectations and norms of their groups as well as the various roles they transition into over the life course and how to behave in society or in particular social settings

social relations of production

the relationships and inequalities between different kinds of people within the economy

social solidarity

the social forces that hold any society together

classes

the sociological concept that refers to a group of people who share a similar social and economic position in society

division of labor

the specialization of individuals in any organization or group, or in a society as a whole, particularly in relation to work

forces of production

the technological and productive capacity of any society at a given point in time

social facts

those regularities and rules of every day life that exist independently and outside the control of individuals

Theories that are very grand or "macro" in nature typically seek to explain _____.

universal features of societies