SOC 101 Exam #1 Review
George Herbert Mead
Developed Symbolic Interactionism. Believed development of individual was a social process as were the meanings individuals assigned to things (Looking-Glass Self).
Idealism
The belief that ideas create or are behind reality (Weber).
Materialist interpretation
The belief that matter (objective social relations) determine reality (Marx).
Structural-Functional Analysis
A major theoretical perspective that concerns how the different parts of society work together. (Example: parts of a machine working together)
The Agents of Socialization
Agents such as family, neighborhoods, religion, day-care, school/peer groups, and the workplace.
Protestant Ethic
The belief that the spirit of capitalism stems from the motivation of protestant values. Protestantism is composed of individualism and the satisfaction of God with one's work.
Social Dysfunction
any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society
Symbols
anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture
Metaphysical Stage
human behavior governed by natural, biological instincts
Calvinism
overcome cultural obstacles which tell you not to pursue your own well-being. One should follow their calling (work) and serve God in such a way.
Values
the ideas, beliefs, and attitudes about what is important that help guide the way you live
high-income countries
the nations with the highest overall standards of living
Cultural Transmission
the process by which one generation passes culture to the next
Manifest Functions
the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern
Interpretive Sociology
the study of society that focuses on the meanings people attach to their social world.
Critical Sociology
the study of society that focuses on the need for social change
Sociology
the systematic study of human society
Latent Function
the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern
Symbolic Interactionism
A major theoretical perspective and idea that there are symbols in everyday life that have been defined by society and affect the way it works.
Real Culture
The way that people actually act within a society.
Charles Cooley and George Mead
These two Sociologists are the founders of symbolic interactionism.
Superego
This is based on what one has learned from the groups they grew up in. It is a social conscience.
Ego
This is the balance between ID and Superego. This balance creates your personality.
Public Sociology
This is the middle ground between Basic and Applied sociology.
Sapir-Whorf theory
This theory states that it is not our environment that shapes the way we see, but our language.
Closed-ended questions
questions that are multiple choice and easily quantifiable.
ID
(Inborn Drives) are the various needs your body naturally craves.
Degradation Ceremony
A ceremony meant to detach one from their identity so they may be humiliated and/drafted into a new society.
More
A core value that is very important to a society.
Counterculture
A culture that conflicts with the dominant culture.
Subculture
A culture that exists within another but does not conflict with the dominant culture.
Language
A method of communication that allows for cumulative human experience. It has specific connotations and therefore ways of viewing the world.
Deviance
A neutral term that describes one differing from societal norms.
Folkway
A norm that is not enforced, but still expected of members of society.
Multiculturalism
A perspective recognizing the cultural diversity of the United States and promoting equal standing for all cultural traditions
Harry Harlow
A sociologist that observed the isolation of juvenile monkeys and saw that they crave physical comfort more than they do food or water. He also observed that after six months of isolation, socialization becomes more difficult to achieve.
William Ogburn
A sociologist who coined the term "Cultural Lag".
Dysfunction
An issue within society that disrupts the way it works.
Negative Sanction
Any sort of punishment for breaking a norm.
Positive Sanction
Any sort of reward for maintaining societal norms.
Isolated Children
Children who are given limited human interaction and therefore have dampened abilities. (Example: Genie)
Auguste Comte
Coined the term "Sociology". He was a functionalist (utilized the analogy that society is like the human body).
Karl Marx
Conflict theorist. He theorized that the Proletariats would overthrow the Bourgeoisie.
Superstructure
Education, Family, Religion, Mass Media, and Politics.
Who argued that suicide rates are affected by society?
Emile Durkheim. He studied the ways and frequency that races and genders commit suicide. The more isolated an individual is the more at risk they are.
The 10 social institutions
Family, religion, education, economy, medicine, politics, the law, science, the military, mass media.
Theological stage
Focus on society being stratified by God's will.
Max Weber
He believed that RELIGION was the driving force behind social change. He defined the "protestant ethic". He said that sociology should be "value-free".
Sigmund Freud
He said that personality is composed of ID, ego, and super ego. He claimed that as the mind and self developed so did a personality.
Robert Merton
He said that there are latent and manifest functions of different aspects of society.
Erving Goffman
He studied total institutions and recognized the frequent use of degradation ceremonies in these institutions.
Emile Durkheim
He was responsible for getting sociology recognized as a separate discipline.He was a functionalist who said that all parts of society operate separately.
Factors of Cultural Change
Inventions, Discoveries, and DIffusion
Unobtrusive measures
Methods that one uses to observe that does not disrupt the environment they are studying.
Opened-ended questions
Questions that allow free response answers.
Gerhard Lenski
Said that society is defined by level of technology
What is Communism's major flaw?
Since everyone receives equal resources there is no motivation for people to work hard and make new technological advancements. Communist societies are behind the rest of the world technologically.
How does Social Marginality affect one's ability to utilize the sociological perspective?
Social Marginality augments one's ability to use the Sociological Perspective.
What spurred the creation of Sociology?
Social upheaval in England, imperealism in France, and the emergence of the scientific method. Also, the industrial revolution.
Taboo
Something which is considered disgusting or irredeemable by society if committed.
Secondary Analysis
Studying another individual's findings.
Micro-analysis
Studying society's more specific functions (case studies for example). This perspective is associated with symbolic interactionism.
Macro-analysis
The broad study of society that includes ideas from the functionalist and conflict perspectives.
Ideal culture
The desirable values of a society.
Culture
The language, beliefs, values, norms, and material objects of a group of people.
Basic Sociology
The observation of society for the sole purpose of learning and not intervention.
Structure
The opposing force of Agency (free-will).
"I" and "Me"
The parts of the self, according to Mead, one more active and spontaneous (I), the other more a product of socialization (Me).
The enclosure movement
The process of consolidating small landholdings into a smaller number of larger farms in England during the eighteenth century.
Resocialization
The process of learning new norms, attitudes, and behaviors. It occurs each time we learn something different from previous experiences (example: middle school to high school or high school to college).
Cultural Relativism
The process of understanding other cultures on their own terms. (Note: it is impossible to adopt a completely unbiased view)
Cultural Diffusion
The spread of a culture's values to different societies. This process has been augmented by the advancement of technology.
Social Conflict Paradigm
The theoretical perspective that explains the struggle between the upper and lower classes. Karl Marx is the founder of this perspective.
Applied Sociology
The use of sociology to fix what is wrong with society. EX. the NAACP.
Ethnocentrism
Using one's own culture as a lens to view others with.
Global Perspective
Viewing a society's place in the world.
Field Work
When one studies a natural setting in society.
The Enlightenment
a philosophical movement of the 18th century that emphasizes the use of reason to scrutinize previously accepted doctrines and traditions.
The Communist Manifesto
a political statement and a summation of history from Marx's point of view
Positivism
a scientific approach to knowledge based on "positive" facts as opposed to mere speculation
Looking-Glass Self
an image of yourself based on what you believe others think of you
Theoretical Perspectives
basic sociology, applied sociology, and public sociology.
Alexis de Toqueville
claimed that the french revolution amounted to "nothing short of the regeneration of the whole human race,".
high Culture
cultural patterns that distinguish a society's elite
C. Wright Mills
defined sociology as the intersection of society and how we see ourselves. He urged social reform and feared that powerful businesses would infringe on peoples' freedom.
Lenore Weitzman
discovered that women who leave marriages typically experience a dramatic loss of income. This made states pass laws that have increased women's claims.
Socialization
experiences by which individuals develop human potential and culture
Theory
explains why facts are related to various outcomes.
Which agent of socialization is most important?
family
sociological perspective
helps us to assess "common sense", enacts involvement in society, lets us see opportunities and constraints, helps us live in a diverse world
Ethnocentrism
judging another based on your own culture rather than their own.
Rationalization
labors are free but they are also subjected to the market in order to use their freedom.
Scientific Stage
modern physics, chemistry, sociology
middle-income countries
nations with a standard of living about average for the world as a whole
Culture shock
personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life
paradigm
sets of assumptions that guide thinking and research or assumptions which aid in the development of theory.
agency
the ability to think, act, and make choices independently
Historical Materialism
the assumption that material forces are the prime movers of history and politics; a key philosophy of Marxism
Cultural integration
the close relationships among various elements of a cultural system
Generalized other
the common behavioral expectations of general society