Chapter 2
Collective conscience
A collective psyche that results from the blending of many individual mentalities but exists above any one individual
Charles Darwin coined the term "survival of the fittest." True / False
False
Unmarried people have a lower rate of suicide than married people. True / False
False
Marx and Engels felt that the misery of the lower classes was created by their willingness to make poor life choices. True / False
False A common theme in the writings of Marx and Engels was a profound sense of outrage at the misery produced in the lower classes by the industrial order.
According to Merton, manifest functions are not intended, but they are recognized. True / False
False According to Merton, manifest functions are both intended and recognized.
Spencer, the "father of sociology," first called the discipline social physics. True / False
False Comte, the "father of sociology," first called the discipline social physics.
Conflict theorists regard society as being in a state of equilibrium, while structural functional theorists regard society as being in a constant state of competition and change. True / False
False Conflict theorists regard society as being in a constant state of competition and change, while structural functional theorists regard society as potentially being in a state of equilibrium.
Durkheim concluded that suicide is a religious phenomenon. True / False
False Durkheim concluded that suicide is a social phenomenon.
Latent functions are the consequences of a social system, leading to the breakdown of the system. True / False
False Dysfunctions are the consequences of a social system, leading to the breakdown of the system.
Evolutionary theory suggests that societies are like factories. True / False
False Evolutionary theory suggests that societies are like biological organisms.
Feminist sociologists believe that gender is basic only to the five major institutions of society. True / False
False Feminist sociologists believe that gender is basic to all social structure and organization.
Together, Herbert Spencer and Charles Darwin coined the term "survival of the fittest." True / False
False Herbert Spencer coined the term "survival of the fittest."
Verstehen is one form of anomic suicide. True / False
False In Weber's work, the concept of verstehen, meaning understanding human action by examining the subjective meaning that people attach to their own behavior and the behavior of others, was very important.
In exchange theory, power is the basis of social relationships. True / False
False In exchange theory, expectations of reciprocation is the basis of social relationships.
Marx believed that both the proletariat and the bourgeoisie needed to develop class consciousness. True / False
False Marx believed that the proletariat were oppressed and needed to develop class consciousness.
Sociologists from the Chicago School explained human behavior in terms of religious doctrine. True / False
False Sociologists from the Chicago School explained human behavior in terms of science.
Spencer viewed society as progressing through an orderly evolution, and he thought that planned social change would help this progress. True / False
False Spencer argued that planned change would disrupt the orderly evolution of society.
Weber argued that determining social class was both an objective process and a subjective process, involving how we perceive power, wealth, and prestige.
False Weber argued that determining social class was a subjective process, involving how we perceive power, wealth, and prestige.
When students try to see where their teacher is coming from in her/his lectures or assignments, the students are most likely applying the concepts of __________. Herbert Spencer Émile Durkheim Karl Marx Max Weber
Max Weber
Altruistic suicide
Suicide that results from being overly integrated into groups and the group meaning taking on more importance than the individual
Egoistic suicide
Suicide that results from lack of social integration into meaningful groups, leaving the individual with a sense of being isolated
Fatalistic suicide
Suicide that results from oppressive social conditions that lead one to a fatal sense of hopelessness
Anomic suicide
Suicide that results from sudden changes in society or in one's life, leading to a disruption in the patterns that guide one's life
Bourgeoisie
The class of people who own the means of production
The study and discipline of sociology originated approximately __________. 300-400 years ago 200-300 years ago 100-200 years ago 50-100 years ago
100-200 years ago
Theory
A scientific explanation, grounded in evidence, for a particular process or phenomenon
Social system
A set of interrelated social structures and the expectations that accompany them
Middle-range theory
A set of propositions designed to link abstract theory with empirical testing
Conflict theory
A social theory that views conflict as inevitable and natural and as a significant cause of social change
Exchange theory
A theory of interaction that attempts to explain social behavior in terms of reciprocity of costs and rewards
Evolutionary theory
A theory of social development that suggests that societies, like biological organisms, progress through stages of increasing complexity
Structural functionalism is sometimes referred to as __________. social systems theory equilibrium theory functionalism All of the above
All of the above
Chicago School
An approach developed by Cooley, Mead, Thomas, and others in the 1920s that emphasized the importance of social interactions in the development of human thought and action
Class consciousness
Awareness among members of a society that the society is stratified and that they share the same plight
Law of human progress
Comte's notion that society has gone through three stages: the theological, the metaphysical, and the scientific
Social dynamics
Comte's term for social processes and forms of change
Social statics
Comte's term for the stable structure of a society
Social conflict
In Karl Marx's view, a type of class struggle due to economic inequality that is at the core of society and is the key source of social change
Dysfunctions
In structural functionalism, factors that lead to the disruption or breakdown of the social system
Functional alternatives
New ways of achieving the intended goal of the system
The theorist who believed that all social change is rooted in social conflict was __________. Mead Weber Comte None of the above
None of the above
Social facts
Reliable and valid pieces of information about society
Symbolic interactionism
Social theory that stresses interactions between people and the social processes that occur within the individual that are made possible by language and internalized meaning
Proletariat
The group in a capitalist society that does not own the means of production and has only labor to sell
Economic determinism
The idea that economic factors are responsible for most social change and for the nature of social conditions, activities, and institutions
Manifest functions
The intended and recognized consequences of a social system
Structural functionalism
The theory that societies contain certain interdependent structures, each of which performs certain functions for the maintenance of society
Latent functions
The unintended and unrecognized consequences of a social system
Which of the following do symbolic interactionists believe? Through interaction, we internalize values and social expectations. Only humans are able to communicate. People learn primarily through rewards and punishments. All of the above
Through interaction, we internalize values and social expectations.
According to Marx, the workers were the proletariat, and the bourgeoisie were the owners and rulers of society. True / False
True
Comte's social statics focused on the organism's structure, and his social dynamics focused on processes and forms of change. True / False
True
Contemporary conflict theorists believe that conflicts involve a wide range of groups or interests, such as different age groups, genders, racial and ethnic groups, and religious groups. True / False
True
Feminist theorists stress that gender is basic to all social structure. True / False
True
Following traffic signs demonstrates the human ability to use symbols. True / False
True
For Durkheim, social phenomena are social facts that have distinctive social statics and social dynamics. True / False
True
Functionalists focus on order and stability, with an emphasis on equilibrium. True / False
True
Mead determined that it is the use of symbols that sets humans apart from animals. True / False
True
One of Marx's key concepts was economic determinism, the idea that society is based on economic factors. True / False
True
Spencer theorized that if societies could NOT adapt, they would die out, and individuals who could not fit in also did NOT deserve to survive and flourish. True / False
True
Symbolic interactionism has a microsociological orientation. True / False
True
The evolutionary perspective tends to be concerned with long-term change. True / False
True
The first social scientist to receive a Nobel Prize was Jane Addams. True / False
True
Verstehen
Understanding human action by examining the subjective meanings that people attach to their own behavior and the behavior of others
According to Marx, the recognition among workers that they share the same plight is known as __________. revolution social dynamics class consciousness economic determinism
class consciousness
The __________ theory rejects the positivist position that sociology should be value free. conflict exchange humanistic functionalist
humanistic
Functions that are intended and recognized in a social system are called __________. latent observable manifest symbols
manifest
According to Comte's law of human progress, the stage of human thought associated with political dominance being held by the clergy and lawyers is the __________ stage. theological metaphysical positive scientific
metaphysical
The first major center of sociological thought in the United States was __________. Harvard University Columbia University the University of Michigan the University of Chicago
the University of Chicago
