SOC 104 Unit 2 ch. 4-7

What is a society?

A group of people who share a culture and a territory.

. What does "red tape" mean?

At times beaurcracies are not efficient. Because beuracracies are heirachial and rule based, those rules can get in the way. That is red tape.

What is social control?

Attempts by society to regulate people's thoughts and behaviors in ways that limit, or punish, deviance.

How did Weber explain sociological change?

Believed that the shift from agrarian to industrial society began with a shift in ideas. New techniques in accounting and social organization. Those ideas combined with advances in technology produced the change.

What are the criticisms of the above theories?

Both methods link criminal deviance to individual factors either of body or of mind while leaving out other factors like peer influence or what opportunities for deviance different people might be exposed to. Biological and psychological explanations only understand deviance as a matter of abnormality. Both approaches begin by looking for physical or mental irregularities. Studies are showing that people who do deviant things are often normal/typical.

What is bureaucratic alienation?

Bureaucracies can be dehumanizing. To be a good bureaucrat is NOT to think for yourself, but to be a good cog in the machine.

What is a master status?

- Social position in society The Status that others are most likely to use to identify you. Can be achieved like "Professor", or ascribed like "cancer patient."

Who explained sociocultural changes and what were their ideas?

The sociocultural changes can also be understood using the work of Marx, Weber, and Derkeim.

What is the difference between modern organizations and traditional organizations?

Traditional and rational world views

How do symbolic interactionists study society?

Symbolic interactionism is from a micro perspective. Focuses on the individual and the meaning they give to objects, symbols, and other things in their life.

What is the difference between front stage and back stage?

Teacher cursing while grading papers - backstage

What is social structure?

The relationships among people and groups. Sets limits on our behavior and our social expectations. Interactions are a matter of expectations.

Explain Marx's concepts of class and alienation:

There were the "haves" and the "have nots" Alienation refers to the condition in which the individual is isolated and divorced from his or her society- work- or the sense of self. Marx defined four specific types of alienation.

Understand the role of environment on pre-industrial societies:

They depended on their local surroundings-the climate and weather- the presence of animals for food- etc- for their survival.

How do functionalists view society?

They look at society as a whole and how the institutions that make up a society adapt to keep the society stable and functioning.

Charles Cooley -

Thought that everyone we meet in our lifetime can influence our self identity. Created idea of Looking Glass self - our perception of our self comes from our perception of how others perceive us. We imagine how we appear to others. We imagine how they must evaluate us based on their observations of us. Intelligent, funny, shy, awkward? We develop feelings about ourselves based on their evaluations and observations of us. We are not actually being influenced by the opinions of others. We are being influenced by what we IMAGINE those opinions to be.

AGRARIAN SOCIETY -

5,000 years ago with the advent of the animal pulled plow. Feudalism was an agrarian society.

Who created dramaturgical analysis?

Erving Goffman

Which two theories are on a macro level?

Functionalism and Conflict theory both are taken from the macro perspective.

What is front stage and back stage?

Goffman said that some interaction occurs in the "frontstage/audience," or front region, while other interaction occurs in the "backstage/by ourselves," or back region.

HORTICULTURE -

based on plants, groups stay in one location, material surplus for the first time. Surplus allows a society to grow. This leads to the first specialization in political, religious, and military areas.

Social Integration -

the strength of ties to social groups - key to unity.

What are the 3 major principles sociologists use for understanding deviance?

1. Deviance varies according to cultural norms Ex. slavery 2. People are deviant because they're labeled as deviant. Societies response may be what classified us as deviant. 3. Defining social norms involves social power. Karl Marx argued that defining social norms allows the elite to protect their interests.

What are the characteristics of a bureaucracy?

1. Division of Labor - professors aren't responsible for building maint. Increases effic. of org. But, can increase alienization and trained incapacity. 2. Hiarchy of organization. Each pos. is under the supervision of a higher authority. Individuals have no voice in decision making. Indiv. may shirk responsibility. 3. The existence of written rules and regulations. Let workers know what is expected of them. Help to insure uniform performance by all members and workers. Help to maintain equal treatment of all employees. Can give a sense of unity or continuity to an org. Negatives: Rules can stifle creativity. Too much structure discourages initiative. Rules can become more important than goals of organization. 4. Impersonality - describes how individuals and orgs are supposed to conduct their activities in an unbiased mannner. Equal treatment is the goal. But can lead to alienization. 5. Employment based on technical qualifications. Decrease discrimination. But can decrease ambition. People may only do what is nesseccary to secure a job or promotion and no more.

What are the three main types of organizations? Give examples of each.

1. Utilitarian - serve some function for their members. Businesses pay their employees.. 2. Normative organizations (sometimes called voluntary associations) are organizations that people join as volunteers. People join them to pursue some goal that they think is worthwhile. Political parties and religious orgs. 3. Coercive Organizations - where you don't have a say in whether you're a member or not. Prisons, or involuntary commitment to a psychiatric hospital.

Describe the difference between preindustrial- industrial- and postindustrial societies:

Pre-industrial had no machines - small groups of people - dependent on local resources- few specialized occupations- hunter-gatherers- pastoral- feudal- and horticultural are examples. Industrial societies offered institutional healthcare and educations. Power wand people were centralized to control resources. Manufacturing and production of food were dominant industries. Steam power-paper- and glass- became common. Urban centers become common. Post-industrial - Tech and Services are the focus. Information societies are included in the post-industrial world. Competition is a high priority instead of teamwork. Social classes are divided by access to education- since without technical skills- people in an information society lack the means for success.

What are biological existentialist explanations of deviance? Give an example a study done using this perspective.

Something about a person's biology makes them deviant Criminals are a subversion of humanity with identifying physical traits. Cesare Lombroso. 1876 Physical characteristics William Sheldon 1940's More muscular men more likely to be criminals. Elenor and Sheldon Glueck - a correlation between body type and criminality cannot be taken as causal evidence

What is a status set?

Status set includes every type of status that a person holds.

What is the difference between primary deviance and secondary deviance?

Student skipping school - example of Minor-Primary deviance. It does not affect her self image. One time incident. secondary deviance produces a severe negative reaction and a stigmatizing label

Discuss Labeling Theory -

Symbolic Interactionists understand deviance through Labeling theory. This is the idea that Conformity and Deviance are not so much what you do, but how people label it.

What is a traditional worldview?

Traditional world view takes the basic set up of the world as given. The way previous generations did things is "The Right Way".

HUNTING AND GATHERING SOCIETIES -

basic tools, team effort, all time spent hunting. Food was main concern. 25 to 40 people maximum. Very low equality.

Innovative solutions -

deviant solutions to reach a goal ex. Petty thievery to organized crime. The goal is to get money but the methods are deviant.

SOCIOCULTURAL EVOLUTION -

the changes that occur as a society gains new technology

Retreatism -

a person drops out of society, rejecting both the conventional means and goals - drug addicts/alcoholics

Conformity is -

achieving culturally set goals by way of conventionally approved means.

POST INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY -

with advent of computer. Shift away from an economy based on raw materials and manufacturing to an economy based on information, services, and technology. Wealth is being created in tech, finance, and service industries. Not all of these changes are beneficial. Pollution, Global warming, large scale warfare.

What is a bureaucracy?

An orgnaization that's been rationally constructed to do things efficiently.

What is containment theory?

Certain people have a personality that is better at containing deviant actions. Impulse control.

What is an achieved status?

Earned

What are roles?

A person holds a status, but they PERFORM a _______________. A person can have more than one _____________. A single status will often have multiple ___________________.

What is rationality and the rationalization of society?

A rational world view sees everything up for grabs. Promotes doing things in the most efficient way to accomplish a task through critical thinking and calculation. It is the transition from traditional to rational ways of of thinking that is called the rationalization of society. Max Weber said that conversion is what bring modernity to the world.

What is an ascribed status?

A status that a person had no choice in. Assigned at birth or involuntarily later in life.

What are the six things that bureaucracies have in common?

According to Weber .. 1. Specialized Roles that fit together in a 2. Heirarchy linked by 3. Formal, written communications 4. Complete work with technical competence 5. Everyone is treated equally/impersonally 6. All functioning according to detailed rules and regulations

List Marx's four types of alienation:

Alienation from the process of one's labor. A worker does not control the conditions of her job because she does not own the means of production. If a person is hired to work in a fast food restaurant- she is expected to make the food the way she is taught. Alienation from others. Workers compete- rather than cooperate. Alienation from one's self. - cog in a machine Taken as a whole- alienation in modern society means that an individual has no control over his life

What is a role set?

All Status's have ________________________. Sometimes this demands contradictory behaviors.

What did Durkheim say about deviance?

Deviance helps define cultural values and norms. "Deviants can help encourage social change." (Rosa Park - wouldn't get off the bus) We can only understand whats good by understanding whats not good. Societies response to deviance clarifies moral boundaries. Bank robber being sent to jail. Someone being made fun of the way they dress. "These reactions bring society together."

organic solidarity -

Durkeim: As people become more specialized, they become more interdependent.

Describe Durkhiem's functionalist view of society.

Durkheim likened society to that of a living organism- in which each organ plays a necessary role in keeping the being alive. Durkheim's perspective on society stressed the necessary interconnectivity of all of its elements. Durkheim argued that as society grew more complex social order made the transition from mechanical to organic. Preindustrial societies were mechanical- things are done mostly because they have always been done that way. Modern societies have converted to organic solidarity- which is social order based around an acceptance of economic and social differences. organic solidarity- which is social order based around an acceptance of economic and social differences. According to Durkheim once a society achieves organic solidarity it has finished its development.

What are positive and negative sanctions? Give examples.

Encouraging or discouraging social activity. A friend making fun of your taste in food. A teacher congratulating you on your test score.

What is dramaturgy?

Erving Goffman states: "Individuals are, in essence, dramatic actors on a stage playing parts dictated by culture, and, like all theater, they are given some dramatic license in how they play roles, as long as they do not deviate too far from the emotional script provided by culture." the "presentation of self" guides social interaction just as it guides behavior in a play

What is role strain?

Even the roles under a single status like Student can conflict. The student may have roles as basketball athlete, class room learner, dramaclub, etc.

What are formal sanctions?

Formal sanctioning of deviance occurs when norms are codified into law, and violation almost always results in negative sanctions from the criminal justice system - the police, the courts and the prison system.

What is scientific management?

Frederick Taylor - created a system in which management closely observes and systematizes how workers to their job so that the jobs could be made more efficient over time.

What is a formal organization?

Groups that are organized to achieve goals efficiently

Discuss Merton's Strain Theory.

Merton argued that the amount of deviance in a society depends on whether that society has provided sufficient means to achieve culturally defined goals. Merton suggested that financial success is a culturally set goal placed upon american culture.

What is a status inconsistency?

Mismatch between status's. PHD working as a Barista.

List Gerhard Lenski's 5 different types of societies. You should be able to discuss each type of society from Hunting and Gathering up to Post Industrial. You should understand some of their characteristics and the time period in which they emerged. You should also know why each society changed.

Hunting and gathering societies Pastoral Horticulture Agrarian Industrial Post Industrial

Define roles and describe their places in people's daily interactions:

If we are in a certain status- we are all expected to behave in a way appropriate to that status. That behavior is a role. Roles help us interact and help make social order possible- but they may even shape our personalities. The idea here is that if we assume a new role- the expectations of that role can change how we interact with others and even the way we think about ourselves. In short- roles can change our personalities.

How did Marx explain sociological change?

In his view, sociological change requires both technological change and revolution.

Explain the conflict theorist view of society

Marx saw conflict in society as the primary means of change. Economically he saw conflict existing between the owners of the means of production—the bourgeoisie—and the laborers called the proletariat. He said: "Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps- into two great classes directly facing each other—Bourgeoisie and Proletariat" Marx believed society was a pyramid formed on a base (the economy) and crowned by the superstructure of government- religion- education- and culture. Because of abuses in power of the poor working class by the Bourgeoisie- Marx referred to capitalism as the dictatorship of the Bourgeoisie.

Explain how individuals present themselves and perceive themselves in a social context

Individuals ordinarily try to manage the impression they make when interacting with others. Social interaction can be understood as a series of attempts at impression management.

How do macro-sociologists study society?

Large scale perspective affecting entire population. Looking for patterns that affect groups. War, poverty, health care institution, world economy.

What is dramaturgical analysis?

Life is a performance. Erving Goffman. Social Interaction is like a play performed on stage. People literalliy perform roles for each other. The point of social interaction is to maintain a social interaction that is inline with expectations. I.E. to satisfy the audience.

What is deviance?

Not normal. Different. Includes things outside of the mainstream. Being Vegan can't be considered deviant.

What is impression management?

People's attempt to carefully control the information that is received about them. Props and non verbal communication help us to make the impression that we are hoping to.

What are psychological explanations of deviance?

Place all the causal factors on a person's environment. Personality is usually a matter of socialization. Deviance is a matter of proper or failed socialization.

What are sign vehicles?

Props and nonverbal language are things we use to convey impressions to people we interact with.

The Structural Functionalist perspective on deviance provides what useful perspectives?

Provides useful ways on how deviance works on a macro scale. It works on the assumption that everyone who does deviant things will be treated as deviant. Other schools of thought call this into question.

What is the Irrationality of Rationality?

Rational systems are often unreasonable and impersonal. The reliance on rules and procedures can leave no room for independent judgement, denying people their status as independent thinking beings.

What is the Iron Law of Oligarchy?

Regardless of how democratic an organization is in theory, in practice it always tends toward pure Oligarchy. The people at the top may be elected, but because they are in power they are actually insulated from the people that elected them. Those that replace them become just like the ones they replaced.

Rebellion -

Rejection of goals and means, but in the context of counterculture - one that supports the pursuit of new goals according to new means. Rebellion for a positive goal.

What is bureaucratic ritualism?

Rules can become an "end in themselves" interfering with the organizations goals. Faith in the rules can become just as damaging as faith in tradition ever was.

How did Durkeim view sociological change?

Saw the history of society as a long term change in solidarity. He argued that as specialization increased, people became more differentiated but at the same time they came became more integrated because they were more inter-dependant. Durkeim called that interdependence "organic solidarity. From mechanical to organic solidarity.

What is the sociological approach to deviance?

Sees deviant criminology as a result of how society is structured.

What are some of the negatives of McDonaldization?

Skills are taken from people. Quality diminishes. Variety decreases.

How do micro-sociologists study society?

Small scale every day face to face social interactions between individuals or maybe small groups. You're looking at families and schools and other small interactions. No large test group. Interpretive analysis is of society is used, of a sample. How that sample is affected is used to determine affects on larger groups. Teacher/student and Doctor/patient interactions are used.

What is a social status?

Social expectations relate to _______________. It is a position that a person holds in a society or group. Its part of their identity and it defines their relationships with other people. Gender, race, sexual orientation, being a father, are ALL ________________.

How do conflict theorists view society?

Society is made up of institutions that benefit the powerful and create inequality. Large grps of ppl r at odds wth one anthr until conflict is reslved w. equally distributed power.

George Meade -

Thought that only certain individuals influence us at certain times of life. Young children see themselves as the focus of their own world. Lack the ability to take the perspective of another person. The is similar to Piaget's concept of egocentrism.

Understand how technology impacts societal development:

Technology reduced the need for all time to be spent gathering food. People gather together in urban centers where factories and resources are available. Social classes exist based an access to education to education and technical skills.

What is the organizational environment?

The environment in which corporations exist and operate. Technology, Population patterns, political and economic trends are all part of it. Challenge to corporations today is that they have been identified as racist or sexist, or both. Changes in the organizational environment had to happen to ensure fairness.

What is social interaction?

The process by people act and react to others.

What is the McDonaldization of society?

The process by which the principles of the fast food restaurant have come to dominate the whole of society. You get a product quickly, that is always made the same way, and always meets your expectations.

What is an oligarchy?

The rule of the many by the few.

Ritualism -

a deep devotion to the rules because they are the rules

Give an example of a study done using the perspective of psychological explanations of deviance.

Walter Reckless and Simon Dinitz Studied boys in urban neighborhood, divided groups into "good boys" and "bad boys". Good boys had fewer run ins with the police. Theory was that the "good boys" had better self control.

Understand the sociological concept of reality as a social construct:

We construct reality through our interactions with others. In a way, our day-to-day interactions are like those of actors on a stage. Thomas theorem states "If men define situations as real- they are real in their consequences" (Thomas and Thomas 1928). That is -people's behavior can be determined by their subjective construction of reality rather than by objective reality. For example- a teenager who is repeatedly given a label—overachiever- player- bum—might live up to the term even though it initially wasn't a part of his character People learn from their culture and from their social interactions which emotions are appropriate to display in which situations.

What is Impression management?

We usually do our best, consciously or unconsciously, to manage the impressions we convey to others and so to evoke from them reactions that will please us.

Identify how symbolic interactionists understand society:

Weber - emphasizes the viewpoint of the individual and how that individual relates to society. For Weber, the culmination of industrialization, rationalization, and the like results in what he referred to as the iron cage, in which the individual is trapped by institutions and bureaucracy. In a rationalized, modern society, we have supermarkets instead of family-owned stores. We have chain restaurants instead of local eateries.

What are some of the problems that occur due to the structure of bureaucracies?

What is the Peter Principle? Video 5 - McDonaldization Theory What is the rationality principle? The acceptance of rules, efficiency, and practical results. What is McDonaldization? George Ritzer (sociologist) - presents that the fast food rest. is a better model for Weber's ideas. The principles of the fast food rest. are coming to dom. more sectors of society. What are the four basic principles of McDonaldization? 1. efficiency - look for the best route to whatever goal that you have in mind. 2. Predictability - things are the same from one time to another time 3. Calculability - emphasis on quantity over quality 4. Emphasis on non human tech vs. human tech. Take skills away from people and build them into technologies.

What is role conflict?

When different roles conflict. Ex. Parents who work often have to decide between the demands of their job and the demands of their family.

What is role exit?

When people dis-engage from a certain role. Can be voluntary or involuntary.

What is bureaucratic inertia?

Where an organization's ult. goal becomes just to perpetuate itself, to keep existing. This can be intentional or just because individuals believe the org. does good work.

What is the Thomas Theorem?

William and Dorothy Thomas - if people define a situation as real, they are real in their consequences. Status's and roles matter because we say they do. The perception creates the reality. Even if you don't think your role matters, everyone else does think it matters.

INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY -

Year: 1750, tractor, combine, huge surpluses with more specializations. Societies were FAR larger than before requiring much greater centralization. For the first time society moved away from a subsistence based economy to a capital based economy. Inequality also increased greatly. Soon after the industrial revolution Marksism and Communism emerged. Industrial societies were the first to have public education. Healthcare and care giving became institutions.

What are folkways?

You won't be arrested for breaking a folkway, but it usually results in negative sanctions.

False consciousness is -

a condition in which the beliefs- ideals- or ideology of a person are not in the person's own best interest. Beliefs that serve the interest of the business owner not the employees.

PASTORAL -

emerged 5,000 years ago. based around domestication of animals - move from place to place

GERHARD LENSKI -

focused on technology as the main source of societal change through SOCIOCULTURAL EVOLUTION. He divided societies into 5 groups defined by the technology they used and the organizations that the technology helped create and sustain.