sociological perspective
understanding human behavior by placing it within its broader social context
dimensions of social location
the corners in life that people occupy because of where they are located in society; jobs, income, race, education, gender
major goals of sociology
1. to explain why social patterns occur
2. Predict social patterns
3. Observations are made objectively
soc is the study of society and human behavior
symbolic interactionism
a theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another
lewis coser
pointed out that conflict theory is most likely to develop among people who are in close relationships
Karl Marx
developed the conflict theory. (class conflict) under capitalism, this conflict was between the bourgeoisie - those who own the means to produce wealth - and the proletariat - the mass of workers.
Emile Durkheim
viewed society as being composed of many parts, each with its own function (social integration)
first phase of sociology in America
sociologists stressed the need to do research in order to improve society
American Sociological Association
(ASA) has established formal guidelines for conducting research
nonmaterial culture
The beliefs, practices, aesthetics, and values of a group of people.
culture within us
-learned and shared ways of believing and of doing
->penetrate our beings at an early age and become part of our taken-for-granted assumptions about what normal behavior is
value contradiction
values that contradict one another; to follow the one means to come into conflict with the other
cultural universals
a value, norm, or other cultural trait that is found in every group
Sociobiologists and sociologists
sociobiologists - study of behavior in humans and animals; sociologists - study of development of society
norms
expectations, or rules of behvaior that reflect and enforce values
positive sanction
a reward or positive reaction for following norms, ranging from a smile to a prize
taboo
a norm so strong that it often brings revulsion if violated
subcultures
the values and related behaviors of a group that distinguish its members from the arger culture; a world within a world
counterculture
a group whose values, beliefs, amd related behaviors place its members in opposition to the borader culture
isolated institutionalized children
if children shut off from interaction with others then they fail to develop.
isolated rhesus monkeys
did not know how to act like a monkey - when placed with other monkeys, did not know what to do
looking glass self
a term coined by Charles Horton Cooley to refer to the process by which ourself develops through internalizing others' reactions to us
Mead's theory
play is crucial to development - take the role of another - put yourself in their shoes; imitation, play, games
Jean Piaget's focus
children go through 4 stages to reason - sensorimtor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, formal operational stage
Sigmund Freud's ego
balancing force between the id and the demands of society
Kohlberg's 4 stages
amoral stage; preconventional stage - follow rules; conventional stage - morality means to follow rules; postconventional stage - individual's reflect on abstract principles of right and wrong
postconventional
most people don't reach, reflect on abstract principles of right and wrong and jusge a behavior according to these principles
resocialization
the process of learning new norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors
degradation ceremony
began by Harold Garfinkel to describe an attempt ti remake the self by stripping away an individual's self identity and stamping a new identity in its place
total institution
a place in which people are cut off from the rest of society and are almost totally controlled by the officials who run the place.
life course
the stages of our life as we go from birth to death
roles
the behaviors, obligations, and a privileges attached to a status
status symbols
items used to identify a status
group
People who have something in common and who believe that what they have in common is significant
social institutions
ways society develops to meet its basic needs
role conflict
conflicts that someone feels between role because the expectations attached to one role are incompatible with the expectations of another role.
role strain
conflict between roles because expectations between roles are incompatible
society
people who share a culture and a territory.
family
2 or more people who consider themselves related by blood, marriage, or adoption
egalitarian society
authority more or less equally divided between people or groups, in this instance between husband and wife.
pastoral societies
a society based on the pasturing of animals
reference groups
a group that we use as a standard to evaluate ourselves.
facebooking
interactions within social networking
characteristics of a triad
-three people
-can create strain(not enough attention is given)
dyad
one relationship (2 people)
small group growth??
a group small enough for everyone to interact directly with all the other members
deviance
the violation of rules or norms
Goffman's conception of stigma
blemishes that discredit a persons claim to a "normal" identity
negative sanctions
an expression of disapproval for breaking a norm, ranging from a mild, informal reaction such as a frown to a formal reaction such as a prison sentence or an execution
degradation ceremony
harold Garfinkel- to describe an attempt to remake the self by stripping away an individuals self identity
insitutionalized means and examples
approved ways of reaching cultural goals ex. going to college and working your way to getting a good job and having success
strain theory: (innovation)
Robert Mertons term for the strain engendered when a society socializes large numbers of people to desire a cultural goal, but withholds from many the approved means of reaching that goal
illegitimate crime
crime woven into the texture of life in urban slums, for example like robbery and prostitution
white collar crime & example
crimes committed by people of a respectable and high social status of their occupations - Edwin Suterland
-bribery of public officials, embezzlement
sex
biological characteristics that distinguish females and males, consisting of primary and secondary sex characteristics
gender
the behaviors and attitudes that a society considers proper for its males and females; masculinity or femininity
gender stratification
males' and females' unequal access to power, prestige, and property on the basis of their sex
glass ceiling
the mostly invisible barrier that keeps women from advancing to the top levels at work
glass escalator
the mostly invisible barrier that keeps women from advancing to top levels at work
Sexual harassment
the abuse of one's position of authority to force unwanted sexual demands on someone
polyandry
a form of marriage in which women have more than one husband
family of orientation
a family in which a person grows up
endogamy
the practice of marrying within one's own group
matrilineal
a system of reckoning descent that count's only the mother's side
second shift
creates discontent among wives; second shift is housework