perspective. way of looking at individuals as members of society and social groups. "scientific study of human societies and culture and social behavior"
Sociological Imagination
the ability to see how our own individual lives are influenced by outside forces and our own personality.
Marriage squeeze
as women get older and more educated, their dating pool gets smaller and smaller
Knowledge claims
statements about how social interaction or social institutions work
Functionalist theory
functionalism - they believe social institutions keep society alive. (family, economy, government, religion, media, etc.)
Symbolic Interactionism
someone who studies face to face interaction. personal day to day interactions. look at language gestures
Conflict theory
Karl Marx. opposite from functionalism. "the structure of society is the source of inequality"
Feminist theory
a branch of conflict theory. focuses on gender as the source of inequality. women have less power and influence
Empirical research
systematic, careful and controlled
Probabilistic research
It's probable but not proven
Purposeful research
guided by a hunch or theories
Surveys
questionnaire, interview, can be done by telephone or mail
Participant observation
go out and participate in a situation and take notes
Secondary analysis
using data that somebody has already collected
Experiment
not usually done in sociology except for criminology
Validity
extent to which we are measuring what we intend to measure
Reliability
extent to which our data produces consistent results
Generalizability
can we make the same claims for everybody?
Ethics of social research
informed consent, privacy, confidentiality
Nonmaterial culture
"symbolic culture" refers to to all the non-physical products in society
Material culture
physical products of a culture
Ethnocentrism
we internalize our culture and believe its the right way
Cultural relativism
understanding a culture, behavior, or practice on its own terms
Values
romantic love, material comfort, achievement & success, education, family, etc.
Norms
guidelines for values, expectations, or rules for behavior
Folkways
everyday norms. less serious punishment when broken
Mores
norms that are sometimes put into law. taken seriously by society (jay walking, underage drinking)
Taboos
when break people are disgusted (abuse, incest)
Institutionalized norms
a pattern of behavior that happens to everybody so much that it becomes an expectation (marriage)
Subcultures
cultures that exist within another culture. groups whose values are distinct but they are set off of the dominant one (Amish, gangs)
countercultures
groups whose values are in opposition from the dominant culture
Looking-glass self
society provides us a mirror in which to see ourselves. this leads to the development of our self concept
Socialization
The process by which we learn the attitudes, values, and behaviors of the groups to which we belong
Agents of socialization
places, people, or groups that teach us our gender role same as institutions (family, peers, education, media, etc)
Gender socialization
The ways society sets children in separate directions because they are male or female
Resocialization
re-socialized when you change situations
Macrosociology
Studies society by looking at the social structure, or systems, by looking at how its set up
Microsociology
Studies the face to face, day to day, interactons
Social class
where you come from, surroundings
Ascribed social status
born into it or enter into it involuntarily
Achieved social status
positions we earn
Roles
behaviors and obligations of the status driver
Dramatury Theory - Erving Goffman
Comparison of social life to a theater. always trying to portray a positive impression of ourselves
Impression management
steps to ensure you're always giving off a favorable image
Front stage
where we deliver our lines, where we manage our impression
Back stage
Where we can stop managing our impression, where you let your hair down
Mismanaged impressions/spoiled identities
you let someone in your backstage, midhandle props, mess up your lines, spoils your indentity
Face-saving techniques
to save our credibility when we mess up
Account
a verbal statement to explain embarrassing or unacceptable behavior
Disclaimer
a verbal statement we use before we embarrass ourselves
Cooling out
smooth over a situation. take some of the blame off the situation
Game Theory
examines how we can make choices in situations where we have some control, but not all
Social capital
how we depend on others to help us accomplish our goals "it's not what you know, it's who you know"
James Coleman and coalition building
interested in public policy on others to help us accomplish our goals
Social network theory
the characteristics of the nodes doesn't matter, the ties between people is more important
Nodes
actors
Ties
relationships between nodes
Social groups
a number of people who have something in common and identify together
Anomie
society: a state of normlessness. individual state of disconnect. happens when society is turned upside down.
Mechanical solidarity
similarities tie people together
Organic solidarity
when societies grow and become dense, differences keep them together
Primary cohesion groups
small groups with people having direct contact with one another
Secondary cohesion groups
more formal and impersonal, usually come together for a specific task
In-groups
groups to which you feel loyal to
Out-groups
groups we feel antagonistic towards
Reference groups
a group we use to evaluate ourselves
Group dynamics
affect our behaviors. Duad - small groups are more influential, the larger the group the less influential
Instrumental leaders
somebody who wants to get the job done
Expressive leaders
lead by tapping into emotions
Group think
narrowing of thought. you change your mind to match the group
