SYG 2000 Exam Review: Theory, Culture, Socialization, Deviance and Inequality

Terms in this set (31)

1. What is the sociological imagination?C. Wright Mills's term for seeing the connection between personal troubles and larger public issues and social structures.
2. Summarize the functionalist perspective.Society is a system of interrelated parts that work together to maintain stability; institutions have manifest (intended) and latent (unintended) functions. Linked to Durkheim, Parsons and Merton.
3. Summarize the conflict perspective.Society is shaped by inequality and competition over scarce resources; powerful groups maintain advantage. Rooted in Karl Marx.
4. Summarize symbolic interactionism.A micro-level view that society is created through everyday interaction and shared meanings of symbols. Associated with Mead, Cooley and Blumer.
5. Who coined the term sociology?Auguste Comte, who argued society could be studied scientifically (positivism).
6. What did Durkheim's study of suicide show?Suicide rates vary with social integration and regulation, showing that even an individual act has social causes.
7. Material vs nonmaterial cultureMaterial culture: physical objects people make (tools, buildings). Nonmaterial culture: ideas such as values, beliefs, norms and language.
8. Folkways vs mores vs lawsFolkways are casual norms (table manners). Mores are norms with strong moral weight (prohibitions on violence). Laws are norms formally enacted and enforced by the state.
9. Ethnocentrism vs cultural relativismEthnocentrism judges other cultures by one's own standards. Cultural relativism tries to understand a culture on its own terms.
10. Subculture vs countercultureA subculture shares the main culture but has distinctive traits. A counterculture actively rejects major values of the dominant culture.
11. What is Cooley's looking-glass self?Self-concept forms by imagining how we appear to others, imagining their judgment, and developing feelings based on those judgments.
12. Describe Mead's I and me.The 'I' is the spontaneous, acting self; the 'me' is the socialized self shaped by others' expectations. Mead saw the self developing through play and game stages.
13. Name four major agents of socialization.Family, schools, peer groups and mass media; others include religion and the workplace.
14. What is resocialization and where does it often occur?Learning new norms and values while discarding old ones, often in total institutions such as prisons or military boot camp.
15. Ascribed vs achieved statusAscribed status is assigned at birth or involuntarily (race, age). Achieved status is earned or chosen (college graduate, doctor).
16. Role strain vs role conflictRole strain: tension among demands within one role. Role conflict: incompatible demands between two or more roles (parent and employee).
17. Primary vs secondary groupsPrimary groups are small, intimate and long-lasting (family, close friends). Secondary groups are larger, impersonal and goal-oriented (coworkers, a class).
18. What is groupthink?A tendency in cohesive groups to prioritize agreement over critical evaluation, leading to poor decisions.
19. What are Weber's main characteristics of bureaucracy?Division of labor, hierarchy of authority, written rules, impersonality, and hiring and promotion based on technical qualifications.
20. Merton's strain theory of devianceDeviance arises when people cannot reach culturally approved goals through approved means. Adaptations: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion.
21. What does labeling theory say about deviance?Deviance results from others' reactions; being labeled deviant can shape self-identity and lead to further (secondary) deviance.
22. Sutherland's differential association theoryDeviance is learned through interaction with others who define rule-breaking favorably.
23. What is social stratification?A system that ranks categories of people in a hierarchy, giving unequal access to wealth, power and prestige.
24. Open vs closed stratification systemsOpen (class) systems allow social mobility based on achievement. Closed (caste) systems fix status by birth, with little mobility.
25. Weber's three dimensions of social stratificationClass (economic position), status (social prestige) and party (power).
26. Sex vs genderSex refers to biological characteristics; gender refers to socially constructed roles, behaviors and identities associated with being female or male.
27. Race vs ethnicityRace is a socially constructed category based on perceived physical traits. Ethnicity is shared cultural heritage, such as language, ancestry or religion.
28. Prejudice vs discriminationPrejudice is a negative attitude toward a group. Discrimination is unequal treatment of people based on group membership.
29. What is institutional (structural) discrimination?Unequal treatment built into the normal operations of institutions such as schools, housing or the justice system, even without individual intent.
30. Describe the demographic transition model.Societies move from high birth and death rates, to falling death rates with high birth rates (rapid growth), to falling birth rates, and finally to low birth and death rates.
31. Quantitative vs qualitative research methodsQuantitative methods use numerical data and statistics (surveys). Qualitative methods use non-numerical data for in-depth meaning (interviews, participant observation).