Introduction to Sociology Concepts
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Questions and Answers

According to Durkheim's critique of Rousseau, what is essential for human existence?

  • Society (correct)
  • Individualism
  • Romanticized society
  • Pre-society stage

    • In Kohn's study on parental socialization, middle-class mothers were found to prioritize which values in their children?

  • Neatness and good manners
  • Conformity and obedience
  • Empathy, happiness, self-control, and curiosity (correct)
  • School performance and ambition

    • According to the Conflict Theory perspective, how do different socialization processes impact class inequalities?

  • They promote social mobility and upward movement across social classes
  • They create equal opportunities for all socioeconomic groups
  • They have no impact on class inequalities
  • They reinforce existing class inequalities by preparing children for different types of jobs based on their class background (correct)

    • In Blumer's three premises of Symbolic Interactionism, what is the primary source of the meanings individuals assign to things?

    <p>Social interaction and communication (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following IS NOT a stage in George Herbert Mead's Role-Taking Theory?

    <p>Observation Stage (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes the sociological imagination as defined by C. Wright Mills?

    <p>The ability to understand how individual experiences are shaped by broader social forces. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Émile Durkheim, why do suicide rates differ across groups?

    <p>Social factors, such as levels of social integration and regulation, influence suicide rates. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of breaking social rules, as proposed by Harold Garfinkel?

    <p>To reveal the hidden norms and expectations that govern social interactions. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT a stage in the role exit process, as described by Helen Ebaugh?

    <p>Acceptance of the new identity. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the key principle underlying the sociological perspective as advocated by Émile Durkheim?

    <p>Social phenomena should be studied empirically, separate from philosophy and psychology. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Durkheim, which type of suicide is most likely to occur in societies with very strict regulations?

    <p>Fatalistic suicide (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes the central idea of Margaret Thatcher's view of society?

    <p>Society is a collection of individuals and families, with little need for overarching structures. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In Merton's Strain Theory, which mode of adaptation involves accepting societal goals but rejecting the conventional means to achieve them?

    <p>Innovation (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Durkheim, which of the following is a fundamental function of society?

    <p>To regulate collective activity and enable social order. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following perspectives on human nature is most closely aligned with Rousseau's view of the "primitive state"?

    <p>Humans are fundamentally good, but corrupted by the artificialities of civilization. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Flashcards

    Altruistic suicide

    Suicide occurring in highly integrated societies where individuals sacrifice themselves for the group.

    Anomic suicide

    Suicide in societies with low regulation, leading to feelings of normlessness.

    Fatalistic suicide

    Suicide in societies with excessive regulation, where individuals feel oppressed.

    Strain Theory

    The idea that societal pressure leads individuals to commit crimes when goals don't match opportunities.

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    Conformity

    Accepting both cultural goals and the means of achieving them, often seen as the most common response.

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    Durkheim’s Critique

    Durkheim argued society is essential to human existence, disagreeing with Rousseau's view.

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    Kohn's Study Findings

    Kohn found social class influences parental values in raising children, with contrasting expectations between classes.

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    Gender Expectations in Kohn's Study

    Kohn's study found different expectations for boys and girls based on social class.

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    Mead’s Role-Taking Theory

    Mead theorized stages of role-taking in child development: imitators, players, and team players understanding societal roles.

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    Cooley’s Looking-Glass Self

    Cooley's theory states self-concept is shaped by how we think others perceive us, leading to potential self-image issues.

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    Sociology

    The study of society and social behavior, founded by Auguste Comte.

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    Sociological Imagination

    The ability to connect personal experiences to larger societal contexts, as emphasized by C. Wright Mills.

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    Role Exit Process

    The process of transitioning from one social role to another, including stages like disillusionment and creating an 'ex' identity.

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    Social Facts

    External social structures, norms, and values that influence individual behavior, as identified by Émile Durkheim.

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    Types of Suicide

    Categories of suicide identified by Durkheim, including egoistic suicide linked to low societal integration.

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    Study Notes

    Sociology

    • Coined by Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
    • Aims to unify sciences and improve society, believing in positivism
    • Inspired by rapid societal changes (industrialization, democracy, urbanization)
    • Focuses on understanding societal functions and effects on individuals

    C. Wright Mills and the Sociological Imagination

    • Emphasized connecting individual lives to larger societal contexts
    • Key Concepts:
      • Personal Troubles: Individual issues (e.g., job loss)
      • Public Issues: Broader social problems (e.g., unemployment)
      • Requires linking personal biography to historical and societal forces
      • Translated Max Weber's works, foundational to sociology

    Peter Berger

    • Noted "seeing the general in the particular" (finding patterns in behavior)
    • Sociologists research patterns to understand why they exist
      • Established and become common sense to those living them.
    • Garfinkel argued that breaking social rules and conventions can reveal social norms.
      • Individuals follow expected behaviors in situations.
      • Breaking rules can reveal unrecognized ways individuals maintain social order
    • Role Exit Process (Ebaugh, 1988):
      • Transitioning from one role to another
      • Common in modern society (e.g., career changes, divorce, relocation)
      • Stages:
        • Disillusionment with current identity

    Structural Functionalists: Émile Durkheim

    • Advocated for sociology as an empirical field, distinct from philosophy and psychology
    • Core principle: Sociology studies social facts (external social structures, norms, values that influence individuals)
    • Study of Suicide:
      • Purpose: Illustrate social facts' impact on personal decisions
      • Key question: Why do suicide rates vary by factors like gender, religion, and location?
      • Approach: Compared suicide rates across groups to understand influences by societal integration and regulation
      • Types of Suicide:
        • Egoistic: Low integration
        • Altruistic: High integration
        • Anomic: Low regulation
        • Fatalistic: High regulation

    Herbert Spencer

    • Society's purpose: Survive and reproduce itself similarly to a body
    • Strain Theory (Merton):
      • People commit crimes when societal goals (e.g., wealth) do not match opportunities
      • Some resort to deviance to achieve important goals
      • Not everyone accepts cultural goals

    Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism, and Rebellion

    • Conformity: Accepting goals and means
    • Innovation: Accepting goals, rejecting means
    • Ritualism: Rejecting goals, accepting means
    • Retreatism: Rejecting both goals and means
    • Rebellion: Rejecting both goals and means and seeking new ones

    Margaret Thatcher

    • Focus on individuals and families as meaningful social units, rejecting broader societal structures

    Durkheim vs. Rousseau

    • Rousseau: Imagined humans before society as "happy savages" without interaction or language
    • Argued the primitive state was ideal
    • Durkheim: Humans cannot exist without society; society is integral to humanity

    Melvin Kohn

    • Parental social class influences children's values
    • Found that social class shapes which values are prioritized in families

    Symbolic Interactionists

    • Herbert Blumer: Humans act toward things based on meanings, meanings arise from social interaction
    • Meaning is interpreted and modified through interactions
    • George Herbert Mead: Role-Taking Theory: Preparatory stage, Role-Taking stage, Game stage, Generalized other, Agents of socialization
    • Charles Horton Cooley: Looking Glass Self: Self-concept shaped by how we believe others perceive us
    • Erving Goffman: Dramaturgical perspective: social life as a stage where individuals are actors to perform roles for situations
      • Performative according to Goffman, in which we ritualized roles to manage social interactions.

    Social Construction of Knowledge

    • Peter Berger & Thomas Luckmann: Knowledge is not discovered but created through social interactions
    • "Real" is shaped by society's norms, interactions, and institutions, not objective truths
      • Processes: - Categorization - Internalization/Objectivation

    Learning Theory (Sutherland)

    • Crime is learned through interaction with criminals

    Control Theory (Hirschi)

    • Weak social bonds lead to crime

    Labeling Theory (Becker)

    • Labeling as deviant can reinforce criminal behavior
      • Primary deviance: Early, random acts
      • Secondary deviance: More serious and frequent acts, defining one's identity around deviance

    Notable Early Female Sociologists

    • Harriet Martineau, Jane Addams

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    Description

    Explore foundational concepts in sociology, including the contributions of key figures like Auguste Comte, C. Wright Mills, and Peter Berger. Understand how societal changes influence individual lives and the importance of the sociological imagination in connecting personal and public issues.

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