Untitled Quiz

Sociological Perspectives on Society

• Functionalism: Views society as a system where parts interact to ensure stability and solidarity.

• Conflict Theory: Focuses on competition for limited resources (e.g., wealth, power) among different groups (e.g., classes, races, genders). Conflict can arise from these struggles.

• Feminist Theory: Emphasizes gender inequality and its intersection with other social categories (e.g., race, class). It advocates for women's perspectives and aims to dismantle patriarchal structures.

• Symbolic Interactionism: Highlights how shared meanings and daily interactions shape society. Individuals interpret social realities through symbols like language and gestures. This perspective emphasizes individual agency.

Family Structures

• Nuclear Family: Parents and one or more children.

• Single-Parent Family: One parent and one or more children.

• Extended Family: A nuclear or single-parent family residing with other relatives.

• Same-Sex Family: Two people of the same sex with or without children.

• Blended Family: One or both parents have had a previous marriage and children from that marriage.

Social Clocks

• Chronological Clock: Measures time based on age, defining adulthood by years since birth (e.g., voting age, legal rights, etc). It ticks at a constant pace.

• Biological Clock: Tracks physical changes throughout life (e.g., sexual maturity, physical development). This clock has sped up due to better health and nutrition (e.g., earlier sexual maturity).

Historical Development of Adolescence

• Pre-Industrialization (Pre-1850): Children were considered infants until they worked. Class background dictated employment opportunities and family involvement.

• Industrialization (Late 19th Century): Family life shifted from farms to cities as factories emerged. Family involvement became less solely focused on work, and children sometimes worked with fathers.

• 20th Century: Labour laws restricted child labor, schooling became more crucial, and teenagers emerged as a distinct demographic.

Mate Selection

• Arranged Marriages: Couples are selected by family members, with a potential for expressed agreement or refusal.

• Courtship: A tradition evolving from British customs. Initially, women extended invitations to men to call on them for visits. This provided a period for families to assess and potentially negotiate. Evolving into dating customs, in the 1920s and '30s dating involved the man paying for dates and showcasing resources.

• Dating (1950s-1960s): Dating became more recreational, not solely focused on marriage.

• Mate Selection Theories: People are drawn to those from similar backgrounds, considering factors like age, race, socioeconomic status, political views, religion, appearance, and proximity. Similarity enables efficient resource management and reduced conflict.

• Ideal Mate Theory: Attraction stems from an individual's subconscious image of an ideal partner based on physical characteristics, social status, and perceived resources.

Developmental Perspective on Mate Selection

• Individuals must understand their own resources, needs, and wants in a relationship. Forming a relationship before establishing identity can define this identity.

Evolutionary Psychology and Mate Selection

• Men seek women with characteristics conducive to healthy offspring, bearing, feeding, and raising. Women prefer men who will be good providers and fathers.

Social Exchange Theory

• Individuals seek a partner who balances their resources and deficits. This theory helps in explaining marriages involving wealth and age differences.

Family Functions

• Families play essential roles in reproduction, caregiving, socialization, behavioral control, nurturing, and economic exchange.

Reasons for Divorce

• Communication issues, infidelity, financial problems, incompatibility, substance abuse, domestic violence, lack of intimacy, parenting disputes, mental health concerns, and cultural/religious differences commonly lead to divorce.

Infidelity Types

• Emotional Infidelity: Emotional connection or bond with someone outside the relationship, often without physical intimacy.
• Physical Infidelity: Physical encounters or ongoing sexual relationships with others.
• Online/Cyber Infidelity: Engagement in flirting, sexting, or virtual relationships with individuals outside the relationship.

Young Adult Issues

• Women typically live longer than men, affecting caregiving dynamics.
• Mental health concerns are prominent.
• Suicide rates in Canada have risen since 1970, linked to hopelessness and lack of control (men are four times more likely).

Access to Education and Emerging Adulthood

• Students from lower-income families often bear more debt due to increasing tuition costs.
• Young adults often face issues like leaving home, forming new relationships, completing education, and securing employment.

Functionalist View of Marriage

• Marriage is a foundational social institution that supports societal needs and organization by providing for human needs.

Historical Perspective on Marriage

• Marriage has a historical link to family organization. This meant families were primarily economic units rather than solely focused on familial love.