Questions and Answers
Match the following terms with their definitions:
Role Strain = A condition when the demands of a particular role are hard to meet Role Conflict = A condition when the demands of a person's roles clash Status Inconsistency = Occurs when an individual's ascribed and achieved statuses are inconsistent
What is the difference between achieved and ascribed status?
Achieved status is earned through effort, while ascribed status is given regardless of effort.
What are the role expectations of the different occupational positions at Wal-Mart?
The role expectations include specific job duties for each position and how they relate to other roles.
What type of management style exists at Wal-Mart according to Rosen?
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What does social stratification mean?
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What are the three main systems of social stratification provided by McIntyre?
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What are some examples of legitimating rationales for class and caste systems?
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Explain how Karl Marx uses means of production, bourgeoisie, and proletariat to explain inequality.
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How is Max Weber's conception of class multidimensional?
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What is the difference between lifestyle and life chances?
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What is the difference between intragenerational mobility and intergenerational mobility?
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What is the difference between income and wealth inequality?
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What is the difference between a cultural explanation and a structural explanation of poverty?
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What is the 'Fallacy of Hard Work'?
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What is structural mobility?
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What is the difference between endogamy and exogamy?
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What is the difference between discrimination and prejudice?
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What is the difference between individual and institutional discrimination?
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What is racism?
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How is racism a system of unearned privileges for dominant racial groups?
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What is white supremacy?
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Study Notes
Role Concepts
- Role Strain: Difficulty in fulfilling multiple demands of a specific role.
- Role Conflict: Occurs when demands from different roles clash, causing tension.
- Status Inconsistency: When an individual's ascribed (inborn) status conflicts with their achieved (earned) status, leading to societal disapproval.
Status Definitions
- Achieved Status: Status earned through personal efforts and accomplishments.
- Ascribed Status: Status assigned at birth or involuntarily acquired, irrespective of efforts.
Occupational Role Expectation
- In a corporate setting like Wal-Mart, role expectations encompass specific job duties and also responsibilities related to other employees’ positions.
Management Style at Wal-Mart
- Characterized by intimidation tactics and increased work pressure on retail staff, driven by a profit-oriented culture.
Social Stratification
- Social stratification refers to the hierarchical organization of individuals in society, ranked based on various criteria.
Systems of Social Stratification
- Caste System: Ranking established by birth, with no social mobility.
- Estate System: Social rank also determined at birth, allowing some interaction between ranks.
- Class System: Rank based on achievements, permitting mobility and the possibility of improvement.
Legitimating Rationales
- Caste Example: India exemplifies rigid caste structures.
- Class Example: Industrialized nations like the USA allow mobility, especially post-industrialization.
Marx’s Explanation of Inequality
- Means of Production: Essential resources required for survival.
- Bourgeoisie: Capitalist class owning the means of production.
- Proletariat: Working class selling labor for survival, creating a dynamic of economic inequality.
Weber’s Multidimensional Class Theory
- Max Weber expanded the concept of class to include power and status, contrasting with Marx's singular economic focus.
Lifestyle vs. Life Chances
- Lifestyle: Represents consumption patterns and cultural norms associated with different social classes.
- Life Chances: Refers to the opportunities individuals have to improve their quality of life, influenced by socioeconomic status.
Intragenerational vs. Intergenerational Mobility
- Intragenerational Mobility: Social mobility occurring within an individual’s lifetime.
- Intergenerational Mobility: Social status changes observed across generations.
Income vs. Wealth Inequality
- Income: Earnings received from work and investments.
- Wealth: Total value of assets owned minus liabilities.
- Wealth inequality significantly influences life chances, as it enables opportunities for education, healthcare, and upward mobility.
Cultural vs. Structural Explanations of Poverty
- Cultural Explanation: Attributes poverty to the values and beliefs of different social classes, suggesting lower classes inherit incompatible norms.
- Structural Explanation: Points to systemic barriers and lack of opportunities as the primary reasons for poverty.
Fallacy of Hard Work
- Assumes success is solely based on hard work, ignoring structural barriers and inequalities present in society.
Structural Mobility
- Resulting from societal changes such as shifts in the job market and demographic factors, this concept challenges the belief that hard work alone guarantees social advancement.
Endogamy vs. Exogamy
- Endogamy: Marrying within a community.
- Exogamy: Marrying outside of one’s community.
- Open social systems promote exogamy, while closed systems tend to favor endogamy.
Discrimination vs. Prejudice
- Discrimination: Unfair treatment of individuals based on group membership.
- Prejudice: A preconceived negative attitude towards a group based on stereotypes.
Individual vs. Institutional Discrimination
- Individual Discrimination: Acts of discrimination from one person to another.
- Institutional Discrimination: Systematic denial of rights and opportunities to certain groups as part of societal norms.
Understanding Racism
- Defined as prejudice and discrimination based on race, rooted in beliefs of racial superiority.
Racism and Unearned Privileges
- Functions as a system granting advantages to dominant racial groups, often at the expense of marginalized groups.
White Supremacy
- A belief system that endorses the superiority of white individuals and sustains systemic racial advantages, reinforcing inequities in society.
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Description
Explore the concepts of role strain, role conflict, and status inconsistency in this informative quiz. Learn how achieved and ascribed statuses affect individuals in various settings, including the corporate world. Test your understanding of occupational roles and management styles, particularly in environments like Wal-Mart.