MCAT: Sociology

a systematic study of human society, culture and relationships on a group level

major structures made up of groups or ideas that influence people's daily lives, views of the work, or integration into society
ex: religion, schools, political groups, and families

theological, metaphysical, and scientific

people viewed the world and events in that world as a direct expression of the will of various gods

people viewed the world as natural reflections of human tendencies
problems caused by problems with humanity

people view the world and events as explained by scientific principles

belief that societies have own scientific principles and laws

structural-functional theory
Social conflict
Feminism
Symbolic Interactionism

views society as a complex but interconnected system, where each part works together as a functional whole

a system of groups that are not equal and therefore consistently generate conflict and change
motivates people to change over time

traditionally unequal between men and women and strives for equality between sexes

views society as a framework of people living in a world full of meaningful objects
Through interactions, people make symbols to understand one another
symbols used to communicate

first group is introduced to is most influential in life
provide emotional support, love, compassion and security

seeks to employ society by looking at everyday forms of interaction between individuals

our self-image comes from our own self-reflection and from what others think of us

1. we imagine how we present ourselves to others
2. imagine how other evaluate us
3. we develop feelings about us based on our perceptions of other people's feelings about us

a subjective awareness of common vested interests and the need for collective political action to bring about social change

an attitude held by a member of a glass that does not accurately reflect their objective position

economic system that focuses on the whole betterment rather than the advancement of the individual
extreme version= communism

non-personal view of organizations that follows a formal structure where rules, formal legitimate authority and competence are characteristics of appropriate management practices

researched rate of suicide and found that causes were linked to social factors
became able tor predict if a place would have high or low rates of suicide

norms, values, and structures of a society

society is a system of interrelated parts where no one part can function without the other

shift in societies from a simple society to on that is more complex

individuals within structural units are a like

when a large population is stratified into smaller structural units

a condition or state in which there is a breakdown of social norms and guidance
caused by division of labor and rapid social change

an awareness of the relationship between individual and wider society

recognized and intended

unrecognized and unintended funcitions

elements of society that may actually disrupt the social system

study of social interaction in terms of theatrical performance
presentation of self
frontstage
backstage

studies the rules the govern behavior in society through a scientific len

looks at the way society is shaped by interpretation of the world

focuses on studying society in order to change it for the better

just one time, in a single session at one point in time

studies people over multiple sessions or over an extended period of time

use of a single person in a research study

observe participants in their natural environments
researchers have no control over environment

giving a group of people a survey with lots of questions

like a true experiment except that groups were not created by the experimenter- they occur naturally

language, norms, beliefs, and more that form a people's way of life
a shared way of life

all physical things that people created and attach meaning to in a culture
ex: clothes, tools, architecture, etc

creations and abstract ideas that are not embodied in physical objects in a culture
ex: religion, beliefs, ethics, roles, etc.

anything that is used to stand for something else

a system of words and symbols used to communicate with each other

culturally defined standards for what is good or desirable

culturally defined expectations of behavior (societal guidelines)

norms that dictate appropriate behavior for routine or casual interaction

norms that dictate morally right or wrong behavior
ex: cannibalism

view that cultural differences should be respected and celebrated
promotes diversity

type of subculture which strongly opposes one or more elements of the dominant culture

perception of culture that includes values and norms a culture claims to have

values and norms actually followed by a culture

tendency to assume that ones own culture is good, while that of another is strange or immoral

the practice of understanding and judging a culture from the view point of that culture instead of ones own

a theory that views society as a complex interconnected system

culture is not only socially constructed but also affected by human biology

a lifelong process during which we learn about social expectations and how to interact with other people
Agents: family, school, peers, mass media

a complete lack of contact with the social world

reveals interesting patterns of the way we act and react in response to others

a social position one holds in a group, organization or society

a status one earns or chooses to take on
reflects choice and efforts

a status that one is either born with or takes on involuntarily
sex, race, socioeconomic status

a status that has the most impact on ones social identity
job, education, name, etc

defines a set of behaviors that are expected of someone who holds a status

a status has more than one role associated with it

when a role demands from different statuses conflict with each other and causes stress

when the role demands from a single status cause conflict or becomes stressful

an individual leaves an important social status and stops playing its attached role

a leader that achieves goals

a leader that maintains cohesion with in a group

make all of the major group decisions and demand compliance from the group members
easily abused

encourage group discussion and believe in decision making through consensus

letting groups make own decision
least effective leadership
effective if armed with skilled and motivated workers

a type of social influence that results in a change of behavior or belief in order to fit in with a group
- Asche line experiment

conformity that occurs because of the desire to be liked and accepted

conformity that occurs because of the desire to be correct

response to authority
following orders from an authority figure without question
- Stanley Milgrim shock experiment

occurs when a group makes faulty or ineffective decisions for the sake of reaching consensus
- ex: Columbia Space shuttle launch

tendency for people to exert less effort to achieve a goal when they are in a group
-ex: voting in US

tendency for people to avoid feeling like a sucker by waiting to see how much effort others put in first

reducing efforts because they feel it won't matter in the end

the tendency of the presence of others to affect how we perform a task
-increased performance in a simple task
-decreased performance in a complex task

most basic fundamental type of social group
only two people

a social group that consists of 3 people
more stable than a dyad

any group that one belongs to or identifies with

any group that one does not belong to or identify with

tendency to favor ones own in group

tendency to feel threatened by or hostile against the out group

a type of group that is deliberately constructed and whose members are organized to achieve a specific goal
1. deliberate division of labor
2. written set of rules
3. a system for replacing members

maintains control through force
ex: prisons, military

maintains control through bartering
ex: universities

maintains control through shared moral commitment
- churches, political parties, fraternities

process of replacing tradition and emotional thought with reason and practicality

process by which principles of fast food restaurants have come to dominate virtually every aspect of society
- predictability, calcuability, efficiency, control