Soc 310 Test 1

Front 1

Sociology

Back 1

the scientific study of social behavior and human groups

applies science and critical thinking to understand social life instead of simply personal experiences or opinions

Front 2

The Sociological Imagination

Back 2

allows us to move beyond our limited individual experience and recognize that most aspects of our private lives are connect to broader social realities

Front 3

Humanism

Back 3

places human interests and ideals above supernatural or mystical interests

allows you to ask questions without religion

Front 4

Positivism

Back 4

way of thinking about the world that emphasizes the importance of gathering information through the senses and interpreting that information through logic and human reason (way of comparing 2 things)

Front 5

1. family
2. education
3. peers
4. media

Back 5

Primary Agents of Socialization

Front 6

Group

Back 6

a way of categorizing individuals based upon similarities and differences

Front 7

Race

Back 7

a category in which a large number of people sharing visible biological characteristics regard themselves or are regarded by others as a single group

Front 8

Ethnicity

Back 8

shared cultural traits and/or national origin

Front 9

Racism

Back 9

a false linkage between biology and socio-cultural behavior to assert the superiority of one race

Front 10

Nativist

Back 10

one who advocates a policy of protecting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants

Front 11

The Stranger

Back 11

the human tendency to be weary of or curious about perceived outsiders

Front 12

Similarity-Attraction Relationship

Back 12

the more we think a group is similar to our group, the more comfortable we feel around that group

Front 13

Catagoric Knowing

Back 13

people ignore individual characteristics and instead focus on those characteristics that easily lets them fit people into pre-conceived categories

the individual simply disappears into the groups o that you do not see an individual, but rather a category of people

Front 14

In-group/Out-group Dichotomy

Back 14

illustrates people's tendency to favor in-groups, and to exclude or be biased toward out-groups

we almost always associate ourselves with one group and contrast ourselves with another

an important basis for forming a social identity, and demonstrates how hard it will be to eliminate such things as prejudice and stereotyping

Front 15

Ethnocentrism

Back 15

the view that one's own culture is the center of everything and all others are scaled and rated with reference to it

Front 16

Cultural Relativism

Back 16

a practice in which we evaluate beliefs and behaviors in the context of a specific culture

requires abandoning the notion that your culture is better of more "normal" than another

is used so that we can free ourselves from our own cultural prejudices and view the world--even if only momentarily--through the eyes of a foreign culture

Front 17

Dominant Group

Back 17

a group that possesses some form of power be it political, cultural, economic, or social, relative to some other group

Front 18

Minority Group

Back 18

a group that lacks some form of power, be it political, cultural, economic, or social, relative to some other group

Front 19

1. Must receive unequal treatment as a group.

2. Can be identified by physical or cultural traits that are held in low esteem by society.

3. Feel a sense of group solidarity in common with other members.

4. Negative characteristics associated with the group are an "ascribed status"

5. Group members generally practice "endogamy"

Back 19

Characteristics of Minority Groups

Front 20

Theory

Back 20

a set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior

Front 21

Culture

Back 21

material objects as well as non-material attitudes, beliefs, customs, lifestyles, and values shared by members of a society and transmitted to the next generation

Front 22

Material Culture

Back 22

all physical objects created by members of a society and the meanings attached to them

Front 23

Non-Material Culture

Back 23

abstract human creations and the meanings associated with them

Front 24

Norms

Back 24

a culture's rules of conduct dictating what is and is not culturally acceptable behavior

Front 25

Values

Back 25

a culture's determination of what is good and bad and right and wrong

Front 26

Beliefs

Back 26

ideas concerning what is true and false

Front 27

Cultural Diffusion

Back 27

an on-going process where cultures exchange ideas, inventions, and practices with one another

Front 28

Hybridization

Back 28

cultural diffusion leads to hybridization

differences added together to get new culture

Front 29

Social Structure

Back 29

organized patterns of behavior in a social system governing people's interrelationships

are the settings in which culture is acted out

Front 30

Social Institutions

Back 30

established and enduring patterns of human relationships that serve long-term purposes

not all social structures are institutions, but all social institutions are social structures

Front 31

1. family
2. organized religion
3. political system
4. economy
5. educational system

Back 31

The Primary Social Institutions

Front 32

Social Stratification

Back 32

process in which individuals and groups are ranked in society according to the power (ability to influence or control others), prestige (one's status), or valued resources (income, property, and borrowing capacity) they possess

Front 33

Social Class

Back 33

related to their (and their families) income, occupation, education, and status

Front 34

Structural Differentiation

Back 34

the larger the class distinctions between the dominant group and the minority group, the more likely it is that conflict will occur

Front 35

Cultural Differentiation

Back 35

the larger the cultural differences that exist between the dominant group and the minority group, the more likely it is that conflict will occur

Front 36

Prejudice

Back 36

negative beliefs and feelings against a certain group or groups of people

Front 37

1. Cognitive Level: focuses on the individual's belief system, or what they think is true and false

2. Emotional Level: focuses on how an individual feels about they particular group (feelings of fear, rage, or other strong negative emotions)

3. Action Level: refers to one's disposition toward discriminatory behavior

Back 37

Levels of Prejudice

Front 38

Self-justification

Back 38

a psychological defense mechanism used to excuse the maltreatment of individuals

Front 39

Authoritarian Personality

Back 39

children may acquire authoritarian personalities at the hands of overly stern parental discipline

Front 40

Displaced Aggression

Back 40

children might project displaced aggression onto powerless social groups due to internalized fears and hostilities toward their parents

Front 41

Frustration

Back 41

Leads to prejudice through the act of scapegoating

Front 42

1. Levels of Prejudice
2. Self-justification
3. Authoritarian Personality
4. Frustration

focus on the attitudes and personalities of individuals

Back 42

Psychology of Prejudice

Front 43

Scapegoating

Back 43

One who is made an object of blame

Front 44

Sociology of Prejudice

Back 44

1. Competition
2. Social Norms
3. Stereotypes
4. Ethno-racial Slurs
5. Socialization

Focus on group interaction

Front 45

Discrimination

Back 45

the differential and unequal treatment of certain groups or types of people

Front 46

Institutional Discrimination

Back 46

occurs as the result of the equal treatment of groups in the ongoing operations of society's institutions

Example: Educational System in the US (cut off for SAT scores bc educational experiences have been sub-par

Front 47

Social Discrimination

Back 47

the exclusion of out-group members from close relationships with in-group members

Front 48

1. Verbal discrimination
2. Avoidance
3. Exclusion
4. Physical Abuse
5. Extermination

Back 48

Five Levels of Discrimination

Front 49

1. Xenophobia: fear or contempt for foreigners.
2. Immigration legislation
3. Segregation
4. Exploitation: the selfish use of another's labor for personal profit
5. Expulsion: removal of a group that is seen as a problem, or are seen as "in the way"
6. Annihilation

Back 49

6 Dominant-group Responses to Minority-groups

Front 50

1. Identity Development: groups labeled with minority status typically develop a sense of group solidarity
2. Avoidance
3. Deviance
4. Defiance
5. Acceptance

Back 50

5 Minority-group Responses to Dominant-groups

Front 51

1. Vicious-Circle Phenomenon
2. Negative Self Image
3. Marginality
4. Middlemen Minorities: occupy a trade or commerce position between the dominant-group and another minority-group

Back 51

4 Consequences of Minority-group Status

Front 52

1. Majority-Conformity Theory: associated with the idea that minorities should assimilate to dominant Anglo-American culture

2. Melting-Pot Theory: associated with the idea that American cultures is a mixture of all cultures and minority groups should add their ingredients to this stew

3. Pluralistic Theory: associated with the idea that each unique culture should live in harmony with other cultures in the same society while also maintaining cultural distinctions

Back 52

3 Theories of Minority-group Integration