The Sociological Imagination, Chapter 1

Front 1

Sociology

Back 1

The systematic study of the relationship between the individual and society and of the consequences of difference.

Front 2

Social Inequality

Back 2

Condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power.

Front 3

What is sociology?

Back 3

Sociology teaches us to explain broader societal characteristics and trends.

Our individualism is made possible by our interdependence.

Front 4

Interdependence

Back 4

We do not have to rely on our own knowledge and skill alone for survival.

Front 5

The Social Imagination

Back 5

An awareness of the relationship between who we are as individuals and social forces that we share our lives.

Hint 5

Sociological Eye >> Sociological Imagination

Private Trouble vs Public Issue

Example: Unemployment

Front 6

Social Order, why do we have it?

Back 6

Personal interest
personal safety

Front 7

Anomie

Back 7

The loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective.

Front 8

How is social order possible?

Back 8

Macro-level: focus on social institutions and how society influences the individual.

Micro-level: focus is on interactions between individuals.

Front 9

Functionalist Perspective

Back 9

A sociological approach that emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability.

Hint 9

Level of Analysis: Macro

Relationship between the parts of society; How aspects of society are functional(adaptive)

Front 10

Conflict Perspective

Back 10

A sociological approach that assumes social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between groups over power or the allocation of resources, including housing, money, access to services, and political representation.

Hint 10

Front 11

Interactionist Perspective

Back 11

A sociological approach that generalized about everyday forks of social interaction in order to explain society as a whole.