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52 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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sociology
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scientific study of society and social action
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sociological theory
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a set of interrelated statements and hypothesis that systemizes knowledge about sociological phenomena and provides a guide for empirical research on sociological phenomena
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society
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individuals living together w/ common bond (country, region, religion, class, etc)
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social action
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any action that is imbued w/ human meaning
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theory
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* set of interrelated statements and hypotheses that systematize existing knowledge about particular phenomena & provides a guide for empirical research
* provides understanding and clarification * guide for our own actions * guide for empirical research |
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four features that contributed to sociological theory
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1. rise of individualism
* * life no longer patterned by kings and priests * emphasis on science and critical thinking 2. rise of modern states * * popular sovereignty * end of aristocratic hierarchies 3. rise of large scale markets, capitalism, and industry * * diversification and specialization * extensive networks and development of cities * destruction of the community 4. European exploration and colonization * * intro of new cultures and peoples * justification for cultural superiority |
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Durkheim's influences
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Comte, Adam Smith, Spencer "evolution of societies"
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solidarity
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sense of fellowship, community, a shared fate
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mechanical societies
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small scale, tightly knit, clan based, self-sufficient, low division of labor
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what generates solidarity in mechanical society?
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collective consciousness
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Type of law in mechanical society and why
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repressive sanctions to maintain collective consciousness
* against the body * * public whipping * school, corporal punishment * public humiliation * * tar and feather, stocks, branding * banishment and execution |
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organic society
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diversity of peoples, beliefs, anonymity, extensive networks, interdependency
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what holds together organic society?
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division of labor
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what type of law in organic society?
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* restitutive law
* turns back the clock |
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anomie, where it comes from, the consequences
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anomie- a state of instability that results from a mismatch in individual and societal norms and values, and it results from a feeling or purposelessness-- individuals no longer feel connected to the community
It comes from rapid change, technology advances and outdated skills. Consequences of anomie include a breakdown of collective consciousness (moral confusion), existential crisis and anomie suicide. |
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Function of religion? What does it do for society and its inhabitants?
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Provides collective representations of what is sacred/profane in society
* provided society with not only science but also the way thoughts are arranged. The very categories of time, space, class, number, cause, substance, personality, etc. * Durkheim calls these categories "the solid frame which encloses all thought" pg 246 para 5 * these categories are found in what Durkheim calls primitive religions pg 247 para 1 * a mirror that shows how society really is (good over evil) pg 250 paragraph 2 * "assimilates the ideals elaborated by society..." pg 252 para 2 |
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what is alienation?
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marx believed humans are naturally creative beings but Capitalist society coerced people into doing things they wouldn't normally do.
This distortion of human nature caused by the domination of the worker by the capitalist system is what marx called alienation |
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4 types of alienation
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1. from the labor process
* * worker doesn't own his/her labor. They must sell it to the capitalist * "shunned like the plague" (149) 2. from the product of labor * * worker doesn't work on entire process, but specializes & has no input on the totality of the product 3. from species-being * * marx believed humans are naturally creative beings (homo fabor) * dehumanized by the labor process 4. from other workers * * at work individuals are encountered as other workers in the process & solidarity is discouraged * workers pitted against each other in labor pool |
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history of conflict
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* the manifesto wasn't the founding of communism
* history of society is the history of class struggle * in every time we find antagonistic relations between classes * presently it is the proletariat and the bourgeoisie |
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how capitalist systems take advantage of workers
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* surplus value goes to the owners not the workers
* workers aren't compensated for the full value of the item they produce |
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why did marx think overthrow would happen?
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the working class will develop a class consciousness, organize, and overthrow the capitalist system
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why didn't the overthrow happen?
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1. disorganization - decreased unionization
2. contentment 3. working class in the industrialized world benefits from the spread of capitalism - Lenin *imperialism was the most advanced stage of a capitalist economy 4. immediate over long term interests 5. false consciousness *inability of working class to recognize and understand their oppression & exploitation due to deliberate misinformation |
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who dominates the state?
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the state works on behalf on the bourgeoisie
* inequality in crime punishment * state policy decisions |
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flaws in marx's theory?
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* focused to much on class conflict and didn't account for other types of conflict
* often these other types of conflict (state for example) pit worker against worker or owners vs owners |
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problems w/ rationalization
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1. loss of human agency and meaning
* robs societies of democratic decision making * rules dictate the behavior individuals must adhere to 2. loss of emotionally guided behavior * decisions are rendered on an impersonal basis 3. loss of enchantment with the world |
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Weber's work was a dialogue with who?
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* Karl Marx
* Marx's historical materialism held that all human institutions – including religion – were based on economic foundations, The Protestant Ethic turns this theory on its head by implying that a religious movement fostered capitalism, not the other way around. * economic conditions set in motion by the feudal system * modern capitalism begins with vast accumulation of capital through discovery of americas and trade with asia |
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what is the protestant ethic and where did it come from?
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The reformation affected how work was viewed. Jobs outside of priesthood were now a sacred calling
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spirit of capitalism and where it comes from?
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the ideas and esprit that favour the rational pursuit of economic gain: "We shall nevertheless provisionally use the expression 'spirit of capitalism' for that attitude which, in the pursuit of a calling [berufsmäßig], strives systematically for profit for its own sake in the manner exemplified by Benjamin Franklin."
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difference between protestants and catholics
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catholics are assured God's grace by the priests. They go to church, say the right prayers, give the right amount of offerings they were fine. Protestants, in particular Calvinists, believed in predetermination. This meant that God preordained who went to heaven and who didn't. Any doubt would suggest a person was in the "out" group. Success became a sign of being chosen. Thus Calvinists worked very hard to achieve it.
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what the steel-hard casing and rationalization are
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the increased rationalization inherent in social life, particularly in Western capitalist societies. The "iron cage" thus traps individuals in systems based purely on routine and governed by efficiency, calculations and predictability
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four forms of social action
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1. instrumentally rational action
* * cost effective calculation that considers both the means and the ends 2. value rational action * * binding values, duties, and codes of honor (morality) * ultimately concerned with the ends of actions 3. traditional action * * determined by ingrained habit 4. affectual * * determined by the actor's specific affects and feeling states |
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purpose of sociology
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interpretive understanding of social action with a causal explanation of its course and consequences
* his overarching concern was the consequences of modernity |
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* what is domination?
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"probability that specific commands ...will be obeyed..." (320)
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charismatic authority
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* not linked w/ tradition
* not linked w/ rule of law * problems? * * not all leaders are good * charismatic authority is difficult to transfer |
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traditional authority
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Traditional authority rests on an established belief in the sanctity of traditions and the legitimacy of those exercising authority under them
* tradition * knowledge handed down and delivered by specific persons * problems? * * not all traditions support beneficent ideas * resistant to scientific advances and general society progress |
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rational-legal authority
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* rests on belief of enacted rules and the right of those in authority under such rules to issue commands" (321)
* embodiment of rational authority |
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whats the embodiment of rational-legal authority?
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Bureaucracy
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features of bureaucracy
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* official extensive hierarchy
* specialization of tasks * general rules for all |
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problems with bureaucracy
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* because of the hierarchal nature of bureaucracies, decisions tend to be made by only a few people at the top. Because of the proliferation of bureaucracies this can leave great power in the hands of very few people that were not elected by those they "rule".
* no flexibility in individual cases * * scene in Brazil where she doesn't have the paper work |
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* William James understanding of the self
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a man’s self is the the sum total of all the he can call his, he wants to capture all dimensions of the self
* self is divided into * * the material self * * body * clothes * home and property * work * the social self * * recognition he/she gets from peers * spiritual self * * "man's inner or subjective being, his psychic faculties or dispositions...moral sensibility or conscious" |
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* mead's understanding of the self
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* doesn't develop in a vaccuum
* * develops through social interaction * develops through experience * * we create narratives about our selfs that have resulted from experience * we reflect on ourselves |
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* 2 stages of development in children
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play stage- within the play stage, children take on the role of other individuals, that is, they “play” other individuals
game stage- the child who plays the game must be ready to take the attitude of everyone else involved. The game represents the passage in the life of the child from taking the role of others in play to the organized part that is essential to the self consciousness in the full sense of term. |
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purposes of sociological theory
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* understanding and clarification
* guide for empirical research * providing hypothesis and predictions * guide for your own actions |
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what religion is and what unique features they involve
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Unified system of beliefs and practices relating to sacred things; uniting into one moral community
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the generalized other
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-Generalized other- organized community/social group which gives to the individual his unity of self. The attitude of the generalized other is the attitude of the whole community
-The individual defines behavior with reference to the general attitude of the group(s) they occupy. |
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The "I" and the "me"
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The “I” is the response of the organism to the attitude of others and the “me” is the organized set of attitudes of others which one himself assumes.
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Goffman's view on social life and human behavior
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we give performances that correspond w/ social settings and social roles
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reactions to our performances
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our belief lies in-between sincerity and cynicism and we perform regardless of how we feel
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-general features of the performance
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- front: refers to part of individuals performance which functions in general and fixed fashion to define a situation for those observing a performance
- setting: includes layout and background items that supply scenery, tends to be geographically stationary - personal front: other expressive equipment, items we tend to identify with performers (clothes, race, body language, speech patterns) - appearance: tells performers social status and temporary ritual state - manner: warns of interaction |
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dramatic realization of performance and the problems with it
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* some roles, including some professions, don't possess dramatic qualities
* individuals will sometimes become focused on the dramatization of the role instead of the content |
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idealization
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* there is often a difference between the performance and the behavior as a whole
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when misrepresentations are socially permissible
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- if one is portraying oneself as possessing a lower social status (55-56)
- if one has “but one fatal flaw” and wishes to conceal it (56) - if one aims to further the “just claims of a collectivity” (56) |
