Sociology Test

social problems were behaviors that did not conform to social norms

social disorganization

• Social disorganization theory Concentric zone model  
• Zone 1: Central business district  
• Zone 2: Zone in transition (recent immigrants) “Inner city”
• Zone 3: Town houseso  
• Zone 4: Suburbs  
• Zone 5: People who work in zone 1

• gap between goals and means (Anomie)
• culturally mandate goals -> American Dream
• Culturally mandate means -> hard work and education

• Retreatists -> reject goals and means   Ritualists -> doesn’t seek goals  
• Rebel -> keeps goals rejects means (commits crimes)

Self-fulfilling prophecy

• 1. Scientists do not agree on the definition of social problems
• 2.It is not value free
• 3.Those with power set the problems and how we define them

• 1. There are conditions that induce suffering in some segments of the population
• 2.Socio-cultural factors prevent people from developing to their full potential
• 3.Discrepancies between the ideals of US life and the conditions in which some people live
• 4.Some actions are deemed damaging in any context

the ability to seethe impact of social forces on individuals, especially on their private lives.

A social conditionthat is perceived to be harmful to more than just a few people.

every part of societyperforms a certain function for the society as a whole.

the failure of somepart of society to perform their function and the resulting disruptions

a function that is intended and widely recognized

a function that is unintended and unrecognized

sees society as always changing and always marked by conflict

struggle between those who own the means to produce and the laborers

Laborer

people who own the means to produce

views society asbeing made of countless social interactions

researcher observes as an outsider

researcher takes part in the activities of the group being studied

an analysis of people’s lives from their own perspective

the lack of minimal food and shelter necessary for maintaining life

a state of deprivationresulting from an individual having less than the majority of the people intheir society

attributes economic inequality to the positive functions it performs for society

blames inequality on the exploitation of the powerless by the powerful

focuses on how inequality influences the interaction between the powerful and the powerless that reinforces the gulf between rich and poor.

government’s attempt to reduce economic inequality by taxing the rich more than the poor

• a group of people who are perceived by a given society to be biologically different from otherso  
• Socially constructed

a collection of people who share a distinctive cultural heritage

• a racial or ethnicgroup that is victimized by prejudice and discrimination
• (lacks power privilegeand prestige)
• (not based on #)

a negative attitude toward a certain category of people

Money + control of institutions

an unfavorable action against individuals that is taken because they are a member of a certain category

based on own prejudices towards others

based on the prejudices of others

the discrepancy between the ideal of equality and the reality of inequality in the US

the prejudice belief that keeps minority professionals from holding leadership positions

the belief that one’s own race or ethnicity is superior to that of others

• 3 types
• 1. Extermination (genoside)
• 2. Expulsion
• 3. Segregation

sanctioned by law (Jim Crow laws)

results from tradition or custom

the persistence of discrimination in social institutions that is not necessarily recognized as discrimination byeveryone

a policy that requires colleges and employers to make special efforts to recruit qualifiedminorities and women for jobs, promotions, and educational opportunities

• violence motivated by prejudice or bias  
• 1. Thrill (most common)
• 2. Defensive (“you don’t belong”)
• 3. Mission (devote life to bigotry)

when you view all other cultures as negative or weird and judge them against yours

view other cultures from the lense of our without judgment

the racial separation in housing, jobs, and political opportunities

• 3 kinds of social practices can eliminate racial and ethnic inequality
• 1.Assimilation -> process by which a minority adopt the culture of the larger society
• 2. Amalgamation -> process by which various groups blend subcultures to form a new culture
• 3.Cultural pluralism -> coexistence among various groups allowing each to retain its own subculture

• larger social forces cause inequality
• 1. Sociological -> children mimic the prejudices of the adults that surround them
• 2. Economic -> widespread prejudices and discrimination against minorities ensure job security for dominant group
• 3. Political -> preventing minorities from voting

if members of dominant group perceive minorities negatively the interaction between them is tense and superficial

an oversimplified inaccurate mental picture of others

biological, determined by genitallia

• Socially constructed, all of the things expected of your sex
• Gender is a cultural universal, what is not universal is the expectations (socially constructed)
• Economic change -> change in family unit = change in gender roles

• the process of learning your culture
• To change anything we have to change the way we socialize

male dominance or male rule

women work a shift outside the home and then another when they get home

the difference in the amount of rewards that males and females are socially expected to get

• the pattern of attitude and behavior that society expects of its member as males and females
• Female gender roles = negative
• Male gender roles = positive
• Women inferior to men

prejudice and discrimination based on one’s sex

an unwelcome act of sexual nature

“You can keep your job if …”

• it is functional for society to assign different tasks to men and women
• Instrumental role (men) -> a role that requires performance of a task
• Expressive role (women) -> a role that requires taking care of a personal relationship
• These two complete each other

gender inequalities arose from exploitation of women by men

Interaction between men and women often sustains or reinforces gender inequality

• the belief that women and men should be equal in various aspects of their lives
• 1st wave -> 19th century -> suffrage
• 2nd wave -> mid – 1960’s -> gender equality
• 3rd wave -> 1990’s -> more inclusive (focused on bigger issues)

• need 1 of 3 things
• 1.Threat or use of force
• 2. Cohersed or forced sexuality
• 3. Emotional abuse
• If any form of abuse is present emotional abuse is also present
• All forms of abuse are about control

• 1. Childhood -> learning everything about living in society
• 2.Adolescence -> uniquely western life stage (awkward)
• 3. Early Adulthood -> Independent financially
• 4. Middle Adulthood -> acceptance or satisfaction with life
• 5.Late Adulthood -> a time of major reflection and change
• 6. Old Age -> focus = dying

prejudice and discrimination against old people

the natural physical process of aging

wisdom and insight into the human condition (language, philosophy, music, painting)

ability to grasp abstract relationships (math, physics, sciences)

not socialized for death

Small workforce and low wages

the system of determining whether a person is qualified for help from the  government which effectively refuses social security benefits to the wealthy

(disengagement theory) age inequality leads to being socially disadvantaged and devalued whichleads to disengagement

(minority theory) older people in society treated as oppressed minority

(activity theory)high frequency interaction among the elderly is age related, creates aseparation and thus inequality between older and younger groups