sociology

understanding of human behavior by placing it within a broader social context

people who share a culture and the territory

group memberships that people have because of their territory and location

• any flash of insight
• naive guesswork
• the source cannot be identified

• true and correct
• is an expert in their field
• no an expert in every field

• finds truth in what has been true over the years
• society's "attic" (filled with useless things)

• convenient catch all
• prejudice

• newest way to seek answers
• based on evidence/most reliable

• social science
• studies human relationships

mind -> individual

culture

• find & define the problem
• form a hypothesis

outline what's best to be studied

gather information

study the collected date

was the original question answered?

SOCIAL FACT! :o

• any social activity that can be measured or observed
• must be value free
• objective

• having insight to someone's situation
• subjective

• a. physiological needs - food, water, shelter, activity, elimination
• b. security - protection from danger
• c. love & belongingness - wanting acceptance and respect from others (opposite sex)
• d. self-esteem - overall respect
• e. self-actualization - individual is up to his ability

study of society

largest group of people who share a unique way of life and occupy a definite territory

slow change in society

rapid change in society

the study of human groups

collection of persons bound together

position in society

how one acts/behavior

• father of sociology
• sociology should be based on observation & classification

• believed in the survival of the fittest
• 2nd father of sociology

studied the struggle between the capitalists and the workers

social forces affect people's behavior

believed that Religion was the key factor of capitalism

analyzed social life between Great Britain and the US

founded Hull House in Chicago

found difficulty with racism in the US

developed models of harmonious societies

encouraged sociologist to work towards social reform

(micro level) defines face to face relationships or relationships to others

• (macro level) looks at society as a whole
• concerned with all inter related parts

• (macro level) recognizes that society consists of groups
• groups are going to compete for what's needed

brings society together

analyze an aspect of society

scientists who studies ancient life and culture by digging in ruins to discover pots, bones, tools, and weapons

studies groups of people to learn about their culture (norms, folkways, beliefs, etc)

language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and even material objects that are passed down from one generation to the next as a member of society

smallest element in the culture

material objects

beliefs or interactions

disorientation takes place because of different culture

use of one's old culture as a means of judging other individuals or societies

can lead to discrimination against other people whose lives are different from ours

creates in group loyalties

try to understand a culture on its own terms without passing judgement

natural reflex reaction

involved words, sounds, gestures = learned

• language creates ways of thinking and perceiving
• language is nothing more than common sense expressed in words and gestures

• facial expressions
• body language
• tone of voice

socially learned and is part of the shared meaning of the language

a response or a readiness to respond in a certain manner towards persons, situations, or ideas

good feelings

bad feelings

mixed feelings

how you see yourself

standards by which people define what's good or bad and feel what's the best and most important

• rules of social behavior
• every group has expectations that concerns itself with the right way to reflect its value

• recognition
• reward

• consequence
• fine ($$)
• dentention

• something someone can get away with
• known as "negative influence"
• an example would be Mardi Gras

normas that are strictly enforced and are presented to the core values of society (right and wrong)

• norms that are strictly enforced but dont really affect society and have no moral influence
• an example would be thank you notes after someone receives a birthday present

any norm violated and brings severe sanctions

• a cultural group that shares certain traits with a large group society, but has some different traits of its own
• mainstream ideas with tradition and custom
• within a culture

• will clash with the mainstream of society
• negative impact

different cultures in a certain territory (US)

some values that are grouped together to form a large whole

values that contradict each other

• leisure
• physical fitness
• self fulfillness
• youthfulness
• (maybe concern for the environment)

"wishlist"

• work
• school

• internet
• computers
• satellites

created the word "cultural lag"

described human behavior that lags behind technological innovations

spread of cultural characteristics from one group to another

unites the world=the world becomes similar

how we interact with people

• assumed to be raised by animals
• totally isolated form humans

• no language
• no culture

• has basic human traits = based on social interaction
• between ages of birth to 13 we learn everything

• individual's perception of himself
• being able to see ourselves from "the outside"

process of discovering the nature of the self from the reactions of others

• 1. your perception of how you look to others
• 2. your perception of their judgement of how you look
• 3. your feelings about the judgements

• putting oneself in someone else's shoes
• the individual looks at himself as if he was another individual
• he judges his actions and appearances according to the judgements of his generalized other

we are influenced by others -> significant by others -> major influence on your life

• the human being has the ability to reason
• children go through a natural process as they learn to reason

• 1. sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 yrs.): limited to direct contact with the environment
• 2. preoperational stage (2 to 7): learns the ability to use symbols
• 3. concrete operational stage (7 to 12): reasoning abilities are more concrete
• 4. formal operational stage (after 12 yrs): abstract thinking takes places

• in born basic drives
• immediate gratification
• every child is born with an id

term for a balancing force between the id and the demands of society; ROADBLOCK

• conscious -> moral piece of our personality
• deals with norms and values
• produces guilt and shame

• 1. preconventional morality (7 to 10):
• child learns to stay out of trouble
• rules are important
• 2. conventional morality (10 to 12):
• follow rules of society (value & norms)
• 3. postconventional morality (adult):
• most people dont reach this level
• individual reflects on "abstract principals" of right and wrong
• behavior is judged

• anger
• disgusted
• fear
• happiness
• sadness
• suprise

• expects different attitudes and behaviors from us because of being male or female
• society dictates our actions based on male or female

• family
• neighborhood
• day care
• school
• peers
• sports
• workplace
• religion

a new set of values, norms, lifestyle - attitude and behavior

a place where people are cut off from the rest of society

• 1. childhood (birth to 12):
• social location - based on social class and gender
• 2. adolescence (13 to 17):
• childhood towards adulthood
• 3. transitional adolescence (18 to 29):
• individual doesn't take on full adult responsibility
• 4. middle years (30 to 65):
• early middle years (30 to 49)
• more secure
• later middle years (50 to 65)
• 5. older years (65+)
• early older years (65 to 74)
• later older years (75 ..?)

items used to identify status

a situation in which the behavior that's expected or one role comes into conflict with the behavior expected of another role

conflicts that someone "feels" within a role

• maintain face to face relationships
• share feelings

distant relationships

• study on a smaller scale
• more narrow focus on society
• deal with face to face relationships

• believe that most important part of society is interaction
• how people look at things
• how it affects behavior and the way of life

example: clothing, hairstyle, make up, bling, race, age, gender, and ethnicity

• we all have our "personal bubble"
• only certain people enter the "bubble" (family/closest friends)

• 4 different distance zones:
• a. intimate distance - hugging, kissing, touching etc (18" from our bodies)
• b. personal distance - friends and acquaintances (18" to 4")
• c. social distance - impersonal and formal relationships (4' to 12')
• d. public space - extremely formal (beyond 12')

• differ from culture to culture
• differ from person to person

a million words can be shared without opening your mouth

• culture to culture
• "hello"

using emotions using gestures and body movements