Social Structures

• Macrosociety: affects a big portion/ whole community like social structures and institutions. Looks for patterns and trends.
• Conflict Theory: The idea that the world is divided into two opposing groups, the haves and the have nots. (macro sociology)
• Microsociety: affects smaller populations like families and schools. It interprets analysis. Looks at how an individual interaction affects the larger patterns of society
• Symbolic Interactionism: A sociological perspective that emphasizes the importance of symbols and language in shaping social reality. (micro sociology)
• conservative view: institutions as natural byproducts of human nature
• progressive view: institutions are artifical and can be changed to make them more democratic
• hidden curriculum: the unwritten rules and values that are taught to students by the school
• sects: religious groups that are not recognized by the government or the church that are usually established by protest
• Cults: A group of people who follow a charismatic leader and believe in a new religion. They are more radical. They reject values of outside society undergoing complete religious renovation
• Secularization: The process by which religion loses its influence in society. The weakening of social and political power of religious organizations
• Fundamentalism: A belief in the literal truth of the Bible and the teachings of the church.
• Dictatorship: A government ruled by a single person or group with absolute power.
• Democracy: A system of government in which the people are sovereign and have the right to vote for their leaders
• communism: a system of government in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the community
• monarchy: a form of government in which a monarch (a king or queen) is the head of state
• capitalism: a system of economic organization in which the means of production are privately owned and profit is the main motive for production (supply and demand)
• Socialism: common ownership of production that focuses on human needs and economic demand. Motivated by what benefits that society.
• functionalist: every one has a role to play in society, and everyone has a purpose
• medicalization: the process by which a disease is seen as a medical condition rather than a social or psychological one
• sick role: a person who is ill and needs care and attention from others
• functionalism: developed by Emile Durkheim that states society is heading towards equilibrium
• Social facts: facts about the world that are socially constructed and shared by members of a society
• latent functions: unrecogized functions that are not expressed in the behavior of an organism
• class consciousness: the awareness of one's class position and the awareness of the position of others
• theis: borgoesis control factors and supply & demand
• antithesis: workers don't agree with the thesis
• Synthesis: compromise
• weak social constructionism: social constructs are based on brute facts and are not subject to change
• strong social constructionism: depends on language and habits/ action
• Rational choice-exchange theory: the theory that people make rational choices about their behavior based on the benefits they receive from their actions
• feminist theory: the idea that gender is socially constructed and that women are oppressed