Sociology Chapter 6

• group size effect:

  • the bigger the group-the more effect it will have on you
  • more likely to conform
• primary groups must be...

  • small
  • spend a lot of time together
  • appropriate enviroment
• Primary and relationship groups serve...

  • security
  • socializers
  • emotional support
• Attribution theory:

  • Judging people on their perception of them
  • assumptions about people
• attribution error:

  • making the wrong assumption about someone
• social networks:

  • webs or relationships
  • you can learn to know people through other people
• what is the biggest social network in the world?

  digital platform (facebook with 2.9 million people)
• "six degrees of separation"

  • studies suggest you can know anybody in the world by meeting 6 people and learning about another 6 people from them to another
• what does it mean when social networks are homogenous?

  social networks are similar (people come from the same background)
• "not me syndrome"

  • many people like to be individuals and claim they arent affect by groups when they really are
• cooperation:

  • when you are working together with each other for the same goal
• Conflict:

  • when you are opposing each other
• social exchange:

  • doing something for the expectation of something in return
• coercion:

  • getting somebody to do something with power
  • ex. a gun
• conformity:

  • going along with the group
• is conflict always bad?

  no, it can help you identify issues
• coercion is like conflict theory
• groupthink:

  • another way to say conformity
  • when everyone goes along with others even if it's wrong
• formal organization:

  • secondary group organized to achieve a specific set of goals
  • ex. school, hospital
• normative:

  • voluntary organization
  • ex. clubs
• Coercive:

  • prisons, military units
• utilitarian:

  • businesses
• major characteristics of max weber's ideal bureaucracy:

  • provide divisions of labor
  • have hierarchies
  • they create career paths
  • provide efficiency
• what shape best fits max weber's conception of an ideal bureaucracy?

  a triangle
• example of a bureaucrstic orgnization chart is the school hierarchy (superintendent, principle, teacher, student)organization
• informal organization:

  • develop to meet the human needs
  • can get things done faster
• organizational ritualism:

  • following rules and not finding solutions
  • ex: you go to a icecream shop and you ask for less icecream and they say no because you must always have two scoops
• mcdonalization of society:

  • the corporation of culture
  • kills local culture
  • ex. you can get the same Big Mac everywhere you go, it doesn't change--- consistent
• iron law of oligarchy:

  • the tendency for a small group of people to control a large group of people
  • concept that power and resources become isolated over time
• Oligarchies:

  • people take leadership
  • people give power to the leader (ex. that isn't my job)
  • once the leader is in power, they tend to separate themselves
• public corporation:

  • shares on a stock market
  • anyone can invest
• 3 positive things about corporations:

  • money
  • jobs
  • goods and services
• 3 negative things about corporations:

  • polute
  • create products that may be bad or dangerous
  • injure consumers
• legal status of a corporation:

  • They are the legal individual
• big advantage of being incorporated:

  • if someone is sueing the business, they sue the legal status
• moral status:

  • coorporation have no moral status
• what is the legal obligation of corporations?

  to make money for shareholders
• is the profit motive that drives the decisions positive, negative, or both?

  both, making money is good but hurting people are bad
• pros and cons of regulation:

  • pros: keeps people safe
  • cons: get in the way of business