Socl 3601 Exam 1. Three Major Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology:

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1 Scl 3601 Exam 1 Three Majr Theretical Perspectives in Scilgy: 1) Structural-Functinalism = lk at hw different parts f sciety functin tgether t maintain the whle (macr-level apprach t the study f sciety, they study the institutins f sciety, the classes f peple) 2) Cnflict Thery = Abut cnflict and cmpetitin in sciety a. Over pwer, cntrl f resurces b. Dminatin f less pwerful grups by thse in pwer, c. Scial change cmes abut when the less pwerful verpwer the mre pwerful (replace with a new system f ppressin) d. (Macr-level ) 3) Symblic Interactin = (Gerge H. Mead) Humans have the ability t use significant symbls (symbls with shared meanings fr everyne in sciety) a. We use these symbls t frm scieties thrugh interactin b. (Take a micr-level apprach, nthing gets dne in sciety unless it gets dne by peple, fcus n peple in small grups) - Psyc develped as a discipline in the early 1800 s - But we sn figured ut that yu need t knw mre than what is ging n in peples head in rder t understand behavir (s lets develp anther field) - Behavirism = stimuli and respnse When we behave in apprved behavir, we get rewarded When we behave in unapprved behavir, we get punished Over the curse f time, acceptable scial habits becme part f human nature Ppular pl f thught arund the turn f the century, it faded and then revised in the start f the 20 th century B.F. Skinner great refrmer in this field (trained pigens t shw that behavir can be curved) Weakness = there are a few weaknesses t behavirism Alternatives (chices) Cgnitive abilities (the ability t think things ut advanced) We use ur cgnitive abilities thrugh scial interactins There is n rm fr it all in behavirism alne Fr scilgists, this falls way shrt f an adequate explanatin f what peple d and why they d it - Ratinal Chice Thery and Exchange Thery = W can weigh the expected benefits f any particular behavir and we can way that against the csts and the risks f engaging in the behavir If the benefits utweigh the csts, we will engage in the behavir (mre than likely)

2 Sme rewards are mre imprtant than thers (we all have different dislikes and preferences) in certain circumstances - Scial Learning Thery = Talks abut three different ways in which we learn We learn thrugh experiences Internalizing what we are explicitly taught by ther peple Vicarius Learning = we can watch ther peple and see what they d and learn frm it What wrks fr smene else may r may nt wrk fr us Kids learn this as they grw, adults cntinue thrughut life - Dramaturgy (Ervin Gffman) When we are in the presence f ther peple, we present a character t ther peple (just like an actr n stage presents a character t an audience) We need ur audience t buy int the character that we present; we need them t believe that we are wh we say we are. If they d, things are gd If they dn t, interactin will change (mst likely in ways that we dn t like) - Pstmdernism Mdern = the present era, pst = after They must be talking abut the future, but this isn t hw they use the wrd. They prbably mean t be saying pst-industrial Use pst-industrial, nt pstmdern - Ethics Must submit studies t Internal Review Bard (IRB) Things they lk fr: D nt harm yur subjects Physical, psychlgical, etc. Cnfidentiality / Annymity Infrmed Cnsent Gary Fine Studied Little League Players Studied hw they develped their wn sense f masculinity (hw d men act?) Wrte With The Bys Observed them n the ball field and at practice

3 Human Behavir: - Humans are scial animals and live their lives in the cntext f many peple - What is mre imprtant: Nature r Nurture? - Scibilgy (Edward O. Wilsn) All human behavir is based n ur rganisms need t reprduce Fr scibilgy, genes reprduce They als enhance the envirnment in rder t enhance their ability t reprduce (change the envirnment t help us reprduce) Ex: The Alpha Male and his dminance gets t reprduce Men try t reprduce their genes as many times as pssible, prduce the mst cpies and have the best chance f species survival Wmen need t get the best set f genes frm males t ensure best chance f ffspring survival This is why we see men trying t have sex as much as pssible, and wmen lking fr a gd mngamus relatinship with the mst viable male f the species. We develp certain cultural ideals Mre sex fr men is gd, fr wmen it is bad When a wmen gets pregnant, she knws her genes are being reprduced, the male desn t (he can just assume and hpe) Scibilgy desn t accunt fr the reasns humans try t stp reprductin and the passing n f genes Bilgical differences between us and ther animals: Cgnitive ability We rganize ur life, plan fr the future, abstract thinking Cmmunicatin ability Our scial netwrk ability Our instinct is pretty week we have t be taught hw t survive Oppsable Thumbs (hw wuld yur dg take ntes in this class) We can grasp bjects in ways that ther animals cannt We lk after ur children lnger It takes a lng time t develp (physically and mentally) We can hunt much larger and much faster game because we have lng distance endurance We can use all different things fr fd (vast variety) We can cntrl fire and ck fd Wrld Openness and Plasticity = the human penness t the wrld We can field ways t survive in almst and envirnment pssible Find mst fd surces and means f survival (we are nt specialized) There is a variatin f human existence arund the wrld Peple live different lives depending n where they live)

4 Feral Children: - Feral = general wild animals, specifically wild dgs - Children wh have been deprived f nrmal human cntact during the first years f life - Gene Her mther had her when she lived with her father Hid her in the attic ut f fear The nly cntact she had with her mther was when she fed her She never develped nrmally (even after the best care) Physically r Mentally Her IQ is that f a 6 year ld and her language ability is that f a 3 year ld, she died in her early teens - If interventin is made befre the age f tw, the child will likely develp nrmally 2-6, average chance Abve 6, n chance - Rmanian rphans at least the had cntact with each ther Learning t Survive in ur Scial Envirnment: - Scial facts are just as imprtant as physical facts Ex: Falling ff cliff and teaching wrng religin = dead - Every sciety has Cmmn Stck f Knwledge Knwledge sciety has develped ver time Technical knwledge Ideas abut what is and what ught t be Nrms and values, right and wrng, the way t d things and why - We learn this in rder t becme cmpetent members f that sciety - Certain scial skills are a necessity in ur everyday life Three Step prcess fr infrmatin exchange: (Peter Berger) 1) Externalizatin = Persn A tells Persn B 2) Objectificatin = Persn B receives the infrmatin and understand it a. There is nw a shared meaning, A Scial Object, between tw peple b. Tw peple are understanding he same definitin 3) Internalizatin = Persn be accepts this infrmatin as their wn and internalizes it as their wn knwledge - A scieties cmmn stck f knwledge are these accepted definitins - W. I. Thmas said, If men define situatins as real, then they are real in their cnsequences. - We act accrding t the definitins we have, n matter hw crrect they are - In rder fr the three step prcess t wrk we must have: cmmunicatin skills and scial experience

5 Language and Culture: - Language is mre than just a system f cmmunicatin - Language is a tl that allws us t express ideas between members f ur sciety - It has develped ver many centuries as a tl fr cmmunicating these ideas - Language is the way we think - Language influences and shapes the way that we think - The Sapir-Whrf Hypthesis: Sapir and Whrf studied bth ancient and mdern ancient American languages Fr mst f their careers they wrked independently f each ther in the study f different scieties languages, past and present The said the language f any sciety is structured arund the wrldview f that sciety What is the structure f language and hw d we fit int that structure? Every sciety has a view f what the universe is abut, and hw they fit int that view. We develp cultural ideas and rules based n this view, language is the tl fr develping and slidifying these rules Certain ideas express things that we will never understand because ur language desn t permit us t understand When we reach this barrier, we can: Twist it arund t the way ur sciety thinks Discard it as nnsense Native American Religin is hard fr Jude-Christians t understand Their gds had a life frce Siux = Wakan Irquis = Orenda Algnquin = Manitu Eurpeans translated this int the idea f a Great Spirit In ding s they tk the riginal idea and warped it int smething that was cmpletely different, s that they can understand it

6 Symblic Interactin (Gerge H. Mead) - Hw are scieties interactive? Our ability t make and use symbls (primarily language) - What makes us human? It is ur ability t have a self Where we are, where we have been, wh is arund us, where we are ging Tw Parts f the Self: The I the active part f the self The Me the self as an bject It requires bth cgnitive ability and allws scial instances - In the develpment f the self, we g thrugh many stages Takes many years ver the span f life t develp, especially the secnd stage - Three Stages f Develpment: The Imitatin Stage the ability f smene t perceive the wrld arund them and where they fit in We imitate what we see thers ding withut much understanding f what is ging n We develp abilities t use language and repeat what we hear The Play Stage we play ut the rles that we see arund us We are beginning t understand rles We play schl, huse, cwbys and Indians Thugh we play these rles, we still dn t understand them We als dn t understand that peple can have dual rles The Game Stage (age 10 r 11) We can nw understand cmplex relatinships between rles We can understand the different psitins in sciety, but that these psitins in sciety are related t each ther in specific ways The game f baseball as an illustratin: Yu have different psitins ut there n the field It desn t matter wh is playing what psitin, they are expected t d certain things in relatin t the ther players and in relatin t the develpment f the game We begin t see the wrld differently There are several things we can d in the game stage that we culdn t d befre: Take the rle f the ther Take the rle f the generalized ther We start t think, What will peple think f me Think Intrspectively (we can lk inside urselves) What am I? What kind f persn am I? Wh are my friends and why? We tell thers, Yu dn t understand me.

7 - The Reflexive Nature f Interactin: The ability t carry n an internal dialgue The back and frth nature f interactin between peple What I d depends n what yu d and what yu d depends n what I d What are yu saying t me, what message are yu trying t get acrss? What is the apprpriate respnse t what thers are ding? We have t have a sense f wh we are in rder t effectively interact with ther peple Charles Hrtn Cley: The Lking-Glass Self - We cme t knw wh we are thrugh ur interpretatin f the actins f thers twards us - Reflected Appraisals = a psychlgical term fr, we see urselves reflected in the actins f thers twards us We appraise urselves n a daily basis David Kenny, Ph. D Psyc, has studied this cncept n several experimental settings He fund nly mderate supprt fr the cncept f reflected appraisal He cncluded that this idea can nly be cnsidered a develpmental thery Only imprtant fr children grwing up, but desn t have much effect n adults

8 Oppsitinal Cdes: - Ways in which members f certain grups within a sciety distinguish themselves frm ther grups in sciety - Wearing n clrs, insignias, clthing styles - One f the mst imprtant ways that we d this is thrugh speech Men speak differently then wmen Teens and sme grups use slang Sme scieties have different ways f speaking in scial classes Primer = a little bklet r pamphlet that gives smene preliminary infrmatin abut smething It is prnunced differently depending n scial class What we cnsume: what kind f car yu drive, d fr entertainment, decrate yur hme Cnspicuus Cnsumptin = what we cnsumes displays ur status in sciety Speech: differences in sciety, cultures, scial class, men v. wmen, racially (black/white speech) Why d blacks and whites speak differently? Physilgical Differences (ppular 50 years ag) Different structures in the muth Tw prblems: Need t be specific t what thse differences are (and they cant d that) If it is a bilgical difference, then the differences shuld be universal (they aren t) African Origins (mst widely accepted) The differences that we hear, can be traced back t Africa and their tribal dialects It is grammatically crrect, shuld nt be seen as an imprper use f the English language, but shuld be seen as a separate dialect Ebnics = Ebny + Phnics Dr. Walter Wlfram (Nrth Carline State) Okracke Island n turist influence Lked at speech patters fr hw it has changed ver time Can dialects f black speech be traced back t Africa? This wuld be mre prminent in lder generatins After schl grups were mixed, differences came abut This prduced Oppsitinal Cdes

9 The Linguistic Pverty Hypthesis = lwer class peple cuss mre because they lack the vcabulary t express themselves in mre acceptable ways Many peple accept it as being true withut really investigating it It is shwn that swearing is a favrite past time f bth the upper class and lwer class, the backlash against swearing cmes frm the middle class England and Sctland (1600s r s) Flyting Ritual insult, either face-t-face r in writing In America, swearing has steadily increased frm WW1 and especially since WW2 Over the last 35 years we see a big increase in public swearing by wmen If swearing is based n pr educatin, shuldn t it be ging dwn as we becme mre educated? It hasn t dne s, s what nw? Oppsitinal Cdes As lng as grups were kept apart by law, then there was n need t find ways t distinguish themselves frm each ther Once segregatin laws were set dwn, we see differences in speech These grups were develping ways t distinguish themselves Dr. William Labv (funder f scial linguistics) D We Speak American? Lks at the barders in sme speech areas and changes ver time He nticed that the gegraphical differences in speech (accents) is getting strnger, nt weaker Black and white speech is mre prminent in urban areas Peple are clser tgether and need t separate themselves These black white differences are becming much mre prnunced Dramatic Enhancement f Rle: Gffman says, When smene is ccupying a certain rle, their right t ccupy that rle may be questined by thers. S they may exaggerate the features that shw they can ccupy that rle. Dramatic Enhancement f Narrative: Mst f what peple talk abut is what has happened t them I their life We have t embellish ur stries s thers will listen t them Swearing is a technique used t get thers t pay attentin

10 Wh wuld be the peple wh wuld need t d this the mst? Thse n lwest ecnmic status, and wmen Types f Scieties -mst primitive : Hunting and Gathering scieties -stne axes, bws, arrws, etc -everyne knws everybdy else persnally; n strangers in daily life -everyne is invlved in fd prductin - What is gd fr us? cllective way f thinking -Hrticultural scieties -have taken sme cntrl ver their fd supply -dmestic animals make them nt s dependent n nature -planting crps t feed mre peple & n lnger have t g lking fr fd -settlements w/ many peple (tens f thusands max) -better fd supply= can create a surplus= can supprt thse nt directly invlved in fd prductin -start t see differentiatin is sciety (religius, plitical, merchants, etc); dn t knw everyne n 1 st name basis -start t see scial stratificatin (rich & pr grups) -what is gd fr us? Is prblematic b/c the answer isn t the same fr everyne -lw divisin f labr, stratificatin is lw -affective (emtinal) bnds - What is gd fr us? -Agrarian scieties -practice agriculture n a large scale -public wrks prjects (irrigatin) rganized by the plitical elite -can create huge surpluses & supprt much larger scieties (whle cities -all the great civilizatins in the past (Greece, Rme, Persia) % f the ppulatin still invlved if fd prductin, usually as either serfs r slaves -huge inequality where a handful f peple becme very wealthy -Mdern Industrial Scieties -mst advanced -use f machines, electricity, nuclear pwer -we can d in a week what it wuld ve taken simpler scieties centuries t d -can grw huge surpluses f fd; < 3% f ppulatin is invlved in fd prductin -n mre shared stck f knwledge/ interests - What is gd fr us? is meaningless because there are t many different kinds f us - What is gd fr me? is the way it wrks nw -high divisin f labr, everyne specializes, we all d different things fr a living -high stratificatin -instrumental bnds

11 - This transfer in sciety, between the lw level and high level sciety, is what is talked abut in the 28pg article by TURNER We started ut as a farming sciety, right befre WW1 we began a rapid shift twards an industrialized sciety When life was simpler we used t prduce mre institutinals Peple wh lk fr life fulfillment in institutinal gals What kind f persn shuld I be? Hw successful am I? D I meet sciety s expectatins fr the persn I shuld be? With the shift in sciety, we prduce mre impulsers We n lnger have shared nrms and values Peple wh find self fulfillment by breaking thrugh institutinal restraints, breaking ut f the bx We nw have far mre ccupatinal pprtunities, we als have mre ways t find urselves and try ut new things, find ut wh we really are rather than just wh ther peple think we shuld becme Turner says that this shift in sciety is a gd thing - Jhn Hewitt (1988, Dilemmas f the American Self) Americans tend t lk at everything in terms f dichtmies (gd v. bad, black v. white, liberal v. cnservative) This is ne way t make ur lives easier because it reduces ur alternatives Rural and Small-twn America = cnfrmity and ppressin Everyne wants everyne else t be just like them Fr thse wh stand ut, there is a lt f ppressin and these peple are stracized N place t hide because everyne knws everyne else Mdern Urban America = Freedm We have many mre pprtunities t be different kinds f self It is ur jb t escape small twn America and live ur lives n a bigger stage and be wh we really want t be

12 David Reisman & Nathan Glazer 1950 The Lnely Crwd -bk by Reisman used primarily as a textbk fr ne f his class, but a few years later it was published as a ppular best seller -Turner cites bk ften -as we becme mre industrialized, we are surrunded by mre peple, but mre f them are strangers t us -als idea f different scieties prducing different types f peple; 3 types: 1) Traditin Directed -peple wh lk t the traditins f sciety t guide their lives -shame is the mst imprtant means f scial cntrl; these ppl dn t want t d anything that culd bring shame t themselves, their family r cmmunity -these ppl have dminated arund the wrld thrughut histry, but many main eras did nt cme abut by these peple! 2)Inner-Directed -certain drive t g beynd what anyne else has dne befre -guilt is the mst imprtant means f scial cntrl; they feel guilty if they settle fr just being rdinary, dn t achieve their gals, etc. 3)Other Directed -we lk t ther ppl arund us t measure ur success; what d thers think f us? -try t shw ur success thrugh crass cnsumerism (ges alng w/ cnspicuus cnsumptin f buying items just fr status) -anxiety is mst imprtant means f scial cntrl (wrrying abut what thers think) Christpher Lasch 1978 The Culture f Narcissism - if sciety n lnger has shared nrms & values, what des that mean fr ur behavir and fr what is lked twards fr self fulfillment? -Lasch said it s lking fr the pleasure f the mment r whatever makes us feel gd at the time -fall in lve, get married, get divrced- n sense f cmmitment; nly ding what feels best -self help grups, etc. -alchl & drugs Luis Zurcher 1977 The Mutable Self -Zurcher takes a different view -what des it mean fr the self if we are always lking t thers fr apprval?? -Zurcher says we dn t really have a self, we are like chamelens changing w/ the mment t be what thers want

13 -bth authrs talk a/b ppl being a prduct f their times, but authrs are als a prduct f their time Erving Gffman 1959 The Presentatin f Self in Everyday Life -detailed his ideas f dramaturgy (character presented t ther peple) -peple either lve f hate Gffman -Gffman was trying t develp a thery f scial interactin, nt f the self -What is necessary fr scial interactin t take place and what are the rules? What happens when the rules are brken? -Gffman qutes Thmas (see prev ntes) If men define situatins as real -fr Gffman, the questin isn t Wh am I? but Wh are yu? that has t be answered -wrking cnsensus must be cme t by all participants in a scial interactin (d we accept claims f wh peple say they are, etc.) page f qutes ed t us Impressin Management -ways we try t cntrl the infrmatin we give ff t ther peple -this leads t the secnd majr criticism f Gffman s wrk -critics say that Gffman states we re always trying t be deceitful -but nt all deceit is necessarily a bad thing- we dn t really want t knw what everyne thinks abut us at all times; tact is invlved as well (there s sme things yu just dn t want t knw/dn t talk abut) - Idealizatin = we want tp present an ideal like versin f urselves, attempt t incrprate the values f sciety int ur act (shws we are acceptable scial creatures and we want t put ur best ft frward) - Frnting: 1) Persnal Frnt = hw we appear and present ur bdies 2) Setting = the stage prps that we arrange arund us - Regins: (places) 1) Frnt Stage places we want peple t see us at 2) Back Stage thse we dn t want peple t see (bedrms, certain bars) - Dirty Wrk we are much mre restrictive abut wh we allw int ur bedrms and bathrms v. the kitchen and living rm - Internatinal Citizenship = wh has the right t g int certain places - Backchannel Cmmunicatin = ther frms f cmmunicatin (eye cntact, bdy languages, yeah, uh huh ) - Shw we are engaged in this interactin and give it permissin t cntinue - Cnclusive Cmmunicatin = we want certain peple t see, but nt everyne - Eye wink, rll f eyes, exclusive sign language

14 Attributin Thery - What we think we knw abut smene - We put things tgether abut peple, like a puzzle - We tend t take shrt cuts in making assumptins abut peple - Implicit Persnality We assume that members f a certain categry have the same attributes This saves us a lt f wrk invlved in finding the truth - Causal Attributins We make attributins abut peples actins and why things happened t them Internal Causatin = we cntribute the persns actins and the causes f their actins t the persnal characteristics f that persn External Causatin = we attribute a persns actins t frces utside f the persn - The Fundamental Attributin Errr Describes hw we judge urselves as individuals differently than hw we judge thers We attribute ur success t internal causes and ur failures t external causes We attribute thers success t external causes and their failures t internal causes - The Ultimate Attributin Errr When we extend this same line f reasning t grups In-Grups = grups that we belng t Out-Grups = grups that we d nt belng t (we are ppsed t these grups) - Labeling Thery Once we put a label n smene, this changes the way we interact with them (depending n if this label is psitive r negative) Charles Osgde: lked at this prcess Wrds in the English language has tw meaning: Dentative Meaning = what it literally stands fr Cnntative Meaning = ur affective respnse Semantic Differentials = differences in cnntative meaning that wrds have Evaluatin = gd/bad Ptency = strng, pwerful/weak, pwerless Activity = active/passive

15 - Affective Cntrl Thery (David Heise and Neil MacKinnn) Peple give numerical rating t wrds f the English language Range -4 t +4 Fundamental Sentiments = the cmmn pinin abut different wrds ABO Behavirs = apprpriate behavirs fr these wrds Actr Behavir Object Transient Sentiments = things that just cme and g Deflectins = the differences between fundamental and transient If this difference is small, n prblem, ur wrld makes sense We try t get rid f large deflectins Change ur behavir Re-label the actr, r redefine the behavir