MCAT PSYCH SOCIOLOGY FROM 132 SCORER-822 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2024.

Biopsychosocial approach to health and illness Illness is determined by a variety of influences, rather than a single cause. The causes and effects of illness can be examined at multiple levels in the life of an individual, and no single level provides the whole picture. Collecting info about psychosocial context is key to the understanding of physical health and illness. Biomedical approach to health and illness Disease is studied by examining only the biological factors of illness, neglecting contributing factors of psychological life and sociological context. Brainpower Read More 0:06 / 0:15 Models Provide an approximation (physical/conceptual representation) of a scientific phenomenon that cannot be observed directly Theories Provides the conceptual framework for understanding objects of study Social constructionism Human actors actively construct their "reality", rather than discovering a reality that has inherent validity, through their social interactions. The beliefs and shared understandings of individuals create social realities. In the context of illness, there is a gap b/t the biological reality of a medical condition and the societally created meaning of the condition. (ex. changing conceptualizations of mental illness results in changes to the DSM). It is a dynamic, ongoing process. Brute facts vs Institutional Facts -Part of WEAK social constructionism -Brute facts are physical realities that exist outside of human input -Institutional facts only exist as a function of society's structures and beliefs Symbolic interactionism Micro social perspective. Focuses on the smaller scale interactions between individuals in small groups. Through social interactions, individuals develop shared meanings and labels for various symbols. Allows for human agency in creating and changing meaning in society, rather than society acting upon the individual. Meaning can change with a single interaction, so addresses subjective meanings. Humans ascribe meaning to things, act based on those meanings, use language to generate meaning through social interaction, and modify meanings through thought processes. However, ignores larger societal forces that shape people's lives. Symbols Terms, concepts, or items that represent specific meanings by accepted convention. Meanings ascribed to symbols are determined by social norms and cultural values. Functionalism Founder: Emile Durkheim Macrosocial perspective -Factions of society work together to maintain stability. Society is a system that consists of different components working together, with distinct institutions that contribute to functioning. Seeks to understand what different structures in society contribute to society at large. When disruptions occur, the interacting systems respond to get back to a stable state. Explains societal stability but NOT societal change (assumes stability is the ideal) Conflict Theory Founder: Karl Marx Macrosocial perspective Views society in terms of competing groups that act according to their own self-interests, rather than according to the need for societal equilibrium. Society is a competition for limited resources. Explains societal changes but NOT societal societal stability (assumes stability is undesirable to societal groups that are oppressed) Views human actions in terms of larger forces of inequality, but leaves motivations choices of individuals unexamined. Ignores the non-forceful ways in which people reach agreement, and approaches society more from those who lack power. Tends to be too economically focused. Culture All of the beliefs, assumptions, objects, behaviors, and processes that make up a shared way of life. Has a pervasive effect on worldview. Culture shock The discomfort and ensuring reevaluation of personal cultural assumptions when an individual experiences a culture different from her own Material culture Objects involved in a certain way of life Nonmaterial culture Encompasses the elements of cultures that are not physical. Includes shared ideas, knowledge, assumptions, values, and beliefs that unify a group of people. Social norms Expectations that govern what behavior is acceptable within a group. Social interactions help define a culture by establishing these Social group A subset of a population that maintains social interactions. Alternatively, includes a collection of shared experiences that create a group identity among a set of individuals Symbolic culture Non-material culture that consists of the elements of culture that only have meaning in the mind. Based on a shared system of collective beliefs in the form of symbols. Includes the meanings ascribed to rituals, gestures, and objects. Language The use of symbols to represent ideas Society Two or more individuals living together in a definable area and/or sharing elements of a culture. A society can encompass multiple cultures. Social institutions Stable hierarchical systems that bring order to interpersonal interactions, structuring society. Examples are government/economy, education, religion, family, and health/medicine. Provide predictability and organization for individuals within a society, and mediate social behavior between people. Government/economy as a social institution Provides order to a society through the services it provides and the making and enforcement of law Education as a social institution Provides a formal structure during childhood and the transition to adulthood, and an opportunity to instruct youth on social norms, expectations for behavior, knowledge, and skills needed to operate within society. Its manifest function is to systematically pass down knowledge and give status to those who have been educated. Its latent function is socialization, serving as agents of change, and maintaining social control. Serves to reinforce and perpetuate social inequalities. Experience educational segregation because of differential funding of schools based on residential segregation. Religion as a social institution Acts as an organized structure of behaviors and social interactions that addresses the spiritual needs of society. From a functionalist standpoint, can create social cohesion/dissent, social change/control, and provide believers with meaning and purpose. Religion A system of beliefs that affects how people make sense of their experiences and provides a framework for questions about life, death, and the purpose of existence Family as a social institution Creates a social group in which to procreate, rear children, pass on cultural knowledge, and cooperate to better meet life's challenge The nuclear family The concept of family in which one man and one woman live together with their children; most common concept of family in the US. Consists of DIRECT blood relations. Polygamy An individual married to more than one individual Polyandry More than one man married to one woman Health/medicine as a social institution Fulfills the need for healthcare in an organized manner, with beliefs about diseases and approaches to healing varying between societies and cultures