C273 Sociological Concepts: Understanding
Social Forces and Structures Study Guide
sociological imagination* in 1959, defined it as "the vivid awareness of the relationship
between personal experience and the wider society." / to see the general in the
particular.
Sociology* can best be summed up as the systematic study of social life and human
society
social facts* as "types of behavior and thinking external to the individual" which have "a
compelling and coercive power" If you have ever looked at an outfit in your closet and
thought "I can't wear that," you have experienced a social fact.
The sociological imagination is recognition of how social forces shape individual
behavior.
Marx is associated with class conflict.
Weber introduced rationalization, the idea that rational or economic goals replace
traditional or emotional incentives for people's behavior.
Du Bois is associated with 'double-consciousness.'
Durkheim was associated with social facts, social constructions that are outside
individual control.
. A theory* refers to a set of logically interrelated statements that attempts to describe,
explain, and sometimes predict social events.
These three classic perspectives are known as functionalism, the conflict perspective,
and symbolic interactionism, and they provide a framework for understanding
contemporary sociological research.
Some sociologists write only theory: analyzing and extending ideas about the social
, world
Applied sociology* is the use of the discipline with the intent of yielding practical
applications to solve the problems we face
Social Forces and Structures Study Guide
sociological imagination* in 1959, defined it as "the vivid awareness of the relationship
between personal experience and the wider society." / to see the general in the
particular.
Sociology* can best be summed up as the systematic study of social life and human
society
social facts* as "types of behavior and thinking external to the individual" which have "a
compelling and coercive power" If you have ever looked at an outfit in your closet and
thought "I can't wear that," you have experienced a social fact.
The sociological imagination is recognition of how social forces shape individual
behavior.
Marx is associated with class conflict.
Weber introduced rationalization, the idea that rational or economic goals replace
traditional or emotional incentives for people's behavior.
Du Bois is associated with 'double-consciousness.'
Durkheim was associated with social facts, social constructions that are outside
individual control.
. A theory* refers to a set of logically interrelated statements that attempts to describe,
explain, and sometimes predict social events.
These three classic perspectives are known as functionalism, the conflict perspective,
and symbolic interactionism, and they provide a framework for understanding
contemporary sociological research.
Some sociologists write only theory: analyzing and extending ideas about the social
, world
Applied sociology* is the use of the discipline with the intent of yielding practical
applications to solve the problems we face
