SOC 001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Richard Herrnstein, The Bell Curve, Social Disorganization Theory

• School: College of The Sequoias
• Department: Sociology (SOC)
• Course: SOC 001
• Professor: basham

Document Summary

Belief that the place of people in the stratification system is a function of their ability. Social darwinism survive of the fittest and effort. Modern day proponents: arthur jensen, richard herrnstein and charles murray. Claim that occupational attainment and ses depend on mental ability. Strongly suggest that blacks are less intelligent than whites. Uncritical acceptance of iq test as legitimate measure. Encourages policy-makers to ignore poverty or attach its effects rather than its causes. Deficiency theory ii: cultural inferiority (social disorganization) Poor have qualitatively different values and lifestyles form the mainstream. The poor largely share the dominant values of american society. Those values that are different are a result of adaptation to conditions of poverty. Despite sociologists" skepticism if both biological and cultural deficiency theories these assumptions are widely shared by the general public. How society is organized creates poverty and inequality and makes certain kinds of people especially vulnerable to economic distress (poor people on the bottom)