SOC 2230 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Status Anxiety, Sport Utility Vehicle, Microsociology

• School: University of Virginia
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2230
• Professor: Mc Connell Bob

Document Summary

Recognized the potential of anomie to describe the state of american culture. Describes the social structure of american society- looked at the big picture of society as a whole. Starts out theory at the micro-sociological stage: looks at individuals. Looks at the structure of human interaction and individual interaction. Individual action looks at a particular goal- the individual, to reach the goal, uses certain means. Merton believed that every person"s goals and means are given to them from society"s culture. Either the goals or the means could be given more value or emphasis within culture. Effective equilibrium: this occurs where individuals receive an equal balance of satisfaction both from following the prescribed means to a goal as well as from achieving the goal itself. The cultural emphases placed upon certain goals varies independently of the degree of emphasis upon institutionalized means. merton.