SOCIOL 3HH3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Structural Level, Reductionism, Social Environment
29 Jun 2018
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MAY 3RD READINGS
Textbook (pg. 3-20)
Introduction
-Two ways social scientists avoid advocacy
oResist projecting personal beliefs, values, and responses as much as possible
oMaking the values of the subjects the values expressed in the research (opinions,
attitude surveys)
-Three primary aspects of unequal distress
oDistress as a Sign
Misery or distress of a person is not the problem; it is the consequence of
a problem
oGradations in Distress
Look at all tones and shades of distress
oOrdinary People in the Community
Observe and report the outcomes of lives of ordinary people
Preview
-Part 1 – social causes of psychological distress
-Part 2 – Researching the causes of distress
oMeasuring Psychological distress
oReal-World causes of real-world misery (Three Formal Criteria for a cause)
Association – two things go together more than expected by chance
Nonspuriousness – the association is not just accidental because the two
happen to result from the same prior condition
Causal order – one of the two things cannot cause the other, so it must
be the consequence
-Part 3 – Social Patterns of distress
oEstablished patterns (six)
Higher SES – less distress
Married people – less distressed than unmarried
Parents with children – more distressed than non parents
Women are more distressed than men
Undesirable life events associated with distress
Young adults are the most anxious and depressed, middle-aged people
are the least depressed; older people are the least anxious
oNew Patterns
-Part 4 – Explaining the Patterns
oTwo steps to explaining:
Generative – thinking of possibilities and seeing if there is anything to
them
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Selective – pitting one explanation against another and seeing which
explains more
oAlienation (Five alternatives)
Control
Commitment
Support
Meaning
Normality
oAuthoritarianism and Inequality
Authoritarianism – two components most relevant to distress
Inflexibility
Mistrust
Inequality
-Part 5 – Conclusion
oWhy some people are more distressed than others
Control of One’s Own Life
Social Causes: How important are they?
What can be done to prevent distress?
Education
A good job
A supportive relationship
Textbook pg. 159-170 – Explaining the Patterns Life Change: An Abandoned explanation
Conceptual History of Life Change and Stress
-Life-change events mark major alterations in daily activities
oDeath of a spouse, birth of a child, move to a new house, loss of a job, marriage,
finishing school
The General Adaptation Syndrome
-Discovered by Hans Selye
oStudied hormones and adrenal cortex; rats and toxins; somatic response to
stressors
oBelieved that body’s adaptive mechanisms could be triggered by mental and
emotional states
From Rat Pathology to Human Distress
-Three Big Changes – Holmes and Rahe
oNoxious Stimuli to Significant Events
oBiological Homeostasis to social readjustments
oSomatic Disease to Emotional Distress
Contradictory evidence
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Undesirability Rather than Change
-Undesirability, not change, is the distressing characteristic of life events
-People who view change as a challenge have low levels of psychological distress
-The more negative events individuals experience, the greater their distress
Outcome Rather Than Change
-Undesirable events generally mark transitions to worse positions
-Context may modify the effects of events on distress
oDivorce was less distressing if marriage was not characterized by caring,
affection, equity, love, respect and sharing
Variants of the Life Change Index
Indexing Daily Hassles
-Daily hassles – common and frequent irritants (i.e. – missing bus, traffic, etc.0
oConfounds cause and effect – confuses occurrences with emotional response
oTrivializes the social causes of distress
Indexing Chronic Stress
-“Chronic” refers to a condition or disease lasting a long period of time or marked by
frequent recurrence over a long period
-One index contains 51 items
o5 refer to economic hardship
o8 refer to negative work conditions
o9 refer to problems with marriage
o5 refer to absence of a stable relationship
oOthers relate to problems with children, neighborhoods, expectations, or health
problems
Index Lifetime Trauma and Cumulative Adversity
-Both measure current or recent stress with little reference to long past events or
episodes that might have persistent or cumulative effects on emotional well-being
Alternative Concepts and Future Research
-Concept of life change as stress implies that distress associated with any transition will
fade with time as individual adapts to situation
oNo reason to think this is true of repetitive situations
-Events should be viewed as transitions with effects on distress largely determined by
the contrast between origin and destination
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Two ways social scientists avoid advocacy: resist projecting personal beliefs, values, and responses as much as possible, making the values of the subjects the values expressed in the research (opinions, attitude surveys) Three primary aspects of unequal distress: distress as a sign. Misery or distress of a person is not the problem; it is the consequence of a problem: gradations in distress. Look at all tones and shades of distress: ordinary people in the community. Observe and report the outcomes of lives of ordinary people. Part 1 social causes of psychological distress. Part 2 researching the causes of distress: measuring psychological distress, real-world causes of real-world misery (three formal criteria for a cause) Association two things go together more than expected by chance. Nonspuriousness the association is not just accidental because the two happen to result from the same prior condition. Causal order one of the two things cannot cause the other, so it must be the consequence.
