SOC101Y1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Protestant Work Ethic, Symbolic Interactionism, Class Conflict
Typically macrostructures
□
Human behaviour is governed by relatively stable patterns of social
relations, or social structures
▪
Instability: higher suicide rate
□
Functionalism underlines how social structures maintain or undermine
social stability
▪
Social solidarity as moral cement that binds people together
□
Functionalist theories emphasize that social structures are based mainly
on shared values
▪
New associations of employers and workers would lower workers'
expectations about what they could expect out of life.
□
Functionalism suggests that re-establishing equilibrium can best solve
most social problems
▪
Proponent of functionalism
□
Identified how various institutions must work to ensure the smooth
operation of society as a whole
□
Society must be well integrated and in equilibrium
□
Would exaggerate the degree to which members of society share
common values and social institutions contribute to social
harmony.
□
Talcott Eport
▪
Social structures may have different consequences for different
categories of people
□
Some of those consequences might be disruptive or dysfunctional
□
Some functions are manifest (visible and intended) while others are
latent (invisible and unintended)
□
Robert Merton
▪
Functionalism / functionalist theory
○
Emphasizes the centrality of conflict in social life
▪
Focuses on large, macro level structures, such as relations between or
among classes
1.
Shows how major patterns of inequality in society produce social
stability in some circumstances and social change in others
2.
Stresses how members of privileged groups try to maintain their
advantages while subordinate groups struggle to increase theirs
3.
Typically leads to the suggestion that decreasing privilege will lower the
level of conflict and increase the sum total of human welfare
4.
Observed the destitution and discontent produced by the Industrial
Revolution and proposed a sweeping argument
□
Class conflict lies at the centre of his ideas
□
(different from Durkheim)
□
Argued that owners of industry are eager to improve the way work
is organized and to adopt new tools, machines, and production
methods
□
This allows improvements in the way work is organized and
produces more efficiently, earns higher profits, and drives
inefficient competitors out of business
□
Originated by Karl Marx
▪
Conflict Theory
○
“Introducing Sociology,” in Commit Sociology, vol 1 p17-20 only
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Lecture 1.2: Reading - Sociological Knowledge and
Science
September 18, 2016
2:10 PM
READINGS Page 88
inefficient competitors out of business
However, the drive for profits causes capitalists to concentrate
workers in larger and larger establishments, keep wages as low as
possible, and invest as little as possible in improving working
conditions.
□
Therefore, poor workers come to oppose shrinking class of wealthy
owners
□
Believed that workers would ultimately become aware of belonging
to the same exploited class --> "class consciousness" would
encourage growth of trade unions and labour parties.
□
Would eventually seek to put an end to private ownership of
property, and instead replace it with communism
□
German sociologist
□
Noted rapid growth of the "service" sector of the economy with
non-manual workers
□
Argued that many members of these occupational groups stabilize
society because they enjoy higher status and income than do
manual workers employed in the manufacturing sector
□
Class conflict is not the only driving force of history --> Politics
and religion are also important sources of historical change
□
Max Weber
▪
Protestant ethic: Protestants believed religious doubts could be
reduced if they worked diligently and lived modestly --> people
who adhered to the Protestant ethic saved and invested more than
others did.
□
Capitalism developed more robustly where the Protestant ethic
took hold
□
Emphasized importance of empathetically understanding people's
movies and the meanings they attach to things to gain a clear sense
of the significance of their actions
□
Weber also argued that religious beliefs facilitated robust capitalist
growth
▪
Functionalists and conflict theorists assume that people's group
memberships - whether they are young or old, male or female, rich or
poor - shape their behaviour.
▪
Focuses on face-to-face communication or interaction in micro level
social settings. This distinguishes it from both functionalist and conflict
paradigms
1.
Emphasizes that an adequate explanation of social behaviour requires
understanding the subjective meanings people attach to their social
circumstances
2.
Stresses that people help to create their social circumstances and do not
merely react to them
3.
Subjective meanings people create in small social settings, symbolic
interactionists validate unpopular and unofficial viewpoints, thus
increasing our understanding and tolerance of people who may be
different from us
4.
Symbolic Interactionism
○
Undertook critical studies of slavery and factory laws
□
Wrote about gender inequality and was a leading advocate of
voting rights and higher education for women, as well as gender
equality in the family
□
Harriet Martineau --> first woman sociologist
▪
Feminist theory focuses on various aspects of patriarchy, the system of
male domination in society. Patriarchy is at least as important as class
inequality in determining a person's opportunities in life, and perhaps
1.
Feminist Theory
○
READINGS Page 89
Document Summary
Introducing sociology, in commit sociology, vol 1 p17-20 only. Human behaviour is governed by relatively stable patterns of social relations, or social structures. Functionalism underlines how social structures maintain or undermine social stability. Functionalist theories emphasize that social structures are based mainly on shared values. Social solidarity as moral cement that binds people together. Functionalism suggests that re-establishing equilibrium can best solve most social problems. New associations of employers and workers would lower workers" expectations about what they could expect out of life. Identified how various institutions must work to ensure the smooth operation of society as a whole. Society must be well integrated and in equilibrium. Would exaggerate the degree to which members of society share common values and social institutions contribute to social harmony. Social structures may have different consequences for different categories of people. Some of those consequences might be disruptive or dysfunctional. Some functions are manifest (visible and intended) while others are latent (invisible and unintended)