Introduction to Sociology Group #

Review Quiz

Questions

Question 1: One statement from the reading that best summarizes Functionalism.

Answer: “Each part of society is functional for the stability of the whole society.”

Question 2: Functionalism holds that everyone and everything in society, no matter how

strange it may seem everything serves a purpose: How was this illustrated in the article?

Answer: Most people are used to seeing the world psychologically, where action

is thought to spring from the characteristics of the individual rather than from interaction

and social patterns. From this psychological perspective, people may explain the mass

suicide of a religious cult, say, as the result of religious fanaticism or a powerful leader or

irrational and sick persons. Although this may indeed be a partial explanation,

sociologists believe that a religious cult must also be understood as a kind of society, as

an organized group sharing a culture, as individuals influencing each other in social

interaction, as a structure with people filling positions and acting in roles, conforming to

each other's expectations, influenced by a power structure, as in any other group or

society. As another example, instead of examining the characteristics of individuals who

end up in prison, sociologists are more interested in factors relating to the positions these

people have in society: how the poverty "position" might influence criminal action,

Introduction to Sociology Group #

arrest, and imprisonment; or how power in society might play a part in how crime is

defined in the first place.

Also This was illustrated in the article by showing us the reader that crime may be

viewed as something that is not accredited/positive in society, but believe it or not even

crime in society serves a purpose. For without crime law makers (polices), many would

be without a job. Not only law makers but without crime in a society, there wouldn’t even

be a need for prison, so therefore Correctional Officers and Prison Wardens would have a

job so to speak.

Question 3: What are the criticisms of functionalism?

Answer: Criticism of functionalism is: its acceptance and rationalization of social

inequality and societal evils, also its lack of testability

The error of reification (that is, treating something that is not alive / not

human as if it were alive / human).

Does everything in society have a function? The usual justification for this

belief is expressed in the idea that: "We know something is functional to

society because it exists; it exists because it is functional".

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Functionalists have a problem explaining social change (or, more correctly,

rapid social change - revolutions, for example). This is because of the

emphasis their perspective puts on:

Value consensus created through the socialization process.

Functional dependence and necessity (why, for example, should anything change if it is already

functional to society?).

Question 4: Answer true or false to the following

Answer: Social conflict perspective is all about the differences between social

groups in the society. True

Answer: Conflict perspective is essentially based on Karl Marx’s thoughts on

class struggle. True

Answer: There are various groups of people in society belonging to different

classes, religions and ideologies. True

Question 5: According to Karl Marx’s theory, society is divided into two groups: Identify

the groups and briefly explain their status.

“The Have’s”

a. The haves (the bosses/ providers of production)

“The Have’s not”

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b. The have not’s (workers of production)

The Haves’s

The “haves” were called “capitalists” because they had all the money needed

to build new factories, mines, railways or other “means of production.”

Also “Haves” are those who are very powerful in society because they control

resources.

The Have Nots

The capitalists would then force the “have-nots,” who he called the

“proletariat (working class),” to work for them. This situation was unfair in

the distribution of wealth within a society that would cause problems.

Also the have nots are the poor people they are powerless as they are at the

receiving ends and have to live as per the whims and fancies of rich people.

Question 6: Account for the family from each of the following perspectives:

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Answer: Interaction theory: This is where the cultural practices of the individual begin;

they develop a cognitive understanding of their society and their place in it through the

family’s social behaviors towards them.

Answer: Functionalism theory: Each member has a role to play to ensure the family

functions as a unit: the father and mother are the providers as the children goes to school

to learn how to be better providers for their families.

Answer: Conflict theory: The man (in some societies) is perceived as the provider; if

the role of the woman in the family is to be more of the provider (even though normally

regarded as the nurturer) this may result in an unstable family and a misconception/conflict

of roles each parent must play.

Question 7: How does symbolic interactionist see society?

Answer: Max Weber's assertion that individuals act according to their

interpretation of the meaning of their world, Money is a symbolic interaction that society

uses to form various bonds.

The social conception of the self-entails that individual selves are the products of social

interaction and not the logical or biological preconditions of that interaction. It is not

initially there at birth, but arises in the process of social experience and activity.

According to Mead, there are three activities through which the self is developed:

Language, play, and game.

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Question 8: (a). Based on the reading which perspective is the most conservative of the

sociological schools of thought? (b).Why do you think this perspective is considered the most

conservative?

Answer: The most conservative perspective would be Functionalism. To the sociologist

you can’t really go out of functionalizing to the greater good of society; whether it be crime,

poverty or a suicidal religious cult they are all functioning to the system of society.

Introduction to Sociology Group #

School: Northern Caribbean University

Teacher: Mrs. Paulene Gaye-Betten

Subject: Introduction to Sociology

Date: February 1, 2016

Group Members Names and ID#

Marlon Forrest: 20151441

Doraine Thyme:

Imuzi Thompson:

Cristal Swaby:

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Vanessa Lewis: