How do we explain and apply theory to Social Phenomena

1
How do we explain and apply theory to Social
Phenomena

• Paper Due Today Collect at the end of the band
• Theory Discussed and applied
• Begin Film today
• 3/8 Exam One Chapter 1, 4,7 25 Match up terms
• 25 Multiple Choice Review Self Quiz in the back
  of each chapter
• 3/12 Complete Film We need to Talk about Kevin
• 3/19 Seminar Families , Guided Questions and
  paper due your evaluation of motherhood We need
  to talk about Kevin
• 4/5 Amusing the Millions Seminar Guided Questions
  due , Use to discuss in Seminar your analysis of
  Coney Island
• 4/9 Women and Economics Due Answer the questions
  in details
• 4/16 Begin Era Presentations Choose a group of
  3-4
• Choose an era 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, One Era
  per group
• Remit your groups names and eras to me by Friday
  3/8 for approval Directions will follow

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Conflict Theory

• How do we explain social phenomena?

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Conflict theory vs Marxism

• Conflict theory power is the core of ALL social
  relationships
• Marxism much like conflict theory but power is
  gained through economics
• Characterized by an economic struggle between the
  haves and have-nots.
• Your examples

4
Conflict Theory

• Alternative to functionalism
• Macrosociological theoretical perspective
• Resentment and hostility are constant elements of
  society
• Power differences among social classes
• Special interest groups fight over scarce
  resources of society
• Interest groups fight to gain advantages over
  others
• Give an example

5
Conflict Theory (Contd)

• Competition puts society off-balance until
  dominant group gains control and stability
  through power
• How is this theory expressed in politics?
• Sex roles, sports, business

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Influences

• Karl Marx (1818-1883)
• Humanist wanted all individuals to reach their
  full human potential
• Believed humans make their own history
  (historical method)
• Controlling material production? division of
  labor? formation of economic social classes?
  Class struggle
• Trying to combine material and ideal factors/
  structural and cultural factors

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Marx (contd)

• Society was a two-class system
• Bourgeoisie (owners of the means of production)
• Proletariat (workers)

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Marx (contd)

• Class differences have a lot to do with
  possession of personal property
• Believed the exploited would become conscious and
  unite? communism ? elimination of class struggle
• Main ideas behind communism are stated in the
  communist manifesto

9
Max Weber (1864-1920)

• Agreed with Marx (economics played a central role
  in power distinction).
• Believed in Two other factors
• Social prestige (status)
• Example someone could be poor and still hold a
  lot of power because of social prestige ? Mother
  Theresa
• Political influence
• Example Politician who has great power, but does
  not earn a big salary

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Max Weber (contd)

• Weber defined power as the ability to impose
  ones will on another, even when the other
  objects (p. 72 CST)
• Authority legitimate power used with consent of
  the ruled
• Distribution of power and authority basis of
  social conflict
• HOWEVER if subordinates believe in the
  authority avoided conflict
• If authority is not recognized as a legitimate
  conflict
• Give an example

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Max Weber (contd)

• People with power want to keep it
• People w/out power want to seek it
• 3 types of authority
• Rational-legal
• Traditional
• Charismatic
• Give examples of people who have gained power,
  keep power through the types of authority listed
  above

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Your activity

• Based on the different sociological
  perspectives/theory
• Apply a theory to the hypothetical and explain
  why your group used that perspective.
• Make a hypothetical choose a theory to explain.
  

13
Begin Film

• We need to Talk about Kevin
• Guided questions on Line and hard copy remitted
• Paper due 3/19 Seminar on families
• Read Chapter 14 by that date, discuss film
• How does the family influence who we are?

14
Georg Simmel (1858-1918)

• Wanted to develop a mathematics of society
• Collection of statements about human
  relationships and social behavior
• Disagreed with Marx that social classes are
  formed horizontally
• There are differences in power and opinions
  within each group.

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Georg Simmel (1858-1918)

• Concepts and contributions
• Rejects organic theory
• Saw society as the sum of individual interaction
• The most important relationship is between
  leaders and followers, superior and subordinates
• Superiordinate and subordinate have a reciprocal
  relationship

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Georg Simmel (1858-1918)

• Believed social action always involves harmony
  and conflict, love and hatred (p.74)
• Secrecy people who hold secrets are in a
  position of power.
• Some groups are formed around secrets and are
  known as secret societies
• are usually in conflict with the greater society
• Initiation creates hierarchy

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Modern Conflict Theory

• Ideas of Marx, Weber, and Simmel resurfaced in
  America in the 1950s through two German
  Sociologists
• Lewis Coser
• Ralph Dahrendorf

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Lewis Coser (1913-2003)

• Defined conflict as a struggle over values and
  claims to scarce status, power and resources in
  which the aims of the opponents are to
  neutralize, injure, or eliminate their rivals.
• Conflicts between intergroups and intragroups are
  part of social life

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Lewis Coser (1913-2003)

• Conflict is part of relationships and is not
  necessarily a sign of instability
• Conflict serves several functions
• Leads to social change
• Can stimulate innovation
• During times of war threat, can increase central
  power

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Lewis Coser (1913-2003)

• Explored sixteen propositions of conflict through
  functions
• Thought that conflict boundaries between
  different groups? unity between individual
  members of that group and determines boundaries
  of power

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Ralf Dahrendorf (1929- )

• Social order is maintained by force from the top
• Tension is constant
• Extreme social change can happen at any time
• there cannot be conflict unless some degreee of
  consensus has already been established (p. 89)
• Once reached, conflict temporarily disappears

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C. Wright Mills (1916-1962)

• Work centered around power
• Several dimensions of inequality (like Weber)
• Power can be independent from economic class
• Version of conflict theory-closer to Webers than
  Marx

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C. Wright Mills (1916-1962)

• Concept of power elite, rather than ruling
  classdifference between Marx and Mills
• There is a triangle of power
• Military
• Industry
• Politics
• White-collar world kept power elite on top

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C. Wright Mills (1916-1962)

• There are three types of power
• Authority power justified by the beliefs of the
  voluntarily obedient
• Manipulation power wielded unknown to the
  powerless
• Coercion the final form of power, where the
  powerless are forced to obey the powerful

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Randall Collins (1941- )

• power and status are fundamental relational
  dimensions at the micro level of social
  interaction and perhaps at the macro level as
  well (p. 96)
• Collins believes there are certain goods that
  every group wants to pursue
• Wealth, power, and prestige
• Concluded that coercion and the ability to
  force others to behave a certain way are the
  primary basis of conflict (p.96)

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Randall Collins (1941- )

• Had a stratified approach to conflict that had 3
  basic principles and 5 principles of conflict
  analysis

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Relevancy

• Maintains that what social order does, is the
  result of power elites coercion of masses
• Those without power seek social change
• Two class system by Marx
• Contemporary conflict theorists dont limit power
  to just economics, but also look at other issues

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Relevancy (contd)

• Three criticisms of conflict theory
• Ignores other ways (i.e. non-forceful ways in
  which people reach agreements
• Sides with people who lack power
• Focuses on economic factors as the sole issue for
  all conflict in society
• This primarily is for Marxs approach

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Relevancy (contd)

• Differences in power are in all types of
  interaction
• Power used to be physical, but now, its legal
  and economic