Family, Religion, Education, Health, Population & Social Change
Chapter 13: Family and Religion
Structural-Functional and Social-Exchange Views of the Family
Structural-functionalism views the family as essential to social order and stability, emphasizing its importance to society. Social exchange theory considers partner selection as a rational process, based on what individuals bring to the relationship.
Homogamy
Individuals tend to marry people similar to themselves, particularly in terms of religion and other social characteristics.
Romantic Love in the US
Romantic love is not a stable foundation for marriage, as evidenced by high divorce rates.
The “Sandwich” Generation
This generation is responsible for the care of both their parents and their children.
Durkheim on the Three Functions of Religion for Society
Émile Durkheim identified three major functions of religion: social cohesion, social control, and providing meaning and purpose.
Liberation Theology
This movement combines Christian principles with political activism, often with a Marxist perspective, arguing that social oppression contradicts Christian morality.
Types of Religious Organizations
- Church: An organization well-integrated into the larger society.
- Sect: An organization that stands apart from the larger society.
- Cult: An organization that stands outside of society’s cultural traditions.
Secularization
Secularization is the historical decline in the importance of the supernatural and the sacred, indicating a shift towards worldly concerns.
Chapter 14: Education, Health, and Medicine
US Focus on Education
The US was among the first to set the goal of mass education, emphasizing high standards and practical, equal learning for all.
Functions of Schooling
Schooling serves several functions: socialization, cultural innovation, social integration, social placement, and latent functions.
Cultural Capital Advantage
Middle-class parents often spend more time with their children, focusing on education and creativity, which provides a cultural advantage.
Magnet and Charter Schools
These are public schools that offer greater freedom to experiment with new programs and teaching methods.
Relationship Between Medical Technology and Infectious Disease
In poor countries, advancing medical technology has significantly increased the population.
Biggest Killer in High-Income Nations
Heart disease is the leading cause of death.
Life Expectancy in the US
Life expectancy is shorter due to factors such as poor sanitation, disease, and unsafe water.
Development of Scientific Medicine
It had four stages:
- Colonial times
- Formation of the American Medical Association (AMA)
- The rise of alternative practitioners like chiropractors, herbal healers, and midwives
- Modern medicine
Socialized Medicine
In systems with socialized medicine, the government operates most medical facilities and employs most physicians.
Symbolic-Interaction Approach to Health and Medicine
This approach focuses on the meanings people attach to health and medicine.
Chapter 15: Population, Urbanization, and Environment
Demography
Demography is the study of human populations.
Fertility and Fecundity
- Fertility: The incidence of childbearing in a society’s population.
- Fecundity: The maximum possible childbearing potential.
Age-Sex Pyramid in Low-Income Nations
The age-sex pyramid in low-income nations has a pronounced pyramid shape, reflecting high birth and death rates.
Demographic Transition Theory
This theory has four stages:
- Preindustrial: High birth rates and high death rates.
- Early Industrial: High birth rates and declining death rates.
- Mature Industrial: Declining birth rates and low death rates; population growth slows.
- Postindustrial: Low birth rates and low death rates; population growth is very slow or even declines.
Urban Decentralization
Urban decentralization began in postindustrial Sunbelt cities.
Gesellschaft and Gemeinschaft
- Gesellschaft: People come together based on individual self-interest.
- Gemeinschaft: People are bound together by tradition and shared values.
Environmental Deficit
The environmental deficit is caused by humanity’s focus on short-term material affluence.
Megalopolis
A megalopolis is a vast urban area containing multiple cities and their surrounding suburbs.
Birth Rate in the US
The birth rate in the US is declining, with women, on average, having around two children.
Population Increase in US
The US population has increased due to a combination of high birth rates and low death rates.
Chapter 16: Social Change, Modern and Postmodern Societies
Causes of Social Change
Social change is driven by invention, discovery, and diffusion.
Trends in Demographic Change in the US Over the Last Century
Changing population patterns and migration between societies have played significant roles.
Social Movements Theories
- Deprivation Theory: Social movements arise from people feeling deprived of what they consider essential.
- Culture Theory: Social movements depend not only on material resources but also on cultural symbols.
- Mass-Society Theory: Social movements attract socially isolated people who feel personally insignificant.
New Social Movements
These movements aim to improve the social and physical environment, are often global, and typically draw support from middle- and upper-middle-class individuals.
Reasons Social Movements Decline
Social movements may decline due to achieving their goals, loss of leadership, or dwindling resources. Members may also become fatigued.
View of Modernity in the US
Modernity is often viewed as progress.
Postmodernity
Postmodernity refers to the social patterns characteristic of postindustrial societies.
Key Terms
- Exogamy: Marriage outside a specific social group.
- Endogamy: Marriage within a specific social group.
- Fad: An unconventional social pattern that people embrace briefly but enthusiastically.
- Fashion: A social pattern favored by a large number of people.
- Difference between Fashion and Fad: Fashion reflects underlying cultural values, whereas a fad is short-lived.
- Magnet Schools: Schools with special facilities and programs to promote educational excellence in a specific area.
- Charter Schools: Public schools with more freedom to try new policies and programs.
- Fecundity: The maximum possible childbearing.
- Fertility: The incidence of childbearing in a country’s population.