Social structures
63 flashcards covering Social structures for the MCAT Chem / Phys / Psych / Soc section.
Social structures are the organized patterns of relationships, institutions, and hierarchies that shape how societies function. They include elements like family systems, educational institutions, economic classes, and government frameworks, which influence individual behaviors, social interactions, and access to resources. By understanding social structures, you can grasp how broader societal forces create inequalities and drive cultural changes, making it essential for analyzing human behavior in real-world contexts.
On the MCAT, social structures appear in the psychology and sociology sections, often through questions that explore their impact on health disparities, social mobility, or group dynamics. Expect multiple-choice items that require applying concepts like social stratification or institutional racism, with common traps including confusing personal choices with structural constraints or overlooking intersectionality. Focus on key theories, such as functionalism or conflict theory, and how they explain societal issues to avoid misinterpretations.
A concrete tip: Practice linking social structures to specific health outcomes in sample questions.
Terms (63)
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Social Structure
Social structure refers to the patterned social arrangements in society that are both the result of and influence on individual actions, including institutions, roles, and relationships.
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Social Institution
A social institution is a complex, integrated set of social norms organized around the preservation of a basic societal need, such as family or education.
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Family as a Social Institution
Family serves as a social institution that provides emotional support, socialization, and economic stability, varying across cultures in structure and function.
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Education as a Social Institution
Education functions as a social institution that transmits knowledge, skills, and cultural values to maintain societal stability and promote social mobility.
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Religion as a Social Institution
Religion acts as a social institution that offers meaning, moral guidelines, and community cohesion, influencing social norms and behaviors.
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Economy as a Social Institution
The economy is a social institution involving the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, shaped by cultural and political factors.
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Government as a Social Institution
Government is a social institution that establishes and enforces rules, maintains order, and provides public services to ensure societal functioning.
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Social Stratification
Social stratification is the hierarchical arrangement of individuals in society based on factors like wealth, power, and prestige, leading to unequal access to resources.
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Social Class
Social class is a category of people who share similar economic positions, such as working class or upper class, influencing life opportunities and social interactions.
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Status
Status is a person's position or rank within a social structure, which can be ascribed at birth or achieved through personal effort.
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Role
A role is the set of expectations and behaviors associated with a particular status in society, such as the role of a parent or student.
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Ascribed Status
Ascribed status is a social position assigned at birth or based on characteristics like race or gender, often beyond individual control.
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Achieved Status
Achieved status is a social position attained through personal effort and merit, such as becoming a doctor through education and hard work.
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Master Status
Master status is the most prominent social position that overrides other statuses, like a disability that shapes how others perceive an individual.
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Role Conflict
Role conflict occurs when the expectations of two or more roles clash, such as when a person struggles to balance work and family responsibilities.
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Role Strain
Role strain happens when the demands of a single role are incompatible or overwhelming, like a manager facing conflicting employee expectations.
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Norms
Norms are the established rules and standards of behavior in a society that guide how individuals should act in various situations.
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Values
Values are the shared ideas about what is desirable or important in a culture, such as individualism or equality, that influence social behavior.
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Culture
Culture encompasses the beliefs, customs, arts, and institutions of a group, shaping how people think, feel, and behave in society.
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Material Culture
Material culture consists of the physical objects, such as tools and buildings, that a society creates and uses to reflect its way of life.
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Non-Material Culture
Non-material culture includes intangible elements like language, beliefs, and values that define a society's abstract aspects.
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Subculture
A subculture is a group within a larger culture that shares distinct norms, values, and behaviors, such as a youth subculture with unique music preferences.
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Counterculture
Counterculture is a subculture that actively rejects and opposes the dominant culture's values, like the hippie movement challenging mainstream norms.
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Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture is superior to others, leading to judgment or misunderstanding of different social practices.
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Cultural Relativism
Cultural relativism is the idea that behaviors and beliefs should be understood within the context of their own culture, rather than judged by external standards.
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Socialization
Socialization is the process by which individuals learn and internalize the norms, values, and behaviors of their society from birth onward.
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Agents of Socialization
Agents of socialization are the people, groups, and institutions, like family and schools, that transmit cultural knowledge to individuals.
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Primary Socialization
Primary socialization occurs in early childhood through close relationships, primarily with family, establishing basic identity and values.
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Secondary Socialization
Secondary socialization happens later in life through institutions like schools and workplaces, building on primary socialization to adapt to broader society.
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Resocialization
Resocialization is the process of discarding old behaviors and adopting new ones, often in institutional settings like prisons or the military.
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Deviance
Deviance is behavior that violates social norms, which can be positive or negative and often leads to social reactions like stigma or punishment.
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Stigma
Stigma is a negative social label that discredits an individual based on a perceived flaw, such as mental illness, affecting social interactions.
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Social Control
Social control is the mechanisms and strategies societies use to encourage conformity to norms, including laws and peer pressure.
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Formal Sanctions
Formal sanctions are official punishments or rewards enforced by authorities, such as fines for breaking laws or promotions at work.
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Informal Sanctions
Informal sanctions are unofficial reactions to behavior, like social disapproval or praise from peers, that reinforce norms.
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Groups
Groups are collections of people who interact regularly and share a sense of identity, influencing individual behavior and social structure.
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Primary Group
A primary group is a small, intimate group, like family or close friends, characterized by strong emotional ties and long-term interactions.
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Secondary Group
A secondary group is a larger, impersonal group, such as a workplace or club, focused on achieving specific goals rather than deep relationships.
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In-Group
An in-group is a social group to which an individual feels they belong, often leading to favoritism toward its members.
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Out-Group
An out-group is a social group that an individual perceives as different or opposing, often resulting in prejudice or discrimination.
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Reference Group
A reference group is a group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating their own attitudes and behaviors, whether or not they are members.
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Social Networks
Social networks are the web of relationships and connections among individuals that facilitate the flow of information and resources in society.
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Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy is a formal organization characterized by a hierarchical structure, division of labor, and rules to efficiently manage complex tasks.
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Anomie
Anomie is a state of normlessness or social instability, often resulting from rapid social change, that can lead to feelings of alienation.
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Alienation
Alienation is the sense of estrangement or disconnection from society, work, or oneself, frequently linked to modern industrial structures.
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Social Mobility
Social mobility is the movement of individuals or groups between different positions in the social hierarchy, either upward or downward.
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Vertical Mobility
Vertical mobility involves changing social status to a higher or lower level, such as rising from working class to middle class through education.
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Horizontal Mobility
Horizontal mobility is the movement within the same social level, like changing jobs without altering one's social class.
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Intergenerational Mobility
Intergenerational mobility refers to changes in social status between generations, such as a child achieving a higher education than their parents.
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Intragenerational Mobility
Intragenerational mobility is the change in an individual's social status over their own lifetime, often through career advancement.
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Social Inequality
Social inequality is the unequal distribution of resources and opportunities in society, based on factors like class, race, and gender.
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Discrimination
Discrimination is the unfair treatment of individuals based on group membership, such as race or gender, limiting their social opportunities.
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Prejudice
Prejudice is a preconceived negative attitude toward a group, often without basis, that can lead to discriminatory actions.
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Racism
Racism is the belief in the superiority of one race over others, resulting in systemic inequalities and social disadvantages for certain groups.
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Sexism
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on sex or gender, perpetuating unequal power dynamics between men and women.
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Ageism
Ageism is the stereotyping and discrimination against individuals based on their age, affecting opportunities in employment and social settings.
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Globalization
Globalization is the process of increasing interconnectedness among societies through trade, technology, and culture, impacting social structures worldwide.
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Urbanization
Urbanization is the growth of cities and the shift of population from rural to urban areas, altering social structures and community dynamics.
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Demography
Demography is the study of population characteristics, such as size, growth, and distribution, which influence social structures and resources.
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Population Growth Rate
Population growth rate is the percentage change in a population over time, calculated as births minus deaths plus net migration, affecting social and economic systems.
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Functionalism in Social Structures
Functionalism views social structures as essential components that work together to maintain societal stability, with each part serving a specific function.
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Conflict Theory in Social Structures
Conflict theory sees social structures as arenas of inequality and power struggles, where dominant groups maintain control over subordinate ones.
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Symbolic Interactionism in Social Structures
Symbolic interactionism focuses on how individuals create and interpret social structures through everyday interactions and shared meanings.