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Chapter 5 Study Guide
Sociology in our times; The Essentials
29
Sociology
Graduate
03/19/2014

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Term
Aggregate
Definition
people in the same place at same time who lack interaction – airline passengers, shoppers, drivers waiting at a traffic light
Term
Category
Definition
collectivity with shared characteristic or status – students, elderly, Native Americans
Term
Group
Definition
collection of people who know and interact with one another and share identity
symbolic interaction among members
recognition of group membership (identity)
consensus on shared values and goals
social structure – status, roles, rules
Term
Reference group
Definition
those against which we measure ourselves
Influences a person’s behavior and attitudes, regardless of whether they are a member
Term
In group
Definition
those to which we belong and feel a sense of identity– may be divisive but supports members and reinforces identity
Term
Out group
Definition
– those to which we don’t belong and feel a sense of hostility towards – exclusion may be painful or brutal or competitive
Term
Dyad
Definition
2 – action depends on both members to exist; basic unit; fragile
Term
Triad
Definition
3- contain shifting coalitions; building blocks for larger structures
Term
Formal organization
Definition
– Highly structured secondary group formed for the purpose of meeting specific goals; relative permanence, formal structure, stratification, formal program
Term
Normative organizations
Definition
voluntary ones that people join for non-material reasons (pursue a common interest or gain prestige)
Term
Coercive organizations
Definition
involuntary ones that separate people from the larger society; forced to join them
Term
Utilitarian organizations
Definition
ones people voluntarily join for practical, material reasons
Term
Weber’s ideal bureaucracy
Definition
rational and efficient. Ideal type- theoretical device to show characteristics as they would be in circumstances had not changed them.

Characteristics:
Division of labor with system of roles and specialization
Hierarchy of supervision
Work proceeds with records and files
Everyone knows and follows rules
Selection/promotion based on merit and tenure
Workers receive training in their jobs
Job is full time duty of every worker
Impersonality – everyone should be treated the same without personal feelings
BUT doesn’t exist in reality – would be dehumanized if it did
Term
Problems with bureaucracy
Definition
Inefficiency and rigidity
Bureaucratic personality – adherence to rules becomes more important than original objectives
Goal displacement when rules become an end rather than a means to a end. Survival of the organization is more important than goal achievement.
Self protective behavior of officials at the top
Information blockage from top and bottom of the organization
Resistance to change – leads to bureaucratic enlargement and encourages incompetence
Perpetuation of inequalities in race, class and gender
Term
Robert Michel’s Iron law of oligarchy
Definition
in large organizations power falls into the hands of a few by default – rank and file defer to those who have time and energy to keep power
Term
McDonaldization of Bureaucracy
Definition
with emphasis on efficiency, predictability, quantity over quality, and control through nonhuman technology
Term
Informal side of bureaucracy
Definition
those aspects of workers’ activities that ignore, bypass or do not match official rules and procedures of the bureaucracy
Term
Japanese model*
Definition
total quality management
Involve workers in decision making, Quality and customer service, Responsive to market demands, Fewer layers of organization, Highly trained, flexible people, MBWA, Empowerment Team building, Customer first, worker second, manager last
*Lifetime employment in Japan only
Problems: recession still leads to layoffs; workers don’t control corporation
Term
Leadership functions
Definition
Instrumental leadership and Expressive leadership
Term
Instrumental leadership
Definition
goal or task oriented; most appropriate if underlying purpose is to complete a task or accomplish a goal
Term
Expressive leadership
Definition
emotional support for members – appropriate when harmony, solidarity and high morale are needed
Term
Leadership styles
Definition
Authoritarian leaders, Democratic leaders , and Laissez faire leaders
Term
Authoritarian leaders
Definition
make all major decisions and assign tasks to members (may foster inter-group hostility)
Term
Democratic leaders
Definition
encourage group discussion and decision making through consensus building (supportive behavior but indecisive in crisis)
Term
Laissez faire leaders
Definition
are only minimally involved in decision-making. They encourage group members to make their own decisions
Term
Conformity
Definition
is the process of maintaining or changing behavior to comply with norms established by society or a group
Term
Asch’s research
Definition
pressure toward group conformity was so great that participants were willing to contradict their best judgments. Studied visual perception in groups. Size of group and social cohesion influenced response to group pressure.
Term
Milgram’s research
Definition
found people are willing to obey authority even if it would hurt another person. None of the subjects challenged the process of giving electric shock to determine if punishment improves a person’s memory.
Term
Group think
Definition
process by which members of cohesive group arrive at a decision that many individual members privately believe is unwise; mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in cohesive in-group when the members’ striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action.
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