Sociological Theory & Frameworks Flashcards
7 cards from real CSP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Sociological Theory & Frameworks flashcards as text
Which of the following best describes the sociological concept of 'social facts' as defined by Durkheim?
Answer: External social forces that constrain individual action
Durkheim defined social facts as ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that are external to individuals and exercise coercive power over them.
Feminist standpoint theory argues that knowledge is:
Answer: Situated and shaped by the social position of the knower
Standpoint theory, associated with Dorothy Smith and Patricia Hill Collins, holds that one's social location shapes what one can know and how knowledge is produced.
In Weberian sociology, 'ideal types' are best understood as:
Answer: Analytical constructs used to compare real-world phenomena
Weber's ideal types are abstract conceptual tools that highlight key features of a phenomenon to facilitate comparison, not depictions of perfection.
Which concept from Michel Foucault describes how power operates through everyday practices and institutions to regulate individuals?
Answer: Disciplinary power
Foucault's disciplinary power describes how institutions like schools, hospitals, and prisons use surveillance and normalization to control individuals.
The sociological concept of 'role conflict' occurs when:
Answer: Multiple roles held by one person impose contradictory demands
Role conflict arises when the expectations associated with different social roles a person occupies are incompatible with one another.
Which of the following is a key criticism of structural functionalism?
Answer: It tends to justify existing social arrangements as necessary and beneficial
Critics argue that functionalism has a conservative bias because it frames existing institutions as functional and necessary, obscuring power and inequality.
C. Wright Mills' concept of the 'sociological imagination' refers to the ability to:
Answer: Connect personal troubles to broader public social issues
Mills argued that the sociological imagination allows individuals to understand how their private experiences are shaped by larger historical and social forces.