Social Psychology homework help

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PSY 228 Social Psychology

Tracking Your Academic Activities Verifying an accurate course completion time is essential for accreditation. To meet both accreditation requirements and award academic credit, educational institutions must document the total number of hours students spend completing designated academic activities related to their coursework.

The total hours are then translated into academic credit based on a prescribed method of measuring educational attainment known as the Carnegie Unit. 90 hours of student preparation time and 45 hours of student engagement time are required for a 3 credit hour course.

Using the attached form as an example, keep track of the time you spend on each lesson, pre-test, self-test, unit test, writing assignment, reading assignment, outside reading, final examination, etc. You will not be required to turn in the worksheet; however, at the end of the course you will receive a Student Course Survey and the final question will ask how long it took you to complete the course. Your assistance in completing this requirement and providing the university with this valuable data is greatly appreciated.

As you fill out the worksheet, please keep in mind that your Academic Engagement Activities should total approximately 45 hours. Some examples of this type of activity may include:

Lesson Review Exercises

Key Term Reviews

Analysis

Study Guide Review

Writing Assignments

Review Grading Rubric

Unit Examinations

Proctored Final Examination

Course Academic Online Discussions

Student/Instructor Interaction

Documents/Student Resources

As you fill out the Academic Preparation Activities, please keep in mind that these should total approximately 90 hours. Some samples of this type of activity may include:

Pre-Test

Reading Assignments

Key Term Reviews

Studying for Examinations

Writing Assignments

Review Grading Rubric

Study Lesson Review Exercises

Internet/Web Research

Reading Websites

Suggested Readings

Table of Contents

xxxiv

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Syllabus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii-xx

Unit One Chapter 1: Introduction to Sociological Social Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2: Perspectives in Sociological Social Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 3: Studying People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Unit 1 Examination Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Unit 1 Examination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Unit 1 Writing Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Unit Two

Chapter 4: The Social Psychology of Stratification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Chapter 5: Self and Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Chapter 6: Socialization Over the Life Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Unit 2 Examination Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Unit 2 Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Unit 2 Writing Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Unit Three

Chapter 7: The Social Psychology of Deviance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Chapter 8: Mental Health and Illness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Chapter 9: Attitudes, Values and Behaviors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Unit 3 Examination Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Unit 3 Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Unit 3 Writing Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Unit Four Chapter 10: The Sociology of Sentiment and Emotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Chapter 11: Collective Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Unit 4 Examination Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Unit 4 Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Unit 4 Writing Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Final Examination Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Final Exam Scheduling Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Objectives

Instructions to Students

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Chapter One Introduction to Sociological Social Psychology

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Define social psychology.

2. Differentiate between macrosociology and microsociology.

3. Compare and contrast sociologists and psychologists’ approach to social psychology.

4. Identify the three major perspectives in sociological social psychology.

• Read pages 1-24 of your textbook

• Reference: Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives by Rohall, Milkie and Lucas, 2nd edition, 2011

Overview

PSY 228 Social Psychology

This chapter is designed to give students an understanding of how sociologists study social psychology and its role in the larger field of sociology. Students will gain an understanding of the distinction between psychology and sociology and be able to explain the major sociological social psychology perspectives.

Key Terms

The key terms listed below are terms with which you should be familiar. Write your definition below each item. Check your answers at the end of this chapter.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Breaching experiments:

Culture:

Ethnomethodology:

Macrosociology:

Organizations:

Psychology:

Roles:

Social norms:

Social psychology:

Sociological imagination:

Symbolic interactionism:

Summary

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Sociology is the study of society. Sociologists look at society from both the macro and the micro level of analysis. Both psychological and sociological social psychologists study the social contexts of human thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Sociologists, however, also apply the perspectives and methods of the field of sociology to the study of social psychology.

Sociology was first defined in 1838 by French social philosopher, August Comte, who applied the principles of the scientific method to society. Some of the founders of sociological social psychology include George Herbert Mead, W.E.B. Dubois, William Thomas, Charles Horton Cooley and George Simmel. Three major perspectives in sociological social psychology include symbolic interactionism, social structure and personality and group processes.

Sociologists use a tool kit consisting of methods and concepts for studying the role of society in social psychological processes. Their tools include such concepts as statuses, roles, norms and values, culture and social institutions—which they apply to the study of human thoughts—feelings and behavior.

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Circle the correct answer)

1. How can macrosociological perspectives be used to study individual, micro-level interactions?

a. Macrosociological conditions may cause some individual-level conditions to exist in the first place. b. Differences in our macrosociological conditions may change the way we react to life events. c. Life events that affect us the most are often caused by societal conditions. d. All of the above.

2. Janna wanted to study the effects of population size on individuals’ decision to commit suicide. Which social psychological perspective is she most likely to use?

a. psychology b. sociology c. sociological social psychology d. psychological social psychology

3. Which macrosociological perspective views society as social systems composed of parts that serve to keep the system working properly?

a. conflict perspective b. symbolic interactionism c. behavioralism d. structural functionalism

4. Joe started noticing that kids from the upper classes tend to get accepted at better colleges than the kids from the middle and lower classes. His analysis probably comes from which macrosociological perspective?

a. conflict perspective b. symbolic interactionism c. behavioralism d. structural functionalism

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

5. Sociological social psychology is different from psychological social psychology because:

a. it focuses on the effects of societal conditions on individuals’ thoughts, feelings and behavior. b. it incorporates sociological perspectives and theories to explain individuals’ thoughts, feelings and behavior. c. it is a subfield of sociology, not psychology. d. All of the above.

6. Social psychology is the systematic study of individual thoughts, feelings and behavior in a social context. Which of the following social contexts are more likely to be studied by sociologists than psychologists?

a. small groups b. family interactions c. ethnic groups d. friendship groups

Answer Keys

Key Term Definitions

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Breaching experiments: Experiments that violate the established social order to assess how people construct social reality.

Culture: A society’s set of unique patterns of behavior and beliefs.

Ethnomethodology: A method of studying society through observation of people’s typical day-to-day interactions.

Macrosociology: The study of large-scale social processes.

Organizations: Groups that share a common purpose and contain a formal set of rules and authority structure.

Psychology: The study of human thought processes and behaviors.

Roles: A set of expectations about how to behave in a group.

Social norms: The rules that regulate our behavior in relationships.

Social psychology: The systematic study of people’s thoughts, feelings and behavior in social contexts.

Sociological imagination: The ability to see personal lives in the context of the larger society— its history, culture and social structure.

Symbolic interactionism: A perspective within sociological social psychology that emphasizes the study of how people negotiate the meaning of social life during their interactions with other people.

Answers to Self Test

Answer Keys

PSY 228 Social Psychology

1. d

2. c

3. d

4. a

5. d

6. c

Notes

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Objectives

Instructions to Students

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Chapter Two Perspectives in Sociological Social Psychology

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Distinguish the major principles of the symbolic interaction perspective.

2. Define what it means to “construct” the world around us.

3. Characterize the social structure and personality perspective.

4. Identify key elements of the group processes perspective.

5. Consider elements of group structure.

• Read pages 25-53 of your textbook

• Reference: Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives by Rohall, Milkie and Lucas, 2nd edition, 2011

Overview

PSY 228 Social Psychology

This chapter provides an extensive review of three major perspectives in sociological social psychology. Students will learn about the history, theoretical and empirical importance of the three perspectives. The chapter begins with an overview of the history and tenets of symbolic interactionism. This is followed by a review of the two major schools of symbolic interactionism.

Key Terms

The key terms listed below are terms with which you should be familiar. Write your definition below each item. Check your answers at the end of this chapter.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Agency:

Collective behavior:

Components principle:

Frame analysis:

Legitimacy:

Proximity principle:

Psychology principle:

Reference groups:

Social scripts:

Thomas theorem:

Summary

PSY 228 Social Psychology

There are three broad perspectives in sociological social psychology: symbolic interactionism, social structure and personality and group processes.

Symbolic interactionism is the study of how people negotiate meaning during their interactions with others. Within this approach, two schools of symbolic interactionism exists: the Chicago school and the Iowa and Indiana schools.

The social structure and personality perspective emphasizes how social structure affects individuals within a society. Structural forces include status, roles and social networks.

The group processes perspective focuses on interactions that occur within groups, characteristics of groups and relationships among groups. Processes studied by those in the group processes perspective include power, status, justice and legitimacy.

A group’s behavior is influenced by structural conditions including its size and its function. Group research may focus on structure or on other aspects of group processes, such as the relationship between groups and the behavior of larger groups of people called collective behavior.

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Circle the correct answer)

1. Which social theorists are most associated with the concept of the social construction of reality?

a. Marx and Engels b. Thomas and Thomas c. Berger and Luckmann d. Blumer and Mead

2. A local fraternity developed a special hand signal whenever they see each other on the university quad. In symbolic interactionist terms, this signal has become a ______________ for this group.

a. meaningful exchange b. important source of pride c. language d. symbol

3. Terence started to believe that a friend at work is really a spy from another company, leading him to avoid interactions with that person as much as possible. Ultimately, he treats all interactions with her as suspect, making him reluctant to share any work-related information with her. Which of the following best explains Terence’s behavior?

a. components principle of the social structure and personality perspective b. the Thomas theorem c. the peter principle d. the group processes concept of legitimacy

4. Who coined the expression “symbolic interaction”?

a. Emile Durkheim b. Herbert Blumer c. August Comte d. George Herbert Mead

5. Professor Swanson is studying the meaning of “goodness” using a survey of public attitudes toward the topic. Which school of symbolic interaction is she most likely using in her research?

a. the Chicago school b. the Indiana/Iowa school c. the Swanson school d. the sociological social psychology school

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

6. Socioeconomic status (social class), race or ethnicity, gender, age and sexuality all relate to which principle of the social structure and personality perspective?

a. components principle b. proximity principle c. psychology principle d. peter principle

Answer Keys

Key Term Definitions

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Agency: The ability to act and think independent of the constraints imposed by social conditions.

Collective behavior: The action or behavior of people in groups or crowds.

Components principle: Within the social structure and personality perspective, the ability to identify the elements or components of society most likely to affect a given attitude or behavior.

Frame analysis: The process by which individuals transform the meaning of a situation using basic cognitive structures provided by society.

Legitimacy: The perception that a social arrangement or position is the way that things should be.

Proximity principle: Element of the social structure and personality perspective referring to how people are affected by social structure through their immediate social environments.

Psychology principle: Element of the social structure and personality perspective referring to how individuals internalize proximal experiences.

Reference groups: People we look to as a source of standards and identity.

Social scripts: The appropriate thoughts, feelings and behaviors that should be displayed in a particular social frame.

Thomas theorem: Theorem stating that when people define situations as real, the consequences of those situations become real.

Answers to Self Test

Answer Keys

PSY 228 Social Psychology

1. c

2. d

3. b

4. b

5. b

6. a

Notes

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Objectives

Instructions to Students

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Chapter Three Studying People

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Become acquainted with the vocabulary of social science research.

2. Differentiate qualitative sociology from quantitative sociology.

3. Determine major forms of qualitative and quantitative research.

4. Assess how social scientists begin to develop a research project.

• Read pages 54-82 of your textbook

• Reference: Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives by Rohall, Milkie and Lucas, 2nd edition, 2011

Overview

PSY 228 Social Psychology

The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of the techniques sociological social psychologists use to study people, emphasizing theoretical differences on the appropriate means of obtaining social-psychological data.

Key Terms

The key terms listed below are terms with which you should be familiar. Write your definition below each item. Check your answers at the end of this chapter.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Categorical variables:

Ethnography:

Focus groups:

Indices:

Interval variables:

Ordinal variables:

Population:

Qualitative research methods:

Reliability:

Snowball sample:

Validity:

Summary

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Several concepts apply to almost any research project. Researchers regularly use terms such as theory, research questions or hypotheses and variables to describe ways of studying people.

Researchers employ qualitative and quantitative techniques to study human subjects. Qualitative research methods include field research and in-depth interviews. Quantitative methods include survey research and experiments.

The steps in developing most research projects include assessing the theory and literature of the research topic, developing research questions or specific hypotheses, choosing the appropriate research methods, conducting data analysis and reporting the results.

Although there is no rule about whether a particular theory should or should not use quantitative or qualitative methods to study people, symbolic interactionists have traditionally relied more on qualitative methods. Many researchers try to employ multiple methods of studying a particular phenomenon.

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Circle the correct answer)

1. How are social theories and hypotheses related to one another?

a. Theories include general statements about social relationships while hypotheses are more specific statements about how variables will relate to one another. b. Theories are an extension of hypotheses. c. Theories are used to develop hypotheses. d. both a and c

2. Samantha started a research project predicting that men would be more supportive of using military forces to go to war than women. In this case, attitudes toward going to war is what kind of variable?

a. index b. scale c. independent variable d. dependent variable

3. In preparing for a survey of country club members, Donella asked the manager of the club for a list of members. This list refers to a _______________.

a. random sample b. probability sample c. sample list d. sampling frame

4. Which of the following types of samples is considered most representative of any given population?

a. random sample b. convenience sample c. snowball sample d. both b and c

5. An instructor asks you to develop a study of the homeless that will provide a great deal of depth into what it is like to be homeless. Given this mandate, which of the following methods would most likely give the information you need for such a project?

a. ethnography b. focus group c. survey d. experiment

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

6. A sample in which any available person is included in the study is known as a ____________ sample.

a. true b. convenience c. odd d. real time

Answer Keys

Key Term Definitions

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Categorical variables: Measures for which the possible responses have no particular order.

Ethnography: A form of field research that includes a descriptive analysis of a group or organization.

Focus groups: Semistructured interviews with small groups of people.

Indices: A series of related questions designed to measure a concept such as mastery.

Interval variables: A type of variable in which the difference between any two adjacent values is the same.

Ordinal variables: Variables for which response categories are ordered but the distances between adjacent categories are not necessarily equal.

Population: The larger group of people about whom a researcher seeks to draw conclusions.

Qualitative research methods: In-depth, semi-structured modes of observation or interviewing of subjects.

Reliability: When a study yields the same results using the same techniques and data.

Snowball sample: Samples in which informants provide contact information about other people who share some of the characteristics necessary for a study.

Validity: How valid or accurate the findings of the study are.

Answers to Self Test

Answer Keys

PSY 228 Social Psychology

1. d

2. a

3. d

4. a

5. a

6. b

Notes

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Unit 1 Examination Instructions

The Unit Examination

The unit examination contains 25 multiple choice questions, as well as a writing assignment.

Your grade on the examination will be determined by the percentage of correct answers. The university utilizes the following grading system:

A = 90% – 100% correct B = 80% – 89% correct C = 70% – 79% correct D = 60% – 69% correct F = 59% and below correct

4 grade points 3 grade points 2 grade points 1 grade point 0 grade points

Completing Unit One Examination

Before beginning your examination, we recommend that you thoroughly review the textbook chapters and other materials covered in each unit and follow the suggestions in the mastering the course content section of the syllabus.

This unit examination consists of objective test questions as well as a comprehensive writing assignment selected to reflect the learning objectives identified in each chapter covered so far in your textbook.

Additional detailed information on completing the examination, writing standards and how to submit your completed examination may be found in the syllabus for this course.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Unit 1 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Enter your answers on the enclosed answer sheet)

1. Which early sociologists emphasized the role of society in the development of the self?

a. George Herbert Mead b. Karl Marx c. Georg Simmer d. Herbert Blumer

2. Which sociological social psychology perspective emphasizes the role of meaning and the social construction of meaning in the study of social psychology?

a. symbolic interaction b. social structure and personality c. group processes d. structural functionalism

3. Which sociological social psychology perspective is likely to emphasize the importance of roles and statuses in the study of social psychology?

a. symbolic interaction b. social structure and personality c. group processes d. structural functionalism

4. Which sociological social psychology perspective is likely to emphasize the importance of interactions within groups?

a. symbolic interaction b. social structure and personality c. group processes d. structural functionalism

5. The sociological imagination is associated with which social theorists?

a. Emile Durkheim b. Max Weber c. C. Wright Mills d. Auguste Comte

Unit 1 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

6. The expectation to look someone in the eye when talking with them refers to a _______________.

a. norm b. role c. value d. belief

7. Derek’s job as a supervisor refers to his relative _______________ in the company while the expectations for how to behave on the job refers to his ________________.

a. role; status b. job; role c. status; role d. status; job

8. Which institution regulates sexual relations and child-rearing in society?

a. economy and work b. politics c. family d. religion

9. Which institution refers to the rituals and beliefs regarding sacred things?

a. economy and work b. politics c. family d. religion

10. Franklin did not think much about how the economy or society affects his life until he lost his job. Franklin’s internal processesing of his job loss best represents which principle from the social structure and personality perspective?

a. components principle b. psychology principle c. propinquity principle d. proximity principle

Unit 1 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

11. After Donna cheated on her most recent exam, she starts to feel a sense of guilt, making her reconsider whether she wants to do it again. Donna’s feelings of guilt can be considered a ______________, according to the social structure and personality perspective, leading her to rethink her future behaviors.

a. social more b. social norm c. social force d. social fear

12. Which of the following is considered a major dimension of group processes?

a. power b. justice c. legitimacy d. All of the above.

13. Janelle wants to study how and why some people are able to tell other people what to do while others can not. What aspect of group processes is she studying?

a. power b. status c. justice d. legitimacy

14. What social psychologist is most associated with the concepts of dyads and triads?

a. Emile Durkheim b. August Comte c. Herbert Blumer d. Georg Simmel

15. The difference between dyads and triads is important because:

a. moving from a dyad to a triad exponentially increases the number of relationships available in an interaction. b. moving from a dyad to a triad exponentially decreases the amount of intimacy possible in a group. c. moving from a dyad to a triad exponentially decreases the number of relationships available in an interaction. d. both a and b

Unit 1 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

16. A group of friends getting together for dinner represents a ______________ group while a group of people at your work represents a _____________ group.

a. reference; primary b. primary; reference c. primary; secondary d. secondary; reference

17. Bob goes to the beach on a hot summer day and is surprised when he observes a group of people dressed in formal wear sitting in beach chairs amongst sunbathers. Bob was surprised because the ______________ did not meet his expectations for that situation.

a. situation b. social scripts c. frame d. All of the above.

18. ____________ require the researcher to weigh individual items differently.

a. Indices b. Scales c. both a and b d. None of the above.

19. Which of the following methods is MOST likely to show causation?

a. ethnography b. focus group c. survey d. experiment

20. An instructor developed a study to determine ways of producing more participation in his classes. In one class she provided free donuts everyday of class while in another she gave them nothing. She had her assistant takes notes on the number of comments and questions students made in each class. Which of these classes represent the control group?

a. the class not given the donuts b. the class given the donuts c. other classes that are not part of the experiment d. both classes would be considered the control group

Unit 1 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

21. ____________ developed the field of operant conditioning; much of his work relied on experiments using rats and pigeons.

a. Carl Jung b. B.F. Skinner c. Sigmund Freud d. Joseph Berger

22. At what step in the research process does the researcher employ the library and other resources and conduct a literature review?

a. step 1 b. step 2 c. step 3 d. step 4

23. At what step in the research process does the researcher actually go out and collect data?

a. step 1 b. step 2 c. step 3 d. step 4

24. Research conducted by interviews, participant observations and ethnographies is referred to as what kind of research?

a. quantitative b. qualitative c. breeching d. experimental

25. Social scientists must always be concerned with _______________ and _______________ to accurately capture the phenomena in question.

a. truth and reliability b. reliability and validity c. truth and validity d. probability and validity

Unit 1 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Writing Assignment for Unit One

• Include your name, student number, course number, course title and unit number on each page of your writing assignment (this is for your protection in case your materials become separated).

• Begin each writing assignment by identifying the question number you are answering followed by the actual question itself (in bold type).

• Use a standard essay format for responses to all questions (i.e., an introduction, middle paragraphs and conclusion).

• Responses must be submitted as a MS Word Document only, typed double-spaced, using a standard font (i.e. Times New Roman) and 12 point type size.

Word count is NOT one of the criteria that is used in assigning points to writing assignments. However, students who are successful in earning the maximum number of points tend to submit writing assignments that fall in the following ranges:

Undergraduate courses: 350 – 500 words or 1 – 2 pages. Graduate courses: 500 – 750 words or 2 – 3 pages. Doctoral courses: 750 – 1000 words or 4 – 5 pages.

Plagiarism

Please answer ONE of the following:

1. Think about the concept of poverty. How would a macro-level sociologist study this concept differently than a micro-level sociologist?

2. Discuss how symbolic interactionists define the concept of society. What role do symbols and language play in the development of society?

3. Discuss the ways that group structures can impact interaction in groups. Specifically, examine how group size (i.e., dyads and triads) and types of groups (e.g., primary groups) impact interactions between people.

You Can Do It

PSY 228 Social Psychology

You have just completed Unit 1 of this course.

You are off to a great start!

Keep up the good work!

Objectives

Instructions to Students

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Chapter Four The Social Psychology of Stratification

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Interpret how people construct inequality in society.

2. Determine how structure is linked to interactions.

3. Evaluate how stratification develops in group interaction.

4. Judge how inequalities from society-at-large get reproduced in groups.

• Read pages 84-120 of your textbook

• Reference: Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives by Rohall, Milkie and Lucas, 2nd edition, 2011

Overview

PSY 228 Social Psychology

One of the major ways that sociological social psychology is different from its counterpart in psychology is its greater emphasis on the role of stratification in social psychological processes. There are several ways in which stratification affects our lives and relationships. Symbolic interactionists sometimes address how we create and maintain definitions of different classes of people. Social structure and personality scholars emphasize how structural conditions, often related to work, education, or family settings affect people. Those in the group processes perspective examine how stratification systems from the larger society become reproduced in groups. We will use each of these perspectives to examine how stratification processes occur in our day-to-day lives.

Key Terms

The key terms listed below are terms with which you should be familiar. Write your definition below each item. Check your answers at the end of this chapter.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Borderwork:

Direct exchanges:

Doing difference:

Feedback loop:

Intersectionality:

Routinization:

Social capital:

Social exchange theory:

Social stratification:

Substantive complexity:

Summary

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Three ways that interactionist researchers focus on stratification processes include examining how social structure shapes who we interact with, accounting for inequalities in the content of interactions, acknowledging how people with certain status characteristics have more power in terms of role taking and examining people’s power to define situations and define themselves.

The Wisconsin Model of Status Attainment traces the relationships among individual’s class position, their abilities and their long-term occupational outcomes.

The effect of networking among individuals from different groups creates a variety of outcomes for those involved, depending on the status of the individuals in a group as well as the status of the group itself.

Values serve as a guide for making decisions about the future, ultimately affecting the types of jobs we attain and class position we have in life, producing a feedback loop between our personality and social positions.

Group processes contribute to our understanding of structural developments by studying the exchanges among individuals in groups. Exchange processes lend themselves to the development of status structures because people bring different types and quantities of resources into the process. People who contribute more to a group or have more resources generally achieve a higher status in groups.

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Circle the correct answer)

1. Shirley Brice Heath’s research on the socialization of status and race among Whites and Blacks in the rural-Piedmont Carolinas is important because:

a. it shows how social class influences how we interact with other people. b. it shows how historical and social conditions can affect our day-to-day interactions. c. it shows that White people have an advantage over African-Americans in getting into good colleges. d. both a and b

2. Which perspective in sociological social psychology is more likely to examine the effects of stratification in day-to-day exchanges between people?

a. symbolic interaction b. social structure and personality c. group processes d. structural functionalism

3. Which of the following is the best example of “borderwork”?

a. a group of teenage boys smoking cigarettes in a high-school parking lot b. a group of girls at a slumber party c. a group of boys and girls playing “kiss and chase” d. a group of boys and girls being lectured to about poor behavior

4. Elijah Anderson’s study of inner city norms and values show that:

a. inner city residents tend to be submissive in the face of their poverty. b. inner city residents are taught to develop a toughness to deal with challenges of poverty and poor living conditions. c. most inner city residents accept most traditional norms from the larger culture. d. both b and c

5. An intersectional approach is essential to understanding the dynamics of stratification because it allows us to the look at the multitude of ways in which our statuses and positions affect our experience.

a. True b. False

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

6. According to the Wisconsin Model of Status Attainment, how does our social background influence our occupational status in life?

a. It shows that our social background influences with whom we spend time. b. It shows that our social background influences our mental abilities. c. It shows that our social background affects our educational levels. d. All of the above.

Answer Keys

Key Term Definitions

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Borderwork: The creation of social and physical boundaries between boys and girls.

Direct exchanges: Exchanges between two people.

Doing difference: Any way in which inequality in any form (race, class or gender) is perpetuated during our interactions as people are held accountable to the social categories in which they are a part.

Feedback loop: A process in which our class position influences the development of values that, in turn, influences the type of job we seek.

Intersectionality: The idea that race, gender and class statuses are not separate but interlocking systems of inequality.

Routinization: Part of Kohn and Schooler’s model of status attainment referring to the level of repetitiveness found on the job.

Social capital: Trust and support found in relationships with other people.

Social exchange theory: Theory based on the premise that individuals enter into relationships that provide some benefit to them and end or leave relationships that do not provide some sort of reward.

Social stratification: The ways in which individuals or groups are ranked in society.

Substantive complexity: Part of Kohn and Schooler’s model of status attainment referring to how complicated the actual work is on the job.

Answers to Self Test

Answer Keys

PSY 228 Social Psychology

1. d

2. a

3. c

4. d

5. a

6. d

Notes

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Objectives

Instructions to Students

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Chapter Five Self and Identity

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Identify the components of the self.

2. Determine interactionist theories of the self and identity.

3. Characterize three dimensions of the self-concept.

4. Analyze what we know from research on the self-concept.

5. Interpret how group processes affect identity.

• Read pages 121-149 of your textbook

• Reference: Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives by Rohall, Milkie and Lucas, 2nd edition, 2011

Overview

PSY 228 Social Psychology

This chapter reviews the different ways that sociologists study the meaning of the concepts of self and identity and the structural and group conditions that impact the self. It will address the components of the self; interactionist theories of the self and identity; three dimensions of self- concept; and how group processes affect identity.

Key Terms

The key terms listed below are terms with which you should be familiar. Write your definition below each item. Check your answers at the end of this chapter.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Affect-control theory:

Backstage:

Dramaturgical sociology:

Emotional arousal:

Identity:

Mastery:

Mattering:

Me:

Personal characteristics:

Psychological centrality:

Self:

Self-enhancement:

Self-esteem:

Self-indication:

Verbal persuasion:

Vicarious experience:

Summary

PSY 228 Social Psychology

From a symbolic interactionist perspective, the self is a process in which we construct a sense of who we are. We use symbols and language to communicate with other people, but we also use language to think internally. The self includes a dialogue between the “I” and the “Me”.

Identity includes our social categories and personal characteristics. Identity theory examines how social conditions affect the salience of identities and thus our behavior. Affect-control theory incorporates emotions in identity processes.

The self-concept refers to all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves as an object, often studied in the form of identities, self-esteem, mattering and mastery. Class, race, and gender are important social statuses that influence our self-development over time. Social identity theory argues that people define and evaluate themselves in terms of the groups they belong to, including one’s race and gender.

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Circle the correct answer)

1. What part of the self-concept is mastery?

a. the self b. self-identities c. self-evaluations d. self indication

2. Debating what other people are thinking about you in a public setting is best represented by what term?

a. self-concept b.self-identities c. self-evaluations d. self indication

3. According to Mead, which aspect of our self is out in public, constantly processing new information related to the self?

a. the “I” b. the “Me” c. self-concept d. self indication

4. Which of the following is NOT an element of identity?

a. social categories b. role identities c. personal characteristics d. self attitudes

5. Being a Canadian applies to which aspect of identity?

a. social categories b. role identities c. personal characteristics d. self attitudes

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

6. Identity theory comes from which social-psychological perspective?

a. symbolic interaction b. social structure and personality c. group processes d. structural functional

Answer Keys

Key Term Definitions

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Affect-control theory: The theory that incorporates elements of symbolic interactionism and identity theory to explain the role of emotion in identity processes.

Backstage: Part of dramaturgical sociology referring to the region where we relax our impression management efforts.

Dramaturgical sociology: The study of how we present ourselves, playing roles and managing impressions during interactions with other people.

Emotional arousal: Inferences about our abilities based on our emotional states that we use to build our sense of mastery.

I: The part of the self that is active, engaging in interactions with others.

Identity: Our internalized, stable sense of who we are.

Mastery: Our perceptions of our ability to control things important to us.

Mattering: Our sense that we are important to other people in the world.

Me: The part of the self that includes an organized set of attitudes toward the self.

Personal characteristics: Anything we use to describe our individual nature.

Psychological centrality: Our ability to shift aspects of the self to become more or less important to our overall self-concept.

Self: A process in which we construct a sense of who we are through interaction with others.

Self-enhancement: In social identity theory, the process through which we make comparisons that favor our own groups.

Self-esteem: The positive or negative evaluation of our self as an object.

Self-indication: The use of symbols and language to communicate internally.

Verbal persuasion: Information from others about our abilities used to derive mastery.

Vicarious experience: A way of building mastery by seeing other people perform tasks; it shows us that the task is accomplishable.

Answers to Self Test

Answer Keys

PSY 228 Social Psychology

1. c

2. d

3. a

4. d

5. a

6. a

Notes

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Objectives

Instructions to Students

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Chapter Six Socialization Over the Lifer Course

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Critique how society influences the social construction of the self.

2. Chart the stages involved in developing the self.

3. Name the four elements of life-course sociology.

4. Consider agents of socialization and how they affect our lives.

5. Assess how group processes researchers study socialization.

• Read pages 150-187 of your textbook

• Reference: Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives by Rohall, Milkie and Lucas, 2nd edition, 2011

Overview

PSY 228 Social Psychology

The goal of this chapter is to define socialization and the life course and the major theories and research associated with these ideas.

Key Terms

The key terms listed below are terms with which you should be familiar. Write your definition below each item. Check your answers at the end of this chapter.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Agency:

Birth cohort:

Contextual dissonance:

Gender socialization:

Idiocultures:

Life course:

Life events:

Linked lives:

Looking-glass self:

Pygmalion effect:

Socialization:

Summary

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Sociologists study socialization processes at every stage of development from childhood to late adulthood. The self develops through a symbolic process. An essential aspect of self-development is the ability to take the role of the other.

The sociology of childhood focuses on how children are active participants in creating culture. Life-course sociology is based on the notion that humans adapt to different situations based on their social and historical location, relative to different events and cultural “moments.” Four major themes in life-course sociology include historical context, timing, linked lives and agency.

Sociologists view agents of socialization as mediators of the larger society rather than direct causes of socialization. The family is considered the primary agent of socialization because children are raised from infancy with parents and often siblings. Schools and peers are two other important agents of socialization.

The group processes perspective often examines the role of socialization after it has occurred, reviewing, for instance, how expectations about gender or race affect group interactions.

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Circle the correct answer)

1. Sammy is using dolls to represent people in a doll house. Based on Mead’s theory of child development, at what stage of development is she?

a. preparatory stage b. play stage c. game stage d. toy stage

2. A little boy playing in a baseball team is probably in which stage of development using Mead’s typology?

a. preparatory stage b. play stage c. game stage d. toy stage

3. Which social psychologist is associated with the looking-glass self?

a. George Herbert Mead b. Michel Foucault c. Georg Simmel d. Charles Horton Cooley

4. Studies have shown that factors such as parenting style, resources and status can dramatically affect the outcomes of children of divorced parents.

a. True b. False

5. Studies have found that father’s household labor participation has little effect on their son’s future household labor sharing.

a. True b. False

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

6. Several studies have shown that there is a correlation between watching violent television and aggressive behavior.

a. True b. False

Answer Keys

Key Term Definitions

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Agency: An aspect of life-course sociology referring to our ability to improvise roles, make decisions and control our destiny.

Birth cohort: A group of people born around the same time period.

Contextual dissonance: A feeling that minority members of a group have because they are different from the majority members.

Gender socialization: Learning expectations about how to behave related to one’s gender.

Idiocultures: A system of knowledge, beliefs, behaviors and customs shared by an interacting group to which members refer and employ as a basis of further interaction.

Life course: The process of change from infancy to late adulthood resulting from personal and societal events and from transitions into and out of social roles.

Life events: Event that can cause significant changes in the course of our lives.

Linked lives: An aspect of life-course sociology referring to our relationships with other people.

Looking-glass self: How the self relies on imagined responses of others in its development.

Pygmalion effect: When children develop according to expectations of a group or society.

Socialization: The ways in which individuals attempt to align their own thoughts, feelings, and behavior to fit into a group or society.

Answers to Self Test

Answer Keys

PSY 228 Social Psychology

1. b

2. c

3. d

4. a

5. b

6. a

Notes

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Unit 2 Examination Instructions

The Unit Examination

The unit examination contains 25 multiple choice questions, as well as a writing assignment.

Your grade on the examination will be determined by the percentage of correct answers. The university utilizes the following grading system:

A = 90% – 100% correct B = 80% – 89% correct C = 70% – 79% correct D = 60% – 69% correct F = 59% and below correct

4 grade points 3 grade points 2 grade points 1 grade point 0 grade points

Completing Unit Two Examination

Additional detailed information on completing the examination, writing standards and how to submit your completed examination may be found in the syllabus for this course.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Unit 2 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Enter your answers on the enclosed answer sheet)

1. How does Kohn and Schooler’s model of status attainment link economic status, job characteristics and personality?

a. People with lower economic status tend to find work in jobs that have more supervision. b. People with lower economic status tend to find work in jobs that require less intellectual flexibility. c. People with less intellectual flexibility tend to seek jobs that are routinized. d. All of the above.

2. Bradley, a student at Big U, regularly seeks advice from his professor and mentor, Janet. According to exchange theory, what kind of exchange is most likely motivating Janet to stay in this relationship?

a. a direct exchange b. a reciprocal exchange c. a generalized exchange d. All of the above.

3. What was being exchanged among crew members and the captain in George Homan’s research about exchange processes on small warships?

a. support b. caring c. listening d. All of the above.

4. Who gets the most status in groups based on Bales’ research in social exchanges in small groups?

a. Those who are perceived as the best managers. b. Those who are perceived as being the smartest. c. Those who contribute the most to the group. d. Those who listen and care the most for the other members.

5. Which of the following best reflects a task group used to study status processes in groups?

a. A group of students at a class lecture. b. A group of people waiting in line to pay at a store. c. A group of citizens meeting to resolve a local problem. d. All of the above.

Unit 2 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

6. Why are weak ties so important for finding work?

a. People with whom we have weak ties live and work in circles outside our own. b. People with whom we have weak ties tend to have better jobs. c. People with whom we have weak ties aren’t biased against us in the job market. d. People with whom we have weak ties provide training in getting better jobs.

7. According to status characteristics theory, gender, race and education levels are examples of _______________.

a. diffuse status characteristics b. specific status characteristics c. roles d. class positions

8. According to status characteristics theory, skill at playing basketball would be considered _______________.

a. diffuse status characteristics b. specific status characteristics c. roles d. class positions

9. People are ______________ aware of the status hierarchies that develop in task-oriented groups.

a. almost always b. usually not c. always d. None of the above.

10. Which theorist is most associated with impression management?

a. Auguste Comte b. Emile Durkheim c. Herbert Blumer d. Erving Goffman

11. According to dramaturgical sociology, what area of identity is associated with hanging out with friends while watching television?

a. front stage b. back stage c. performance stage d. informal groups

Unit 2 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

12. A first date would most likely be associated with what area of identity?

a. front stage b. back stage c. performance stage d. informal groups

13. Spencer Cahill’s research on “bathroom behavior” clearly showed that _______________.

a. people act very differently in bathrooms than other areas of life b. serve as “self-service” repair shops c. people use bathrooms to “retire” from their front stage presentations d. All of the above.

14. Which of the following has the strongest impact on self-esteem?

a. social comparisons b. reflected appraisals c. psychological centrality d. self-perceptions

15. _____________ are observations of our behavior and its consequences.

a. Reflected appraisals b. Self-perceptions c. Social comparisons d. Psychological centrality

16. What is the best way to build a child’s sense of mastery or efficacy?

a. personal accomplishments b. vicarious experience c. verbal persuasion d. emotional arousal

17. Rosenberg’s early research on mattering found it positively related to _______________ and negatively related to ________________.

a. self-esteem; alcoholism b. depression; self-esteem c. self-esteem; depression d. mastery; depression

Unit 2 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

18. Given research and theory in life-course sociology, which of the following groups are most likely to be negatively affected by Hurricane Katrina?

a. a poor White family who survived the storm together b. a poor African-American family who survived the storm together c. a middle-class White man who lost his income and had no access to family or friends during the event d. a middle-class African-American family who survived the storm together

19. Tony and Rose both received word that they were called up for active duty in the military out of the reserve component of the forces. Tony is several years older with a wife and child while Rose is just finishing college. Which dimension of life course sociology best explains why Tony is more likely to be affected by the mobilization than Rose?

a. historical context b. linked lives c. social timing d. agency

20. Which of the following is NOT considered a primary agent of socialization?

a. family b. peers c. schools d. government

21. Elder’s study of the Great Depression generally showed that ______________.

a. all children were negatively affected by growing up in the Great Depression b. only children growing up in poverty were affected by the Great Depression c. the Great Depression had the strongest impact on children’s lives by changing family roles d. both b and c

22. Kohn’s work on class socialization generally showed that middle-class families tend to stress ______________ while working-class families emphasize _______________ in raising their children.

a. autonomy; conformity b. conformity; freedom c. freedom; independence d. conformity; autonomy

Unit 2 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

23. Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study of classroom interaction is important because:

a. it showed that children are taught to be racist in the classroom. b. it showed that IQ scores could be manipulated based on a group prejudice. c. it showed that children’s IQ scores were not linked to race at all. d. it showed that racist beliefs and values exist in every classroom.

24. Which of the following groups are most prevalent in American schools based on Adler and Adler’s research on peer culture?

a. the popular click b. the wannabes c. middle friendship circles d. social isolates

25. Group processes researcher is important to the study of socialization in what way?

a. It shows the importance of peer-group interactions in socialization processes. b. It shows the importance of family interactions. c. It shows the importance of the media. d. It emphasizes the impact of socialization in group settings.

Unit 2 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Writing Assignment for Unit Two

• Responses must be submitted as a MS Word Document only, typed double-spaced, using a standard font (i.e. Times New Roman) and 12 point type size.

Undergraduate courses: 350 – 500 words or 1 – 2 pages. Graduate courses: 500 – 750 words or 2 – 3 pages. Doctoral courses: 750 – 1000 words or 4 – 5 pages.

Plagiarism

Please answer ONE of the following:

• Include your name, student number, course number, course title and unit number on each page of your writing assignment (this is for your protection in case your materials become separated).

• Begin each writing assignment by identifying the question number you are answering followed by the actual question itself (in bold type).

• Use a standard essay format for responses to all questions (i.e., an introduction, middle paragraphs and conclusion).

1. Describe the concept of “doing gender.” Apply this process to other statuses in society (e.g., race, ethnicity or sexuality).

2. Review the three ways that interactionists view the development and maintenance of stratification in society.

3. Discuss the similarities and differences between identity theory and social identity theory.

You Can Do It

PSY 228 Social Psychology

With Unit 2 complete, you are half way through the course.

Take a break and reward yourself

for a job well done!

Objectives

Instructions to Students

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Chapter Seven The Social Psychology of Deviance

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Analyze how we define what is normal and what is deviant.

2. Determine how the construction of deviant labels contribute to the development of deviant lifestyles.

3. Judge how structural conditions influence individuals’ decisions to commit deviant acts.

4. Consider how group relationships influence the development of deviance and perceptions of deviance.

• Read pages 190-220 of your textbook

• Reference: Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives by Rohall, Milkie and Lucas, 2nd edition, 2011

Overview

PSY 228 Social Psychology

This chapter examines major sociological concepts and theories associated with the concept of deviance.

Interactionists generally view deviance as a normal part of the symbolic interaction process. Structural and group-centered views of deviance tend to focus on the social conditions that increase the likelihood of breaking laws. These views come from the larger social science specialty of criminology. This chapter emphasizes the broader sense of deviance in everyday life, before reviewing traditional theories and research on criminal forms of deviance.

Key Terms

The key terms listed below are terms with which you should be familiar. Write your definition below each item. Check your answers at the end of this chapter.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Anomie:

Attachment:

Belief:

Covering:

Deviance:

Indexicality:

Labeling theory:

Reflexivity:

Social control theory:

Summary

PSY 228 Social Psychology

From a social-psychological perspective, deviance is a necessary part of the symbolic interaction process of negotiating social reality. Interactionism assumes that individuals decide to maintain (or break) social norms and standards during every interaction. Deviance allows for change in relationships and society as a whole.

Ethnomethodological perspectives of deviance emphasize how individuals construct and defend their views of social reality—the “real” boundaries of social life. People who can provide better accounts can convince others of those accounts, thus controlling the meaning of good and bad— deviance and conformity—in society.

Labeling theory is a major interactionist perspective of deviance. It is based on the notion that deviance is a consequence of a social process in which a negative characteristic becomes an element of an individual’s identity.

Strain and social control theories apply macrosociological perspectives of deviant behavior, arguing that deviance results from a larger set of societal conditions. Societal norms create limitations to how we can achieve legitimate goals in life. They also give goals that are unattainable for some people.

Groups provide both the motives and the knowledge necessary to commit crime. Differential association theory states that deviance is learned through interaction with others. This theory may help explain how and why people rationalize deviant behavior, especially in white-collar crimes committed by middle- and upper-class people.

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Circle the correct answer)

1. Some individuals choose a life of deviance because of the satisfaction they derive from the act and deviant lifestyle.

a. True b. False

2. Which of the following statements best describes interactionist perspective(s) on deviance?

a. Deviance is relative to a given group of people or society. b. Deviance is relatively consistent across groups and society. c. What it means to be deviant is constructed through a process of indexicality and reflexivity. d. both a and c

3. According to labeling theory, a primary act of deviance does not always lead to a secondary act of deviance.

a. true b. false

4. According to Edwin Lemert, how is society involved in the deviance process?

a. during primary deviance, when society makes deviance symbolic in nature b. during secondary deviance, when society labels a person as deviant c. during the process of hiring police personnel to put away criminals d. during the process of committing the deviant act and accepting the deviant label

5. Which of the following is true of William Chambliss’ research on the Saints and the Roughnecks?

a. The Saints committed significantly less crime than the Roughnecks but were more likely to get caught. b. The Saints committed significantly less crime than the Roughnecks but only the Roughnecks got caught. c. The Saints committed somewhat higher levels of deviance as the Roughnecks but the Roughnecks were more likely to be caught than the Saints. d. The Roughnecks committed less crime and were rarely caught.

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

6. How did Howard Becker’s research contribute to the understanding of deviance?

a. It showed the important role of deviant subcultures in the maintenance of deviant identities. b. It reinforced the relationship between primary and secondary deviance. c. He showed that even drug experiences can be influenced by social conditions. d. All of the above.

Answer Keys

Key Term Definitions

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Anomie: A sense of “normlessness” where there is little consensus about what is right and what is wrong.

Attachment: Component of social control theory referring to emotional bonds with other people in society.

Belief: Component of social control theory referring to people’s respect for law and order in society.

Covering: Keeping a known stigma from creating tensions in interaction by downplaying it.

Deviance: Any behavior that departs from accepted practices in a society or group.

Indexicality: The process by which individuals index thoughts, feelings and behaviors from their own perspective.

Labeling theory: Theory that argues deviance is a consequence of a social process in which a negative characteristic becomes an element of an individual’s identity.

Mores: Widely held values and beliefs in a society.

Reflexivity: The process by which individuals think about a behavior within its social context and give meaning to it.

Social control theory: Theory that deviance results when individuals’ bonds with conventional society are weakened in some way.

Answers to Self Test

Answer Keys

PSY 228 Social Psychology

1. a

2. d

3. a

4. b

5. c

6. d

Notes

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Objectives

Instructions to Students

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Chapter Eight Mental Health and Illness

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Determine what it means to be mentally healthy.

2. Interpret how the definition of mental illness is constructed.

3. List the structural conditions in society that contribute to distress.

4. Identify resources that can buffer stress.

5. Assess how mental health can influence our sense of identity and interactions with others.

• Read pages 221-246 of your textbook

• Reference: Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives by Rohall, Milkie and Lucas, 2nd edition, 2011

Overview

PSY 228 Social Psychology

This chapter examines mental health as an outcome of social life, influenced by social conditions and as a status characteristic that impacts our social interactions.

Once you read the sociological perspectives on mental health and illness, you may rethink what it means to have psychological problems.

Key Terms

The key terms listed below are terms with which you should be familiar. Write your definition below each item. Check your answers at the end of this chapter.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Ambient hazards:

Chronic strains:

Colonization:

Intransigence:

Malaise:

Moderators:

Negative life events:

Sociology of mental health:

Total institutions:

Withdrawal:

Summary

PSY 228 Social Psychology

The history of madness and civilization shows that the meaning and treatment of mental illness has changed dramatically over the centuries. In Europe, into the seventeenth century, mental illness was considered similar to other forms of deviance such as criminality.

Sociologists view many manifestations of mental illness to be the result of social conditions that tax individuals’ capacity to manage their lives. The stress process model helps us understand the relationship of negative life events and chronic strains to our mental health and well-being, focusing also on the resources we use to manage those stressors.

Social and economic characteristics are associated with different levels of distress, with social class status a critical factor in the stress process. Other important social characteristics that are implicated in the experience of stressors, the level of resources, and the expressions of distress include gender, age and race/ethnicity.

According to the group processes perspective, people set up different expectations for individuals’ performance depending on their status characteristics. Mental illness may be considered a diffuse status characteristic that influences members’ expectations of the mentally ill in a group setting, as well as the contributions made by those members.

Mental illness may be a form of stigma for individuals, an attribute that is deeply discrediting. Patients housed in mental institutions may try to cope in many different ways, including conversion, intransigence and forms of withdrawal and colonization.

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Circle the correct answer)

1. Why was 1656 an important date in the history of mental illness according to Michel Foucault?

a. It is the year that psycho-tropic drugs started becoming widely available in Europe. b. It is the year that the “hospital general” opened, marking the beginning of the great confinement of mentally ill people. c. It is the first year in which psychoanalysis was used to treat mentally ill people. d. It was the first year that psychotropic drugs were introduced to the new world.

2. Which of the following forces are associated with putting aspects of social life, including mental illness, under the boundaries of medical professionals?

a. the power and authority of medical professionals b. activities of social movements and interest groups c. directed organization on professional activities d. All of the above are forces affecting medicalization.

3. Which social theorist argued that mental illness is a “myth?”

a. Peter Conrad b. Michel Foucault c. Thomas Szaz d. Herbert Blumer

4. Horwitz and Wakefield’s research focused on trends to increasingly diagnose individuals with clinical depression as the “loss of sadness” in society.

a. True b. False

5. What kind of stressors do college students typically report?

a. adjustment problems b. death of a loved one c. job loss d. fear of professors

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

6. Which of the following is NOT a measurement of someone’s depression levels?

a. I did not feel like eating. b. I felt depressed. c. I felt everything was an effort. d. All of the above are measures of depression.

Answer Keys

Key Term Definitions

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Ambient hazards: Exposure to poor community conditions such as crime, poor living conditions and lack of services.

Chronic strains: Day-to-day role strains that may cause mental health problems over time by the accumulation of small amounts of stress.

Colonization: A way in which patients manage institutionalization by showing that their institution is a desirable place to live.

Intransigence: A way in which patients manage institutionalization by rebelling against the staff expectations.

Malaise: A psychological state of unhappiness associated with living conditions in rural or urban areas.

Moderators: Part of the stress process that includes the personal and social resources that affect the direction or strength of the relationship between a stressor and mental health.

Negative life events: Part of the stress process referring to any event deemed unwanted or stressful to an individual.

Sociology of mental health: The study of the social arrangements that affect mental illness and its consequences.

Total institutions: Places where individuals are isolated from the rest of society.

Withdrawal: A way of managing life in an institution involving the curtailing of interaction with others.

Answers to Self Test

Answer Keys

PSY 228 Social Psychology

1. b

2. d

3. c

4. a

5. a

6. d

Notes

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Objectives

Instructions to Students

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Chapter Nine Attitudes, Values, and Behaviors

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Identify the nature of an attitude.

2. Evaluate how researchers study attitudes and behaviors.

3. Describe how people construct attitudes.

4. Analyze how attitudes toward other people form in group contexts.

• Read pages 247-276 of your textbook

• Reference: Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives by Rohall, Milkie and Lucas, 2nd edition, 2011

Overview

PSY 228 Social Psychology

The goal of this chapter is to review the definition and measurement of attitudes and values and to examine research on how people use their time. Specific emphasis is given to prejudicial attitudes and behavior.

In this chapter, after discussing how attitudes are conceptualized, three areas of study within sociological social psychology will be emphasized. First, we will examine how attitudes are constructed from an interactionist perspective. Second, we will examine how attitudes vary by social location. Finally, we will apply the group processes perspective on attitudes, particularly related to attitudes toward other people in groups.

Key Terms

The key terms listed below are terms with which you should be familiar. Write your definition below each item. Check your answers at the end of this chapter.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Altruism:

Attitude:

In-groups:

Opinion:

Prejudice:

Prosocial behavior:

Social distance:

Status construction theory:

Time deepening:

Values and beliefs:

Summary

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Attitudes incorporate emotional, cognitive and behavioral dimensions—how we feel, think and act toward an object. Attitudes are measured in terms of their direction and strength, though people can also have nonattitudes toward objects. Time-use studies measure behaviors and can be characterized as either productive time, such as work and family care, or free time, including activities such as watching television or socializing.

The relationship between attitudes and behavior, on average, is typically small with an average correlation of 0.38. The weak relationship between attitudes and behavior—and of attitudes with other attitudes—may reflect poor measurement of attitudes or the complexities of attitudes themselves. Interactionist perspectives view attitudes like any other aspect of social life: they are constructed based on our interactions with other people. Our group memberships can have a large influence in our attitudes toward people in other groups based on the relative standing of those groups.

Some attitudes and opinions have been found to vary based on social statuses. Men and women regularly report different attitudes toward some social issues, as do African Americans and whites. Many attitudes toward major social issues have changed over the last half century, indicating that newer cohorts have different values than earlier generations.

Status construction theory posits that individuals develop status value through face-to-face interaction as well as from larger societal prejudices. Social identity theory emphasizes the role of in-groups and out-groups in our attitude development.

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Circle the correct answer)

1. Your evaluation of a new political candidate may best be described as a(n) _____________ while your overall political ideology may better be described as a(n) _____________.

a. ideology; value b. value; attitude c. attitude; value d. both refer to attitudes

2. In a recent poll, Darnell told the interviewer that he does not care either way in the election. His response reflects what concept?

a. ideology b. values c. attitudes d. nonattitudes

3. Melissa had planned to play 18 holes of golf on the weekend but decided to cut it down to nine holes so that she could go to lunch with her boyfriend. What kind of behavior is she engaging in?

a. time deepening b. time management c. stress processing d. bureaucratic management

4. Americans have more productive time than free time.

a. true b. false

5. The relationship between our attitudes and behavior is typically ____________.

a. strong b. small c. 1 in average correlation d. 0 in average correlation

Self Test

PSY 228 Social Psychology

6. Research generally shows that American attitudes on most major social issues have been pretty stable over the last 30 years.

a. true b. false

Answer Keys

Key Term Definitions

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Altruism: Refers to the motivation to help another person.

Attitude: A positive or negative evaluation of an object, a person, a group or an idea.

In-groups: Groups with whom we identify.

Opinion: The cognitive or “thinking” aspect of an attitude.

Prejudice: An attitude of dislike or active hostility toward a particular group in society.

Prosocial behavior: Includes any behavior that benefits another person.

Social distance: How close we feel to other people.

Status construction theory: Group processes theory that posits that individuals develop status value in face-to-face interactions with other people.

Time deepening: When people do more with the time that they have available to them.

Values and beliefs: Strongly held, relatively stable sets of attitudes.

Answers to Self Test

Answer Keys

PSY 228 Social Psychology

1. c

2. d

3. a

4. a

5. b

6. b

Notes

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Unit 3 Examination Instructions

The Unit Examination

The unit examination contains 25 multiple choice questions, as well as a writing assignment.

Your grade on the examination will be determined by the percentage of correct answers. The university utilizes the following grading system:

A = 90% – 100% correct B = 80% – 89% correct C = 70% – 79% correct D = 60% – 69% correct F = 59% and below correct

4 grade points 3 grade points 2 grade points 1 grade point 0 grade points

Completing Unit Three Examination

Additional detailed information on completing the examination, writing standards and how to submit your completed examination may be found in the syllabus for this course.

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Unit 3 Examination

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions (Enter your answers on the enclosed answer sheet)

1. Most college students represent which type of person in Merton’s typology of deviance?

a. conformists b. innovators c. ritualists d. retreatists

2. A homeless person who decides to live in the woods is probably best represented by which of the following people using Merton’s typology of deviance?

a. conformists b. innovators c. ritualists d. retreatists

3. Which of the following represent strain according to new interpretations of strain theory?

a. negative relationships with family and friends b. poverty c. unemployment d. All of the above.

4. Which theory of deviance tries to explain why individuals do not commit crime?

a. labeling theory b. strain theory c. social control theory d. theory of differential association

5. Sampson and Laub’s research on delinquent and non-delinquent youths in Boston found delinquency was greater when bonds with which social institutions were weakest?

a. family b. education c. work d. both a and c

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6. In high school, Janet rarely got involved in smoking or drinking. In college, Janet found some friends who spent most of their off time consuming large amounts of alcohol and other drugs. Soon, she did the same and did not know anyone who did not spend their time that way. Which theory best explains Janet’s behavior given this limited amount of information?

a. labeling theory b. strain theory c. social control theory d. theory of differential association

7. Which of the following best exemplifies white collar crimes?

a. stealing a purse b. simple assault c. telling a lie to your friend d. embezzling from work

8. Murder would most likely be considered the breaking of a ________________ while picking your nose in public would be breaking a ________________.

a. more; folkway b. folkway; more c. norm; value d. both are mores

9. Scholars contend that ______________ and _______________ are two factors that affect the likelihood of committing a crime.

a. controls; formal sanctions b. certainty; severity c. certainty; informal sanctions d. severity; formal sanctions

10. Given the research on the epidemiology of mental health, which group is most likely to report problems with drinking? Depression?

a. married people; singles b. African-Americans; Latinos c. African-Americans; Whites d. men; women

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11. The stresses associated with living in urban areas come from _____________ while the stresses associated with rural areas tend to be a result of _____________.

a. lack of stimulation; ambient hazards b. ambient hazards; lack of stimulation c. urban malaise; rural malaise d. negative life events; chronic stresses

12. How do group processes scholars examine the concept of mental illness?

a. It is viewed as a status characteristic like race or gender. b. It is viewed as a normal part of group interactions. c. It is viewed as a major area of group research. d. It is viewed as a way for individuals in groups to negotiate identity.

13. Which of the following would be considered a total institution?

a. your college b. a police station c. a prison d. a family household

14. Which sociologist is most associated with the concept of stigma?

a. Erving Goffman b. Georg Simmel c. George Herbert Mead d. Herbert Blumer

15. Goffman’s research on total institutions showed that many patients in insane asylums generally ____________ their roles as patients.

a. resist b. accept c. use colonization to cope with d. None of the above.

16. Which of the following coping strategies emphasize patients’ attempts to rebel against asylum staff?

a. conversion b. intransigence c. withdrawal d. colonization

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PSY 228 Social Psychology

17. The loss of a job is represented in which component of the stress process?

a. stressors b. outcomes c. mediators and moderators d. social and economic characteristics

18. LaPiere’s study of prejudice clearly showed that most people _____________.

a. have some prejudice b. act on their prejudices c. do not act on their prejudices d. both a and c

19. Overall, American political attitudes lean on being ______________.

a. very conservative b. moderately conservative c. moderately liberal d. very liberal

20. Which of the following groups could be identified as most liberal in the U.S.?

a. females living in the Midwest b. females living on the West Coast c. males living in the Midwest d. males living on the West Coast

21. Which of the following groups spend the most time on childcare? Which group has shown an increase in time spent with childcare?

a. women for both questions b. men for both questions c. men; women d. women; men

22. Which of the following social theorists is most associated with studying racial prejudice in the United States?

a. George Herbert Mead b. W.E.B. Du Bois c. Talcott Parsons d. William Thomas

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23. Based on status construction theory, what would be the best way to get what you want out of a group and leave a positive impression?

a. Act like a very nice person. b. Act like a generous person. c. Act like a majority member of society. d. Act like a high-status person.

24. Willer’s research showing presidential approval ratings increasing after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. clearly showed ____________.

a. in-group bias tendencies b. out-group bias tendencies c. prejudicial biases d. ideological alliances

25. The slow treatment of Hurricane Katrina victims was used as an example of ____________ in your text.

a. government inefficiency b. conscious racism c. unconscious racism d. None of the above.

Unit 3 Examination

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PSY 228 Social Psychology

Writing Assignment for Unit Three

• Responses must be submitted as a MS Word Document only, typed double-spaced, using a standard font (i.e. Times New Roman) and 12 point type size.

Undergraduate courses: 350 – 500 words or 1 – 2 pages. Graduate courses: 500 – 750 words or 2 – 3 pages. Doctoral courses: 750 – 1000 words or 4 – 5 pages.

Plagiarism

Please answer ONE of the following:

• Include your name, student number, course number, course title and unit number on each page of your writing assignment (this is for your protection in case your materials become separated).

• Begin each writing assignment by identifying the question number you are answering followed by the actual question itself (in bold type).

• Use a standard essay format for responses to all questions (i.e., an introduction, middle paragraphs and conclusion).

1. How do symbolic interactionists examine the social construction of mental health? Specifically, review Foucault’s historical analysis of mental illness in western cultures and the medicalization of deviance.

2. Discuss how community conditions can impact individuals’ mental health. Be specific about the role of stressors and resources available under different community conditions (e.g., urban vs. rural; poor vs. middle class).

3. Review the different dimensions of attitudes. How does the complexity in attitudes help to explain the relatively weak relationship between a person’s attitudes and their behaviors?

You Can Do It

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PSY 228 Social Psychology

Unit 3 is done! You’re close to the finish line and we’re cheering you on to victory!

Objectives

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Instructions to Students

PSY 228 Social Psychology

Chapter Ten The Sociology of Sentiment and Emotion

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Distinguish the components of emotions.

2. Determine how people learn emotions.

3. Consider how identity relates to emotions.

4. Evaluate how our statuses in society affect our uses of emotions.

5. Interpret the norms that govern the use of emotions in different social settings.

6. Predict how group settings affect emotions.

• Read pages 277-306 of your textbook

• Reference: Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives by Rohall, Milkie and Lucas, 2nd edition, 2011

Overview

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PSY 228 Social Psychology

This chapter reviews the many dimensions of sentiment and emotions. It also examines the role of emotions in the development and maintenance of society, as well as the impact of society and culture on the development and expression of emotions.

This chapter will start by reviewing how sociologists study the upward movement of emotions in the creation of society and the social construction of emotions more generally. It will also review the structured nature of emotions and how society shapes the scope and expression of emotions.

Key Terms

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