Sociology 1101 Introduction to Sociology Textbook You May Ask Yourself An Introduction to Thinking Like A Sociologist 3rd ed by Dalton Conley Notes Section One Introduction Sociology the scientific study of human society o First coined by August Comte in 1838 sociology a younger academic discipline according to Comte it is the application of scientific rules and principles from hard sciences i e Physics Biology Chemistry etc to the study of human behavior and society Positivism Social Physics Three major events which gave birth to sociology o Industrialism o Urbanization o Individualism change in nature of work from Agrarianism change from rural areas to urban areas to find work emphasis on wage labor makes people more individualistic Peter Berger in Invitation to Sociology outlines two key The Sociological Perspective principles o Seeing the General in the Particular Identifying general patterns of behavior in particular individuals around us The demographics we belong to race ethnicity gender class education level religious beliefs etc affect how we behave individually individualism We are taught that as individuals we make choices in a vacuum independent of others and their wishes The strange idea that Berger writes of is that in actuality and thinking sociologically our thoughts actions and deeds are more dictated by society than by individualism The familiar idea in American society is o Seeing the Strange in the Familiar Basically society is a puppet master o Berger argues that marriage and falling in love are two examples of how society arranges the people we fall in love with We tend to love marry people that we look like socially similar ethnicities race affluence religious beliefs etc Those experiencing Social Marginalization being an outsider are more C Wright Mills aware of their sociological perspective The Sociological Imagination We can only understand ourselves when we locate ourselves in society Thinking viewing individual problems in terms of societal problems sociologically and becoming aware of how society affects our behaviors does not absolve any individual of responsibility of their actions Rather it empowers the individual to make choices in his or her life free from societal constraints and at the same time changing society for the better Emile Durkheim Le Suicide 1897 individual s choices An excellent example of society shaping an o Durkheim theorized that suicide is an act of social deviance People commit suicide based on levels of social integration integrated into your group or community and societal regulation control rules guiding your day to day life o He defined integration and regulation using such factors as stability of familial relationships religious affiliation employment and devotion to common goals o Balance is the key Too little integration Egoistic and too little regulation Anomic leads to suicide alternately too much of both not having any control being completely controlled by outside forces can also lead to suicide although it s not as strong a factor as too little of both To prove this theory Suicide Rates per 100k population US Vital Statistics 2012 Note numbers are RATES within each subheading i e 19 9 men commit suicide out of 100k pop o Gender Women 5 2 20 Men 19 9 80 Men typically have less regulation more freedom than women leading to them feeling less integrated and therefore more likely to commit suicide o Race Non Hispanic White 16 0 African Am 5 1 Hispanic 5 9 Similar to above non Hispanic white typically have more freedoms and are less socially integrated This pattern continues o Intersection Race Gender white male 26 0 white female 6 5 black and Hispanic male 11 5 black and Hispanic female 2 5 o Geography Suicide is higher in Western states 13 6 followed by the south 12 6 Midwest 12 0 and Northeast 9 3 The west and south typically have the idea of the frontier person or someone out on their own to make a living this idea creates too little regulation and integration leading to more suicides o Class o Religion Upper HIGHER Middle Protestant HIGHER Catholic Lower Judaism Note Religion in any form is a regulating and integrating factor No religion leads to higher rates of suicide o Age rates 15 24 10 5 25 34 12 5 35 44 16 0 45 54 19 1 55 64 16 4 65 14 7 Highest rates found among the old old with 85 males 45 5 rates for teens 15 19 7 0 vs 20 24 12 5 THIS IS BECAUSE While still living at home teens have a more structured integrated lifestyle Once they re out on their own rates tend to increase as they re faced with more responsibilities and freedoms chances to integrate not integrate Nursing homes are basically a social death sentence as the old old are completely and suddenly marginalized shunted to the edges of society with no structure and no societal integration Some College HIGHER College deg High School Those who have a high school or college degree know what they re doing and where they re going they have a better chance of becoming integrated and having regulations Those who leave college because it isn t for them or other reasons have less of a plan and therefore too much freedom and little integration o Education o Marital Status Single HIGHER Cohabiting Married There is a social profile to something even as individualistic as suicide males who are single white of affluence Protestant or non religious background with some college and younger older