Krohn Sociology January 8 2014 Sociology The scientific study of the human society First coined by Auguste Comte in 1833 making Sociology one of the younger academic disciplines According to Comte Sociology is applying scientific rules and principles of hard sciences i e Physics Chem Bio to study human behavior and society Positions social physics Three major events which gave birth to Sociology Industrialism Change in nature of work from Agrarianism Urbanization Move from rural areas to urban areas to find work Individualism Emphasis on wage labor makes people more individualistic The Sociological Perspective Peter Berger in Incitation to Sociology out lines two principles Seeing the General in the Particular Identifying general patterns of behavior in particular individuals around us The demographics we belong to race gender class etc affect how we behave Seeing the Strange in the Familiar 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 Berger argues that marriage and falling in love are two examples where society actually arranges the people we fall in love with o C Wright Mills Those experiencing social Marginalization being an outsider are more aware if their sociological perspective The Sociological Imagination Viewing individual problems in terms of social problems We can only understand ourselves when we locate ourselves in society Thinking 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 their life free from societal constraints and at the same time changing society for the better Emile Durkheim Le Suicide 1897 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 He defined integration and regulation using such factors as stability of familial relationships religious affiliation employment and devotion to common goals Balance is key Too little integration Egoistic and too little regulation Anomic leads to suicide Rates are per 100 000 pop U S vital Stat 2012 Gender Men Women 19 9 80 5 2 20 Race White 16 0 African American 5 1 Hispanic 5 9 Intersection Race Gender White male suicide rate 26 0 white female 6 5 African American and Hispanic male 11 5 African American and Hispanic female 2 5 Geography Suicide is higher in western states 13 6 followed by the south Midwest 12 0 and Northeast 9 3 Class Upper Higher Middle Lower Religion Catholic Judaism Protestant Higher Age 15 24 25 35 35 44 45 54 55 64 65 10 5 12 5 16 0 19 1 16 4 14 7 Highest rates are found among the old old with 85 males 45 4 rates for teens 15 19 7 0 v 20 24 12 5 Education Some College Higher Marital Status Single Higher College Degree High School Cohabiting Married There is social profile to something as individualistic as suicide males who are single white of affluence protestant background with some college and younger older Women attempt suicide at a rate three times higher than men white women at a rate twice as high as African American women