The definition of economy can be described as the process or system by which goods and services are produced, sold and bought in a country or region (merriam-webster.com). Emile Durkheim presented social institutions as a way of showing people the sociological theory of functionalism. Through functionalism he believed that the world revolves around providing society with the basic needs to fulfill people's lives. Social institutions are very significant in our everyday lives because we use each and every one of them everyday. With the social institution of economy it allows people to produce and distribute goods and services through a network of credit unions, banks, credit card companies, and buying clubs (Henslin 101). Without the use of economy making money, paying bills on time and producing an efficient way to maximize profits and control the rise and fall of currency values. Just think about it everyday you use money whether it's for food, wants , or needs. Without money people would not be able function, you would not be able to buy and sell goods for the need of your family. This is the reason without economy as a social institution the world would not revolve. So next time you use money think about how much it really means, and how much balance it really does provide everyday.
Henslin, James M. Sociology: A Down-to-earth Approach. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2011. Print.
"Economy-Definition of Economy." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.
A huge problem in our world today is Media. The problem with media is they put stories out to get the American people to believe everything they see. The problem with that is it isn't always the real story. Much like the shootings this year in Missouri, sometimes the media decides to tell you only one side of the story because no boring story sells, they want the baddest, bloodiest story they can find. Mass media was never meant to be presented as a social institution the prime use for media was to make money (sagepub.com). Because we know consider media as a social institution it means without it it would cause a dramatic turn in society and potentially chaos. The basic need of social media in our life is to disseminate information, report events, and mold the public opinion. Most of these media institutions revolve around TV networks, radio stations, publishers, and the association of bloggers. Statuses that the media hold are journalists, newscasters, authors, editors, publishers, and bloggers (Henslin 101). With media as a social institution it can also cause a lot of controversy in society because of the way the media presents it.
Silverblatt, Art. "Media as a Social Institution." American Behavioral Scientists. Webster University, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.
Religion obviously plays a huge part in American life everyday, and with many different types of belief systems it makes all of us different in our own way. Emile Durkheim presented social institutions as a way to introduce the sociological theory of functionalism. He believed that without all these social institutions life would become chaos. Religion is an important social institution, it provides a belief in something we cannot see. It provides patterns of beliefs and behavior that helps a society meet its basic needs (lardbucket.org). Religion is defined as an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or group of gods (merriam-webster.com). Religion to me is very important, my parents took me to our Methodist hometown church since I was a little girl. I went to Sunday School, was acolyte, participated in Bible school in the summer, and I was confirmed in that same church. I have seen many pastors pass through that church and many people as well. Religion to me is a way to talk to someone about problems that no one else can understand. It's a way of silently helping someone who may not even know you exist. Finally it's a way believe in something beyond your power. If you know religion you know exactly what this feels like, to believe beyond a higher power gives you something to live for.
"Religion as a Social Institution." Religion as a Social Institution. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.
The economy is described as a system of producing and distributing goods and services (Henslin 2014). A person would never guess that a company like Wal-Mart could take over an economy and ruin it, but that's just what this multinational company has done. They accomplish this task by importing cheap goods from overseas, and in turn they sell them for a larger profit than if they were to buy from their own country (The United States). I love how Americans are fully against child labor and abusing children, but we buy our products from countries where that type of thing is fine. That fact amazes me Wal-Mart is tearing our country to pieces, we often find ourselves there because of convenience, I mean they have everything in one place. Did you know for every Wal-Mart or Super-center built it takes out two small town businesses? Walmart began in the 70's when American's demanded for bargain shopping, but all we did was commit suicide on that. They told everyone it's "American Made" and even advertised that way, soon enough they dropped most American products and began selling products from overseas. Their goal was to create more jobs, but all they did is take jobs away (popularresistance.org). When they open up and two stores have to shut down and they can only guarantee so many jobs that puts people into unemployment, it's outrageous. I encourage people to shop locally especially if they want to keep their small town stores around.
Henslin, James. "Chapter 1: Origins of Sociology." Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach. 12th ed. New Jersey: Upper Saddle River, 2014. 10. Print.
"New Report: Wal-Mart Destroys Local Economy." PopularResistanceOrg. N.p., 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
Functionalism is one of the three major theories of Sociology. Introduced by Emile Durkheim "functionalism" can be defined as a theory that interprets each part of society in terms of how it contributes to the stability of the whole society (sociology.about.com). This term is like looking at society from the bigger perspective and society is made up of institutions. The way this idea balances out is by the facts and institutions, everyone is dependent upon one another. Emile Durkheim explained the theory as a "living organism." He also said the society functions are inter-related parts that work together, and the institutions are a basic response to a basic "need in life." The balance of this theory comes from social homeostasis which is the stability to coordinate the institutions. To explain this theory take for example the government, it provides free education up until high school for children in turn the family pays taxes to keep it all running smoothly. When a problem arises adjustments are made to keep the society running smoothly. There are also two types of functions in the Functionalist theory; latent functions, and manifest functions. A manifest function can be attending church the latent function to that could be helping the people understand their reason for going. Manifest functions are easier to identify than latent functions because of the approach. Functionalism is the social change in a society which isn't desirable to people because they don't like change.
Crossman, Ashley. "Everything You Need to Know About Functionalist Theory." About.com Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
I often wonder how your social class is determined. Many Americans are considered to be middle class Americans, but how? Why is such a small percent deemed upper class just because of money and why do they control "the means of production" when the middle class workers who run their corporations keep their money flowing in. Why do they put up with it?
Karl Marx and Max Weber analyzed the issue of determining social class. Karl Marx called it the "means of production." Money determines your wealth and what social class you obtain. He believes the capitalist own the means of productions and the proletariat people ran the means of production but did not own it. He argued the distinctions among people like clothing, speech, education, and a paycheck determine why you are who you are. While the capitalists keep growing the proletariat stay where they are on the social ladder. The distinction between owner and worker decides everything, Marx stressed property determines people's lifestyles which in time determines the relationships you have with , and in the end shapes their ideas.
Max Weber understood the social classes much differently than Marx. Instead of wealth by title, he believed one could obtain wealth by property,power, and prestige. Property is a person's material possessions like assets. Power is the ability to carry out your will even over the resistance of others. Prestige is respect, whether it's the respect you hold or give to another. So unlike Marx, Weber didn't believe the position you held determined wealth but rather your power, prestige, and property.
So as you can see Social Class has evolved over many years, and many different ideas of people. To "change classes" for instance to bump from middle class wealth to upper class would be difficult. It would take years. That's why people usually stay in their class, and stay satisfied with what they have because to change your social class would be extremely difficult.
Henslin, James M. "9." Sociolgy a Down to Earth Approach. 12th ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 234-35. Print.
Have you ever made a decision based on what other people think or made a decision that you wouldn't normally make when you're around certain people? Symbolic Interaction is a term that best describes this behavior, Max Weber called it stage play (Henslin 28). George Herbert Mead introduced this sociological term in the 1920's to help explain why people act the way they do (about.com).
Think about it if you were to move to a new school and you are a smart kid, you finish your homework, but you also like to hang out with people on the weekend, you're not going to choose to hang around the people who are a bad influence e.g. people who skip class, smoke cigarettes, and don't care about their outcome in life. Instead you are going to center yourself around people who act and perform similar to your liking.
This type of interaction is noticed everyday. Symbolic Interaction is a micro level analysis, or small-scale patterns of social interaction. A german word best describing symbolic interaction is "verstehen" which literally means the empathetic understanding of human behavior. "Industrialization and urbanization changed marital roles and led to a redefinition of love marriage, children and divorce (Henslin 28)"
Symbolic Interaction will always shape how we as people make decisions everyday. To better understand it ask yourself "how do I act differently when I'm in the presence of someone?"
Henslin, James M. "13 Symbolic Interactionism." Sociology: A Down-to-earth Approach. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2011. 28. Print.
