...Video Games and Sociological Theory July 22, 2012 Video games have become as pervasive an aspect of our society as television, with many people spending more time playing video games than watching television. There are many perspectives with which to gauge videos games’ effect on society, from a functionalist, conflict or interactionist perspective. (Schaefer, 2011) Each of these sociological theories can provide a different view of video games, how they affect society and the subcultures that develop around them. The functionalist perspective would emphasize the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability. (Schaefer, 2011) A functionalist may point out the manifest functions of video games as a facilitator of social interaction among friends, or the function of educational games in younger children. The functionalist may also observe latent functions, such as improving hand-eye coordination, or even unintended educational aspect of video games not intended for children (such as police coming and arresting the player character when crimes are committed in games, mirroring the real-life consequences of one’s actions) A functionalist can also characterize video games as a dysfunction I n society, with individuals neglecting other responsibilities in favor of playing the games, or stating that the games encourage violent or antisocial behaviors. The conflict theory would focus on tensions between groups (Schaefer, 2011), so someone analyzing...
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...taken apart the mental psycie of criminals and analyzed different theories to try and prove their points. There are scientific studies that exist today testing different variables that effect criminal activity on the psychological, social and biological realms of theories. The sociological theory focuses on the social factors that coax a person to fall into the life of crime and chaos. School of Positivism The school of Positivism saw criminal acts instead of people choosing to commit crimes they believed there were mitigating factors that existed. These factors were psychological, social, and biological and their behaviors were determinate upon these factors. There was a scientific explanation instead of the simple classicalist idea of good and evil, rational mind and free will that was believed to be possessed by all humans. The school of positivist suggests on the social side of this theory social structure is a mitigating factor in the commission of crimes. The criminal is one of weak mind and a follower. It is believed that Imation of a person superior to them and possibly idolize is the reason for many crimes. Crimes have been categorized as either fashion or more custom oriented. This means it is either something that is just hot for the minute or these were learned traits and actions that were instilled in them from a young age. The personality of a criminal according to this theory is one of a follower and wants to have a since of belonging to...
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...Sociological Theories A sociological theory is a set of ideas that provides an explanation for human society. Theories are selective in terms of their priorities and perspectives and the data they define as significant. As a result they provide a particular and partial view of reality. Sociological theories can be grouped together according to a variety of criteria. The most important of these is the distinction between Structural and Social action theories. Structural or macro perspectives analyses the way society as a whole fits together. Structural theory sees society as a system of relationships that creates the structure of the society in which we live. It is this structure that determines our lives and characters. Structured sets of social relationships are the 'reality' that lie below the appearance of 'the free individual' of western individualism. Structuralism focuses on the particular set of 'structural laws' that apply in any one society. Despite their differences, both functionalism and Marxism use a model of how society as a whole works. Many functionalists base their model of society around the assumption of basic needs and go to explain how different parts of society help to meet those needs. Marxists, on the other hand, see society as resting upon an economic base or infrastructure, with a superstructure above it. They see society as divided into social classes which have the potential to be in conflict with each other. However, the main differences...
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...Sociological Theories Response Social structure theory or social science refer to recurrent patterned arrangement in society, which influence or limit the choices, opportunities available, and determinant of action of the individual. What we know about as our social existence is largely determine by our overall structure of society. Social structure reflected the various levels of analysis within differing sub-fields of sociology. Sociology is the scientific study of society which is also a social science that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human society activity. One example of social structure is the idea of social stratification, which is the concept involving the classification of persons into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions; a relational set of inequalities with economic, social, political and ideological dimensions, refers to the idea that society is separated into different levels, guided by the underlying structures in the social system. This approach has been important in the academic literature with the rise of various forms of structuralism. It is important in the modern study of organizations, because an organization's structure may determine its flexibility, capacity to change, and many other factors. Therefore, structure is an important issue for management. Social structure such as family, religion, law, economy, and class may be seen to influence important...
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...Sociological Theories Vinico T. McMillan CJS 240 June 26, 2014 Raymond Brown Sociological Theories The Social Structure Theory can be described as society acts the way they do because of what is accepted by a higher force. An example would be society believing that America is an unbalanced country, and because of it the crime rate continues to increase. The theory would say that crime is increasing because people seem to think that everyone should be rich and be able to possess anything that they want. Since all people cannot afford everything they want, people commit crimes and steal things in order to love better loves. People put more emphasis on worldly possessions instead of values like love and happiness. This theory states that this type of behavior falls within an average to normal social structure. The Social Process Theory includes Social Learning, Social Reaction, and Social Control Theories. These theories state that social aspects are what cause people to act certain ways and commit crimes. They also agree people learn best from positive and negative reinforcement and repeating the same behaviors. Positive reinforcement will make people continue a certain behavior because they like feeling good about themselves. Negative reinforcement will make them not want to do the same behavior again. People also have the tendency to copy behaviors of people that they respect, so if they respect a positive person they will copy those positive behaviors. If they respect...
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...Discussion 4 Sociological Theory To start off I would like to share that it is difficult for me to use UTPB as an example for this discussion for this week. I do not live or have any on campus interaction nor do I attend any classes on campus to explain communication within the UTPB about power, class, status, and party. However, from my past on- campus experience with my former four-year institution The University of Mobile located in Mobile, Alabama. The University of Mobile is an American four-year private, Southern Baptist institution. The student gender distribution at the university for males is 68.9 % and females 31.1 % (U.S. News, 2014). Therefore, in a social system when comparing gender and activities on college campus regarding power, class, status, and party; I would have to say that in all sizes of social systems the level of power will vary from person to person and the differential of allocation is what the construction of power is. Social diversity and power relations within the human population varies in numerous ways, by the environment ad how the environment shapes ones behavior (Fabinyi, M., Evans, L., & Foale, S. J, 2014). Moreover, through distance learning I am able to acknowledge a illustration of structured power. For example in our discussion threads, our classmates come from different cultures, religion, and professional educational views which displays our status, class, power, and party. In conclusion, I take the stance on Weber more than Marx...
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...In “The Theory of Leisure Class,” Thorstein Veblen’s talks about conspicuous consumption. He explains how people show their class through the clothes that that they wear. The type of clothes that people wear show how much they do or do not work for a living. People’s appearance also shows how much other people work for them. The article, “In Defense of Our Wicked, Wicked Wicked Wicked Ways,” written in the New York Times, explains how conspicuous consumption in the present future is a positive outlet for people to express what type of lifestyle they want and can live. The writer describes how people now can enjoy luxurious things and pieces of the lifestyle through purchases. It gives the industrious class a chance to be or enjoy this of the predatory class for a certain amount of time. The writer also explains how the lower class an occasionally purchase and enjoy conspicuous leisure. People can buy opportunities for discounted leisure activities and enjoy in small increments. Conspicuous consumption also allows people who work a lot show their hard work publically and enjoy from it. I have conflicting views on conspicuous consumption. I believe it is unnecessary, a waste of money, and shows people how insecure you are about yourself. Wasting money on items feeds into the capitalistic society and prevents the unfortunate to prosper. I think people should invest any extra money they have on helping society like donating to charities, feeding/housing the homeless, helping...
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...How do social workers come to understand what makes their clients tick? How do they use that information to help them? By using systems theory and ecological theory, one can understand the lives of the characters in The Other Wes Moore. Concepts from these two theories will be discussed an explained. Systems is a broader term. A system is a formal or informal grouping of people or facets of organizations. An example from The Other Wes Moore would be the private school Wes goes to when he moves to the Bronx. In addition to systems, there are also subsystems. A subsystem is a smaller part of a system, that helps contribute to the system as a whole. Using the example of the Wes Moore family as a system, the subsystem would then be the mother,...
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...The Sociological Theories of Healthcare The healthcare industry is a huge social institution that people use throughout their lives. It is viewed differently in every culture and social group. It is especially viewed differently by three major sociological theories—the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist theories. These sociological perspectives can be easily applied to the healthcare industry. Sociology is the scientific study of social behavior and human groups (R. Schaefer, 2011, p. 5). It focuses on social relationships, how those relationships influence people’s behavior, and how societies, the sum total of those relationships, develop and change (R. Schaefer, 2011, p. 5). This helps form many theories of the development of the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist views of healthcare. A functionalist perspective is a sociological approach that emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability (R. Schaefer, 2011, p. 24). From a functionalist perspective, being sick must therefore be controlled so that not too many people are released from their societal responsibilities at any one time (R. Schaefer, 2011, p. 390). If this happens, then it will hurt our society and prevent it from being stable and functional. Sociologist Talcott Parsons, well known for his contributions to functionalist theory, outlined the behavior required of people who are considered sick (R. Schaefer, 2011, p. 390). This was also called the sick...
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...There are many theories that attempt to explain the causes of delinquency. Among these theories are choice views, sociological views and developmental views. Choice theories suggest that juvenile offenders are capable of rational choices and make the choice to engage in delinquent behavior because they believe it will be beneficial for them in some way. The benefit of engaging in delinquent behavior must be perceived to be greater than possible punishment or loss (Siegel & Welsh, pg. 59) . Basically, choice theories equate delinquency to be a matter of free will. Sociological views of delinquency assert that certain social conditions make youth turn to criminality. These social conditions include negative interpersonal interactions, poor community ecological conditions, low socioeconomic status, and racial disparity (Siegel & Welsh, pg. 97). Developmental views claim that delinquency is a result of social experiences as well as individual characteristics. A criminal career is not started by a single incident however, and the path to delinquency and subsequent criminality is a dynamic process influenced by personal, social,...
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...to understand psychological and sociological development theory throughout the life course. Practitioner are required to take into consideration ‘typical age-related physical, cognitive, social, emotional and behavioural development over time, accepting that normative developmental tasks are different for each individual depending on the interaction for: health, environmental and genetic factors. Assess the influence of cultural and social factors on child development, the effect of different parenting styles, and the effect of loss, change and uncertainty in the development of resilience’ (Department of Education, 2014 p4). The family observation has been an opportunity to identify the theories that I could like to each observation. Munro’s review of child protection also supported the notion that practitioners should understand child development (Department of Education, 2011). Observation skill allow social work practitioners to understand the non-verbal communication. Providing an opportunity to develop hypotheses what is happening, why, and to establish if our perception against what others believe (Trevithick, 2012). In accordance with the Key Skills and Knowledge this statement encourages practitioners to have multiple hypothesis and differentiating...
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...Discussion Questions 1 and 2 CJS 240 Week 2 Checkpoint Delinquency Deterrence Response CJS 240 Week 2 Individual Assignment Theories CJS 240 Week 3 Checkpoint Sociological Theories Response CJS 240 Week 3 Discussion Questions 1 and 2 CJS 240 Week 4 Assignment Gender and Family CJS 240 Week 4 Checkpoint Case Study Critique CJS 240 Week 5 Checkpoint The Justice Systems CJS 240 Week 5 Discussion Questions 1 and 2 CJS 240 Week 6 Assignment Corrections and Treatment CJS 240 Week 6 Checkpoint Probation Presentation CJS 240 Week 7 Checkpoint Gang Development and Control CJS 240 Week 7 Discussion Questions 1 and 2 CJS 240 Week 8 Assignment Drug Czar Presentation CJS 240 Week 8 Checkpoint Drug Use and Delinquency Response CJS 240 Week 9 Capstone Discussion Question CJS 240 Week 9 Justice System Position Final Project Activity mode aims to provide quality study notes and tutorials to the students of CJS 240 ENTIRE COURSE in order to ace their studies. CJS 240 ENTIRE COURSE To purchase this visit here: http://www.activitymode.com/product/cjs-240-entire-course/ Contact us at: SUPPORT@ACTIVITYMODE.COM CJS 240 ENTIRE COURSE CJS 240 Week 1 Checkpoint Statistics CJS 240 Week 1 Discussion Questions 1 and 2 CJS 240 Week 2 Checkpoint Delinquency Deterrence Response CJS 240 Week 2 Individual Assignment Theories CJS 240 Week 3 Checkpoint Sociological Theories Response CJS 240 Week 3 Discussion Questions 1 and 2 CJS 240 Week 4 Assignment Gender and Family CJS 240 Week 4 Checkpoint...
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...Krystal Rowland CRASH: SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES “Sociology is the study of human behavior in society” (Kimmel and Aronson 2012). Sociologists study humans in their environments and the social interactions that occur in those environments in order to develop theories of how human behavior is shaped by groups of people and or how life is affected by those individuals. Paul Haggis’ movie Crash (Haggis 2005) contains both social and multicultural differences that we as humans experience in our society and in our world everyday. In the movie, he takes us on a journey through a sociological process made up of racism, social class, and gender which all play roles in stereotypes and assumptions we make about others. Crash is set in the city of Los Angeles, California as it continues to grow as a multicultural society, exploring how racial intolerance and prejudice are problems for all of the United States. The movie Crash (Haggis 2005), explains many of the sociological concepts that explain how one’s behavior or actions can have a direct effect on another persons life, shaping it profoundly and changing the outcome forever. The first few lines of the movie basically set the sociological tone for the film. Graham, played by Don Cheadle says, “It’s the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash...
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...A theory is defined as “a coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena.” There are three major theories that sociologists use when viewing social life: Structural Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism. I will offer a brief explanation of each theory and apply each one of these theories to prostitution. Structural Functionalism focuses on viewing society as a whole, instead of on a smaller level. The theory views social life as having many smaller parts that all work together. It is studied at the macro-level. For example, think of a fire pump. The goal of a fire pump is plain and simple – to save lives. There are many parts within the pump that must work together to make it work properly. The speed increaser/pump transmission, the impeller shaft assembly, and the pump body all play very important roles in the flow of water through the pump and into the discharge hose for firefighting operations. The structure represents how all parts of society fit together to make the whole and the function represents each smaller part and how it works together. There are two different kind of functions to consider when studying structural functionalism. The first is manifest functions. Manifest functions are beneficial consequences of a social process that are intentional and obvious. The second is latent functions. Latent functions are beneficial...
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...Sociological Theory Assess the contributions of Marxism to our understanding of society. (33 marks) Marxism looks at the large scale societal structure in order to gain answers about how society work and operates. Marxism at its core is about the class struggle between those who own the means of production and those who use the means of production. These two groups are called the bourgeoisie, the ruling class and the proletariat, the working class. The Marxism perspective looks at the development of the western world, in particular capitalist countries. They believe that in a capitalist society, the owners of the means of production, the bourgeoisie, continually seek to exploit their labours, the proletariats for profit of their own gain. So majority off the working class who are the labourers work to earn a poor wage while the profit exceeds into the pockets of the owners, the business men, the ruling class. The owners of these productions control the state and institutions such as education and the media. The media portrays ideas to keep the working class under false class consciousness and alienation. If the proletariat members of society were to be class conscious then they would also be aware of the need to overthrow capitalism. Society as a whole alienates the working class by separating them from materials they have made or the work that they have done, stripping them of their identities. Keeping them away from other workers puts a stop to any thought processes about...
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