DEVIANCE:

Deviance clarifies moral boundaries and promotes social cohesion.

SOCIAL CLASS/STRATIFICATION:

Social inequality is a necessary part of society. Different reward structures are necessary as an incentive for the best qualified people to occupy the most important positions. Even poverty has functions that help to maintain social order.

RACE & ETHNICITY:

Racial and ethnic differences are a necessary part of society. Even racial inequality has functions that help maintain social order.

GENDER & SEXUALITY:

Sex determines which roles men and women are best suited to; it is more appropriate for men to play instrumental roles and for women to play expressive roles.

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS:

Social institutions such as politics, education, and religion provide critical functions for the needs of society and help maintain order and unity.

THE ECONOMY:

Different types of work (high prestige and pay to low prestige and pay) are necessary to the economy and have functions that help maintain social order.

FAMILIES & RELATIONSHIPS:

Family performs necessary functions, such as the socialization of children, that help society run smoothly and maintain social order.

HEALTH & ILLNESS:

Disease is a threat to social order, and sick people cannot fulfill their roles and contribute to society; the health care system should return patients to health and normal functioning as members of society.

GENERAL:

Sees social conflict as the basis of society and social change and emphasizes a materialist view of society, a critical view of the status quo, and dynamic model of historical change.

DEVIANCE:

Definitions and rules of deviance are applied unequally based on power.

SOCIAL CLASS/STRATIFICATION:

Social inequality creates intergroup conflict - poor and rich groups have different interests and may find themselves at odds as they attempt to secure and protect these interests.

RACE & ETHNICITY:

Racial and ethnic differences create intergroup conflict; minority and majority groups have different interests and may find themselves at odds as they attempt to secure and protect their interests.

GENDER & SEXUALITY:

Because of the traditional division of labor in families, males have had more access to resources and privileges and have sought to maintain their dominance.

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS:

Social institutions such as politics, education, and religion represent the interests of those in power and thus create and maintain inequalities in society.

THE ECONOMY:

A stratified labor market creates intergroup conflict - wealthier capitalists may exploit less powerful workers.

FAMILIES & RELATIONSHIPS:

Family is a site of various forms of stratification and can produce and reproduce inequalities based on these statuses.

HEALTH & ILLNESS:

Health and the health care system are valuable resources that are unequally shared in society; conflict may arise among different groups seeking access to and control over these resources.

GENERAL:

Asserts that interaction and meaning are central to society and assumes that means are not inherent but are created through interaction.

DEVIANCE:

The definition of deviance is relative and depends on the culture, time period, and situation.

SOCIAL CLASS/STRATIFICATION:

Social inequality is a part of our presentation of self. We develop everyday class consciousness as a way to distinguish the status of others.

RACE & ETHNICITY:

Racial and ethnicity are part of our identity as displayed through our presentation of self.

GENDER & SEXUALITY:

Gender is learned through the process of socialization; gender inequalities are reproduced through interactions with family, peers, schools, and the media.

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS:

Social institutions such as politics, education, and religion are created through individual participation; they give meaning to and are part of the everyday experience of members.

THE ECONOMY:

Work is central to our self-concept. We are intensely identified with our work, both by ourselves and by others.

FAMILIES & RELATIONSHIPS:

Family is a social construction; it is created, changed, and maintained by interaction.

HEALTH & ILLNESS:

The meanings of health and illness are dependent on historical, cultural, and situational contexts. Stigma may be attached to certain disease states and to those who suffer from them.