Introduction to Sociology

Yanıt Açıklaması: Durkheim, in his work titled The Division of Labour in Society writes about mechanic solidarity and organic solidarity depending on social division of labour. Accordingly: a) Mechanical solidarity is observed in traditional societies where there is a simple division of labour based on resemblances. In this type of order and solidarity, collective consciousness and collective identity are more powerful and dominant than individual consciousness and identities. b) Organic solidarity is observed in modern societies where there is a complex division of labour based on social differentiation.

Yanıt Açıklaması: political instabilities and wars

Yanıt Açıklaması: It is emphasized that the most significant contribution of Saint-Simon to the development of sociology is the term industrial society, which successfully influenced both the radicals like Marx and the conservative theoreticians like Comte at same time by reflecting both socialist and conservative point of views. The correct answer is A.

Yanıt Açıklaması: Self is the totality of the perceptions and thoughts related to our identity and our qualifications. In other words, self is a relatively stable set of perceptions and thoughts of who we are in relation to the others and ourselves.

Yanıt Açıklaması: Karl Marx developed a theory called historical materialism, which had a great influence in the field. In this theory, which emphasizes the importance of economic factors rather than thoughts and values in social transformation and can be defined briefly as “embracing history from a materialist point of view”. Therefore, A is the correct answer.

Yanıt Açıklaması: Durkheim, in his seminal study entitled “Suicide” (1897) shows that suicide rates are higher in men than women, higher for singles than people in a relationship and higher among Protestants than Catholics. He also found that suicide rates are higher in times of peace than times of war; and higher in times of economic crisis than times of economic welfare. Depending on these similarities and differences, Durkheim developed a theory and explained suicide as a sociological phenomenon, as a social fact. The correct answer is Choice C.

Yanıt Açıklaması: It is emphasized that the most significant contribution of Saint-Simon to the development of sociology is the term industrial society, which successfully influenced both the radicals like Marx and the conservative theoreticians like Comte at same time by reflecting both socialist and conservative point of views.

Yanıt Açıklaması: Feudal system

Yanıt Açıklaması: E

Yanıt Açıklaması: Laicism, although in its widest definition, is the separation of religious and state affairs; it comprises more than this conventional definition of the term. Laicism involves freedom of thought and faith

Yanıt Açıklaması: Social scientists are members of the society they investigate, they may influence the people they investigate and may be influenced by them.

Yanıt Açıklaması: Herbert Spencer developed a social transformation theory that was similar to the evolutionary development of a biological organism mentioned in Darwin’s evolution theory which is called Social Darwinism. The correct answer is D.

Yanıt Açıklaması: Those who possess rational-legal authority are legitimated on the basis of legally enacted rules and the right of those with authority under those rules to issue commands. Rational-legal authority is thus seen in developed, democratic nation-states. On the other hand, traditional authority is the type of authority that is usually seen in underdeveloped countries.  Dictatorships and oligarchies are forms of authoritarian states where rational-legal authority also lacks. In totalitarian states, all institutions are totally controlled and thus this type of state is deprived of legitimization.

Yanıt Açıklaması: According to Marx, capitalist society is a system which is built on economical inequalities. Class positions of people are determined according to whether they own means of production. Therefore, the correct option is C.

Yanıt Açıklaması: Social democracy can be defined as a hybrid political tradition that is inspired by socialist ideals and an existing political atmosphere and determined by liberal values. Thus, the correct answer is B.

Yanıt Açıklaması: Asset refers to a property, which can be translated to a form of money in the consequence of sales and provides profit and utility to its owner. The correct answer is D.

Yanıt Açıklaması: Spencer adapted the “natural selection” principle, which means the survival of the fittest, into social evolution and rejected any type of state interventions and social reforms that are supportive of disadvantaged individuals in social life. Some argue that Spencer used the phrase “adapters (strong ones) survive”, which is used to explain natural selection by Darwin, much earlier than him for human societies. Therefore, Spencer’s approach is also called “social Darwinism”.

Yanıt Açıklaması: “Surplus value” refers to the difference between the value produced by workers and the payment they are given.

Yanıt Açıklaması: Hunter-gatherer societies, usually consisting of small numbers of people, have very little social inequality and any inequalities that do exist are based on honor rather than wealth. As a result, there are no rich or poor people and no social division based on wealth, but rather cooperation among members. This is caused by their lack of agriculture, resulting in a lack of long term storable food, requiring cooperation and sharing of their limited resources to sustain their livelihood.

Yanıt Açıklaması: Social groups are the main blocks of the society. The group is a set of people who are in mutual interaction, who share specific expectations and who take into consideration the other’s behaviours. In other words, social group is a set of people who share common goals and interests, who are interrelated and who have a continuous interaction for a while. For example, five people who are waiting for a bus at a bus stop do not consist a group. However, if they decide to take a cab and share the cab fare, they become a group and stay as a group until they get o the cab. Families, friends, students in a class, co-workers in a workplace are some examples of groups. The groups may be permanent or temporary. For instance, families are an example of the permanent groups and crowds are an example of the temporary groups.