Macrosociology: Studying Larger Groups and Societies

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Chapter 4

• Macrosociology Studying Larger Groups and
  Societies

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Example of Macro issues

• Recall suicide discussion social structure
  (group characteristics) help explain variation in
  suicide rates
• Darley and Latane study on bystander apathy
• In groups of 2, 100 went for help
• In groups of 6, 60 went for help
• Individual level of analysis but illustrates
  social structural effects
• Hirschi and Stark, Hellfire and Delinquency

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Religious commitment and Juvenile Delinquency

• So commonsensical, why bother?
• Theory WOULD predict a relationship
• E.g., Durkheim moral and social integration
• Psych theory also relevant

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Research on Effects of religious commitment mixed

• Some studies find little or no relationship
  (unchurched areas)
• Some do find predicted relationship (churched
  areas)
• Perrin study on honesty fits into this literature
• Perrin found that religious commitment does
  predict honesty (in a religious setting
  Pepperdine)

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Contextual Effect?

• Relationship exists only in religious integrated
  settings? Utah, Bible belt?
• Contextual relationship found among individuals
  in some social contexts, not others
• Contextual effects mark the borderline between
  micro- and macrosociology.

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Perrin Says.

• Stark has not settled this debate, despite his
  claims to have done so
• People tend to exaggerate religious commitment
  dilutes effects
• When one looks at other deviant behaviors
  (premarital sex) and other dependent variables
  (for example, mental health, happiness), religion
  seems to matter
• Pretty clear that religious commitment not as
  strong a predictor as one would hope
• Perhaps this was not so in the early Church when
  Christian so countercultural

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Population (or census) data vs. sample data

• Random sample
• everyone has an equal chance of being selected in
  the sample
• SLOPS (self-selected listener opinion polls)
• Alf Landon vs. FDR (1936)
• Automobile registration and Phones a way to pick
  sample in 1936?

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E.g., Election Polls How do they work?

• Impossible to ask everyone
• Phone surveys random digit dialing (not sure
  how handling cell phone issue)
• Sample size approximately 1000 produces margin of
  error of 3
• Called a 95 confidence interval

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Three Dominant Macro Theories

• Functionalism examining society in terms of the
  functions each part plays
• Social Evolution explaining social structures in
  terms of the survival function for societies
  (subset of Functionalism?)
• Conflict conflict (class or interest groups)
  explains culture and social structure

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Functionalism

• Borrowed from biology think of the human body
• Three components
• The part of the system to be explained (e.g.,
  extended family in poor countries)
• Learning how this part of the system preserves
  another part of the system from disruption its
  function (e.g., support for dependents)
• The theory identifies the source of the potential
  disruption (high rates of death).

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Other Examples

• Durkheim defended religion as functional
• Part to explain religion
• Its function moral and social integration
• Potential disruption secularization
• Kingsley Davis on article on prostitution
• Part to explain prostitution
• Its function family preservation
• Potential disruption male sexuality

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Critique

• Conservative theory meaning, status quo is
  healthy
• Not change oriented this leads to

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Social Evolutionary Theories

• Social Evolution implicit in Functionalism
• Again, think of evolutionary theory in bio
• Societies that adapt have a better chance for
  survival.
• Through the process of selection, certain highly
  adaptive structures and cultural traits tend to
  exist in societies.

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Conflict Theory

• If conflict creates society, then
• where functionalists and evolutionists see
  balance, equilibrium, symmetry, conflict sees
• Competition, conflict, exploitation
• Concerned with how power is distributed and how
  status groups (classes and other interest groups)
  gain power and use power to reshape society in
  their favor.

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The conflict theorist asks

• Functional for whom?
• Whose interests are served?
• Who benefits?

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Perhaps helpful to think in terms of 2 kinds of
conflict theory

• Radical, Critical, Marxist
• Karl Marx
• Conflict is economic
• May abandon science in favor of their political
  or moral agenda
• Interest Group Theory, Status Group Theory
• Max Weber
• Power and status key, yes
• Not always about economic interest and struggles

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Examples

• Why marijuana and not alcohol?
• What is family violence? What is child abuse?