Chapter 4 Macrosociology: Studying Larger Groups and Societies

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”

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

Church Attendance FrequentInfrequent Delinquent22%38% Not Del78%62%

Church AttendanceFrequentInfrequent BoysDel50% Not Del50% 100% GirlsDel10% Not Del90% 100%

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)

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.

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

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?

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

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

Functionalism  Borrowed from biology – think of the human body  Three components: 1.The part of the system to be explained (e.g., extended family in poor countries) 2.Learning how this part of the system preserves another part of the system from disruption – its function (e.g., support for dependents) 3.The theory identifies the source of the potential disruption (high rates of death).

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

Critique  “Conservative” theory – meaning, status quo is healthy  Not change oriented – this leads to…

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.

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.

The conflict theorist asks…  Functional for whom?  Whose interests are served?  Who benefits?

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

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