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| Sociology Terms –S-Z
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| Social Darwinism |
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Social Darwinism, a popular belief in late Victorian England and America, stated that the strongest or fittest should survive and flourish in society, while the weak and unfit should be allowed to die. The theory was chiefly developed by Herbert Spencer
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| Sociobiology |
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systematic study of the biological basis of all social behavior. Explanations have been attempted for heroism, homosexuality, gender differences in math and science abilities, gender roles in general, and many other aspects of human behavior.
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| Spontaneous Order |
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A spontaneous order is a pattern that is the unintended consequence of human action. It is the product of human action, but it is not designed by humans. A spontaneous order does not imply that the individuals are acting "spontaneously" (without plan). The individuals probably have plans, but no individual plans the patterns that result from the interactions of all of the individuals.
The best example of a spontaneous order is the production and consumption of goods and services in a market economic system. The choices of the individual households and firms usually depend on their particular intentions and designs, but the order found in the market system as a whole exists without any over-all intention or design.
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| Structural Functionalism |
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Structural-functionalism is a consensus theory; a theory that sees society as built upon order, interrelation, and balance among parts as a means of maintaining the smooth functioning of the whole. Structural-Functionalism views shared norms and values as the basis of society, focuses on social order based on tacit agreements between groups and organizations, and views social change as occurring in a slow and orderly fashion. Functionalists acknowledge that change is sometimes necessary to correct social dysfunctions (the opposite of functions), but that it must occur slowly so that people and institutions can adapt without rapid disorder.
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| Systems theory |
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Eco-systems theory is a metatheory that offers social work practitioners/clinicians a way of thinking about and assessing the relatedness of people and their impinging environments; it does not specify the what (problem-definition) or the how (methodology) of practice. For that it relies upon the increasingly large repertoire of available practice models, each one to make these specifications consistent with its particular theoretical orientations.
Systems theory offers a way of conceptualising the relationship between people and environments and encourages a balanced approach to both domains of practice. Emphasis is on the ‘goodness of fit’ between the client and their environment.
Workers can focus on how family, community, social, economic and political factors affect the client’s situation.
The five principles of systems are:
All systems seek goal attainment and balance.
All systems have boundaries.
All systems are made up of subsystems.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
All systems create feedback.
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