Social Class Study Guide

a society’s categorization of its people into groups based on socioeconomic factors like wealth, income, race, education, ethnicity, gender, occupation, and social status

wealth; what a person owns

value of a person’s property and income (what they own)

incoming wages from a job, rent, interest, or royalties

a closely knit alliance of military, government, and corporate officials perceived as the center of wealth and political power in the US

people with similar levels of power, property, and prestige

people with varying levels of power, property, and prestige

responsibilities and benefits that a person experiences according to his or her rank and role in society

members of a society are stratified by age just as they are stratified by race

refers to a society’s categorization of its people into rankings of socioeconomic tiers based on factors like wealth, income, race, education, and power

any government system that provides monetary assistance to people with an inadequate or no income

social construction because of biological changes, biographical events, gender age, and cultural timetables

wrinkles, graying, health issues

becoming a grandparent early in life, having poor health

value a culture places on men and women’s ages

markers of old age, such as birthdays or retirement

symbolic interactionist, functionalist perspective, conflict perspective

thinks that age is a social construct, goes by 4 factors of OLD: biological changes, biographical events, gender age, and cultural timetables

how retirement affects society in different theories: disengagement theory, activity theory, and continuity theory

pass the torch to the next generation

keeping busy makes life satisfying

the more roles a person has, the more continuity will be experienced in retirement

the old and the young struggle for limited resources. the power elite exploit the less privileged through programs like social security. aging impacts roles and genders different (ex: women live longer than men.)

in the chart, hispanic people have the longest average lifespan, and black people have the shortest. Due to the population of hispanic people in the workforce, where they are subject to physical labor as opposed to white people who may struggle more with obesity and late life health issues; gender, women live longer bc they may be caretakers for their spouses and are more likely to be poor

less percentage of people in the workforce, top heavy economy, large amount of people on social security, and healthcare concerns

denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance

characterized by the person not wanting to believe their dying, with common thoughts like “i feel fine,” or “this isn’t real.”

when loss of life is seen as unfair or unjust

trying to negotiate with a higher power to postpone the inevitable by reforming or changing the way they live

allows for resignation as the situation begins to seem hopeless

the person can face death honestly, by regarding it as a natural and inevitable part of life.

changes in a family’s social class from one generation to the next

moving to a higher social class

moving to a lower social class

society changes, causing a shift in structure

so many people are moving up and down the class ladder that the structure shows little change

have time to stay fit and can afford the best health care

generally have personal physicians and typically have healthcare provided through work

higher chance of early death and often cannot afford any type of healthcare

does not care about money spent because they have so much

homes and cars and expensive items are a symbol of achievement

work is used to purchase enjoyment; leisure items are very important to them

focus on how they represent the family and typically outsource the day to day parenting

focus on creativity and typically have verbal punishments and reprimanding

focus on obedience; use physical punishment; let children develop naturally

send kids to exclusive private schools, ivy league

preschool and attending college is important; doing well in all levels of school is stressed

obedience in school is important; “street smarts” is often more cared about than “book smarts”

high church episcopalian

middle church; methodius

baptist or pentecostal; show faith through loud music

white collar crime often dealt with outside the justice system

street crime dealt with by criminal justice system; often ends in jailtime