my name is Iman welcome back to my YouTube channel today we're going to be covering chapter 11 for our MCAT Behavioral Science playlist this chapter is titled social structure and demographics and in this chapter we're going to cover three main objectives the first objective is titled sociology here we're going to learn about some major sociological theories including functionalism conflict theory symbolic interactionism social constructionism rational Choice Theory and feminist theory in addition we're going to talk about social institutions and we're going to cover the four key tenants of American Medical ethics then we'll move into the second objective titled culture here we're going to distinguish between material and symbolic culture we're also going to recall the definitions of and the differences between values beliefs norms and Rich rituals of a culture and we're also going to discuss the evolution of human culture then our last and final objective is titled demographics here we're going to distinguish between race and ethnicity and we're also going to learn about symbolic ethnicity then we'll describe fertility rate birth rate and mortality rate and how they shift during a demographic transition and then last but not least we're going to recall examples of pro proactive and reactive social movements and how the two types of movements differ so with that introduction let's go ahead and get started with objective one sociology this is the study of society how we create Society how we interact within Society how we change society and how we Define what is Normal and abnormal in society now whereas psychologists really focus on the behaviors of individuals sociologists focus on the ways that groups organize and interact sociologists study this subject at different levels so the micro level this consist of the family group and the local communities then we have the Miso level which consists of organizations institutions and even ethnic subcultures and then the macro level this consists of national and international systems now because human interaction is so complex sociologists have proposed many models called theoretical approaches to help analyze and explain aspects of human social behavior each model was created to explain certain aspects of sociology and also for explaining in the aspects of all different kinds of cultures and subcultures as well and so we're going to go over a couple of them starting off with symbolic interactionism this is going to be the first one we talk about this attempts to understand human action and interaction by studying the symbols that we use to communicate among humans stretches far beyond just language spoken or written our bodies are tools of communication through our body posture through our facial expressions even our hand gestures now any object image sound or action that carries meaning to humans is a symbol importantly according to this definition while many physical objects are symbols a symbol need not be a physical IAL object symbolic interactionism therefore is an approach to Sociology that was pioneered by George Herbert me and again it attempts to understand human action and interaction by studying the symbols we use to communicate this approach makes three main assumptions about human behavior one humans act towards symbols based on on the meanings that these symbols carry two the meanings symbols carry come from social interaction and then three humans interpret the meaning of symbols and then this interpretation influences action now the meaning of a symbol it might differ even from group to group within a culture and the shared understanding of symbols then is therefore a micro or misol level phenomenon one major limitation to the symbolic interactionism idea is that it often overlooks macr level structures like cultural norms or even class interactions so that was symbolic interactionism let's move on and discuss social constructionism now the agreed upon meaning of symbols can very much change over time so for example the peace sign which today is a symbol signifying peace Peace and Freedom in general it originally was used to indicate support for nuclear disarmament specifically society's interpretation of the peace sign has therefore broadened over time and this is a prime example that shows that the meaning of a symbol it doesn't come from the symbol itself but from implicit social agreement symbols are therefore examples of what is called social constructs now a social construct is any idea that has been created and accepted by the people in a society social constructionism is the attempt to understand a society through the study of that society's social constructs symbols this is important they're not the only type of social construct abstract ideas might also be social const constructs so for example the definitions of Concepts like honor Justice Integrity rely on group agreement among individuals within a given society and so therefore those kinds of concepts are also social constructs now just like with symbolic interactionism all right just like with symbolic interactionism social constructionism is really useful for explaining micro and misol level soci ology based phenomena but it kind of falls short in explaining macr level structures now we can move on to our third point which is on rational Choice also known as exchange theory Choice theory is another theory that really describes sociology at the micro too level this Theory focuses on individual decision making and according to rational Choice Theory humans will make rational choices to further their own self-interests this Theory claims that people are going to weigh the cost and benefits when making choices and that means they're going to rank their options based on maximizing perceived benefit so for example if you're deciding to purchase a new laptop rational Choice Theory says that you're going to gather information about characteristics such as cost Performance Brand recognition and so on and you're going to rank your options and choose the best one the same can be said here about evaluating whether there is reciprocity and balance in Social relationships and deciding whether continuing that relationship or not will maximize your perceived benefits now what we want to do is move on to macro influencing theories like conflict theory conflict theory is a framework that views Society through the lens of conflicts between different groups it originated from KL Marx critique of 19th century capitalism and this Theory initially focused on the struggle between the Bourgeois who owns the means of production so like factories and Machinery versus the proletariat who performs the labor Marx argued that the control of production by the Bourgeois leads to power imbalances and inherent conflicts within the working class and that ultimately predicting that A revolution is going to happen a revolution leading to a classless society now modern applications of conflict theory very much extend beyond class to examine any conflicts between dominant and subordinate groups such as tensions between different age groups religious fractions or geographic regions this Theory suggests that those in power very much shape societal structures including laws and Norms to maintain their dominance conversely less powerful groups May mobilize through actions like protests or forming interest groups to challenge the status quo and strive for more equitable distribution of power now while conflict theory provides insight into societal change and tensions it less effectively addresses individual choices social cohesion and other behaviors often very much just focusing on societal Discord and structural disparities next up we want to talk about about structural functionalism functionalism views society as a complex system that's similar to a living organism where you have various groups that function like organs each playing a very important role in maintaining the society's overall health and stability this theory is essentially the opposite of conflict theory because it focuses on social cohesion and equilibrium rather than conflict and change structural functionalism also introduces the concept of functions which are the contributions each social group makes to the societal system and these functions help maintain the society stability and they can be categorized as either manifest or latent manifest functions are the intended obvious contributions of a social activity while latent functions are the unintended often hidden benefit that activities provide so for instance while the Manifest function of annual medical conferences is to educate Physicians and share research essentially a latent function might be the strengthening of professional bonds and the enhancement of group identity among those who attend however it's important to note that not all effects are positive dysfunctions are important to talk about as well and these are detrimental to society's health and they can arise from these structures and interactions while structural functionalism really excels at explaining how societies maintain stability and the roles various institutions play in this process it does struggle to account for social change and the Dynamics of individual interactions within groups the last thing that we want to talk about here is feminist Theory feminist Theory critiques the institutional power structures that disadvantage women in society and feminist Theory it was originally an offshoot of conflict theory from a conflict theory perspective feminist Theory describes society as being inherently patriarchical with men seeking to preserve their position of power over women through privilege and institutional discrimination with that we've covered all of the sociology theories that we need to know the next thing that we want to move into in this first objective is talking about social institutions institutions are well-established social structures that dictate certain patterns of behavior or relationships and they are accepted as a fundament m al part of culture social institutions they regulate the behavior of individuals in many core areas of society for example family is a social institution and it encourages learning of acceptable behavior socialization and bonding now something important to not is that institutions exist at the Miso level of sociological analysis because they are part of a society but they're not dependent upon the indiv indviduals involved now the exact nature of each institution it differs from culture to culture although each institution performs a similar role regardless and often institutions are dependent upon and support one another although competition over resources can happen and that can bring about conflict now what you see here in this table is six of the major social institutions and we're going to go over one by one starting off with education education as an institution aims to provide a population with a set of skills that will be useful to them or to society then we have family and the definition of family differs greatly from culture to culture for some people family means those people to whom I maintain close ties and who are related to me by Blood and for others family is simply the people who live in my house family is the most basic inst institution then we have religion as an institution religion is a pattern of social activities that are organized around a set of beliefs and practices that seek to address the meaning of existence the next two that we want to talk about is government and economy these can be defined as systematic Arrangements of political and capital relationships and activities and social structures that will essentially affect things like rule making representation of the individual in society rights and privileges division of labor and even the production of goods and services the last institution we have is healthc care and Medicine the institutions of Health Care and Medicine are aimed at maintaining or improving the health status of the individual the family the community and even society as a whole now many sociologists investigate medical ethics and in the United States Physicians are expected to adhere to four key tenants of medical ethics one The Physician has a responsibility to act in the patient's best interest two Do no harm the physician has a responsibility to avoid treatments or intervention in which the potential for harm outweighs the potential for benefit three respect patient autonomy The Physician has a responsibility to respect the patient decisions and choices about their own health care and four Justice The Physician has a responsibility to treat similar patients with similar care and to distribute Health Care Resources fairly and with that we've gone over the six major social institutions and we can go ahead and move into the second objective which is all about culture culture is likely the most diverse and complex Dimension within sociology culture can be defined as encompassing the entire lifestyle for a given group Culture essentially flavors our interpretation of the world and it's generally passed down through Family Lines it's also what makes human system ities unique from one another so let's get into it sociologists they view culture according to two different categories we have material culture and we have symbolic culture starting off with material culture one can discern a lot about people by just looking at their artifacts these are material items that they make possess and value and this examination surrounds material culture which includes the physical items that one Associates with a given group things like artwork clothing jewelry buildings and tools now symbolic culture also known as non-material culture it focuses instead on the ideas that represent a group of people and this can be encoded in songs or catchphrases or it may Simply Be themes that are pervasive in that culture symbolic culture this is usually slower to change than material culture and this can lead to something called culture lag now the expansion of easy access devices and Technology like phones and laptops and contemporary times these are prototypical examples of culture lack because we still have our American culture that pretty much prizes individuality and privacy but the development of smartphones and social media it very much pushes towards a more Community oriented and less private world now in the same realm of culture we also want to talk about language because language is prevalent in nearly all cultures it encompasses spoken written and signed forms and it's governed by specific rules language serves as a vital tool for expressing thoughts ideas experiences discoveries plans and so much more it essentially facilitates Comm communication and it facilitates cultural exchange it significantly also extends our ability to share information across different locations and times and again our technology really helps with that as well now the ability to understand and use a group's language is crucial for gaining a deep insight into their culture because language is a medium through which culture values and practices are conveyed and preserved without language the transmission of culture would slow down or stop and that would limit our understanding of different social groups and their histories now the next thing that we want to talk about is values beliefs norms and rituals culture is structured by rules that dictate how Society operates and this encompasses values beliefs norms and rituals all of which are crucial for social interaction and coherence discussing values values are core principles that dictate what is important in life and it guides ethical behavior and moral decisions so for instance in healthc care understanding a patient's cultural values is so important because these values are going to influence the decisions they make and the interactions they have within this medical setting different cultural values can lead to distinct practices in healthcare so for example some Asian cultures prioritize family involvement in making Health Care decisions to prevent stress on the patient and you can contrast that with Western culture which really emphasizes instead on patient autonomy then the next thing we want to talk about is belief beliefs are convictions that individual accept as truth and it can vary significantly across cultures these beliefs shape how individuals perceive health care and other aspects of their life of course and that can create potential challenges in Multicultural settings next we want to talk about Norms Norms are societal rules that outline acceptable behavior within a community now Norms influence everyday actions in areas from speech to dress to social interactions it really just provides a framework for acceptable conduct then we have rituals rituals are formed ceremonies that include specific objects symbols and behaviors and they often follow a set sequence these can Mark significant life events like weddings or funerals and they can also um be to celebrate holidays or even form part of daily routines like morning preparations or prayers rituals reinforce cultural norms and values and they also help maintain the cultural fabric over time understanding and navigating these components values beliefs norms and rituals is very important especially in fields like healthcare which you all will be in right you because are all going to be future doctors and it's really important to understand and be accepting of the different patients cultures where cultural barriers in healthcare can really affect the quality of service and patient outcomes so being aware of and sensitive to these cultural elements can help professionals manage interactions more effectively and hopefully everyone leaves happy and well now the last thing that I want to talk about in our second objective here before we move on to our last and final objective is on Evolution and human culture Evolution may have favored the development of culture as a crucial mechanism for the transmission of Knowledge and Skills across Generations in prehistoric times culture played a vital role in teaching essential survival techniques like tool making hunting and Agriculture and this transmission not only preserved practical knowledge but it also fostered a sense of loyalty and Allegiance among community members and that can really explain the roots of some altruistic Behavior now culture also contributes to group identity you know that distinguishing us from them which likely facilitated the spread of human populations into diverse environmental Niche niches around the globe in addition culture culture can influence biological evolution certain genetic traits they may have been selected for because they were advantageous within specific cultural context so here's an example the ability to digest lactose into adulthood is unique to humans and it has been linked to culture in cultures in northern Europe that relied on Dairy farming and this genetic adaptation provided a significant nutritional benefit and survival Advantage promoting its persistence in the gene pool of these populations and so cultural practices can very much have a direct impact on genetic selection and evolution and this really puts into play The Complex interplay between our biological makeup and the cultural Frameworks that we've developed now we can move into our last and final objective we're going to actually cover this last and final objective in the following video I hope this was helpful so far let me know if you have any questions comments concerns leave them down below other than that good luck happy studying and have a beautiful beautiful day future doctors