Social Change and the Polity Test - 1

The correct answer is None of the above.

Key PointsBelief system

• Your belief system is the invisible force behind your behaviour. Together with other factors such as your personality, your genetic setup and your habits, your belief system is one of the strongest forces that affect any decision that you are making.
• A belief system is any set of ideas and beliefs that people use to make sense of the world around them.
• Traditionally, people made sense of the world through supernatural explanations whereas today (some argue) it is more common to understand the world based on scientific evidence while others put their faith in both religious and non-religious ideologies.
• Karl Popper differentiated science from religion on the basis that religion was a closed belief system while science was an open belief system. What he meant by this was that religion claimed a monopoly on the truth accepting no criticism or opportunity for development. Religion was based on doctrine and to challenge that was sacrilege or blasphemy.
• On the other hand, for Popper, science was an open belief system as it constantly opened itself up to criticism and testing and constantly sought to discover new knowledge.

The correct answer is "all of the above".

Key Points Theory of I of G.H.Mead

• The “I” is the immediate response of an individual to others. It is the incalculable, unpredictable, and creative aspect of the self.
  • People do not know in advance what the action of the “I” will be.
  • We are never totally aware of the “I,” and through it, we surprise ourselves with our actions.
  • We know the “I” only after the act has been carried out.
  • “I” only in our memories. Though Mead’s work seems almost like a rewording or rethinking of Jean Piaget’s theory of the four-stage of cognitive development or Sigmund Freud’s theory of Id, Ego, and Superego; Mead’s work is original and the similarities can be dismissed by what was going on at that time period.  Hence, statement 3 is correct.
  • Mead lays great stress on the “I” for four reasons;
    • First, it is a key source of novelty in the social process.
    • Second, Mead believes that it is in the “I” that our most important values are located.
    • Third, the “I” constitutes something that we all seek—the realization of the self.
    • Fourth, it is the “I” that permits us to develop a “definite personality.”
• The “I” gives Mead’s theoretical system some much-needed dynamism and creativity. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Without it, Mead’s actors would be totally dominated by external and internal controls.
• With it, Mead is able to deal with the changes brought about not only by the great figures in history (like Gandhi or Einstein), but also by individuals on a day-to-day basis. It is the “I” that makes these changes possible.  Hence, statement 2 is correct.

The correct answer is only culture.

Key Points

• Any set of ideas and beliefs that people use to make sense of the world around them is referred to as a belief system.
• People used to make sense of the world through supernatural explanations, but now (some contend) it is more popular to comprehend the world through scientific evidence, while others believe in both religious and non-religious beliefs.
• Karl Popper distinguished science from religion by claiming that religion is a closed belief system. Hence option 3) is correct.
•  Whereas science is an open belief system.
• He meant that religion claimed a monopoly on the truth and would not allow criticism or opportunities for growth.
• Religion was founded on doctrine, and questioning it was considered sacrilege or blasphemy.
• Popper, on the other hand, saw science as an open belief system that was always open to critique and testing while also seeking to uncover new information.

The correct answer is the members of a group clash with each other for the exact interpretation of a norm.

Key Points

• Conflict theory, coined by Karl Marx, asserts that society is perpetually in conflict as a result of the struggle for limited resources.
• Dominance and power, rather than consensus and compliance, are said to maintain social order according to conflict theory.
• According to conflict theory, those who have wealth and power try to keep it by any means necessary, including oppressing the poor and powerless.
• Individuals and groups within society will attempt to maximize their own money and power, according to a fundamental principle of conflict theory.
• Marxist conflict theory sees society as divided along lines of economic class between the proletarian working class and the bourgeois ruling class.
• Later versions of conflict theory look at other dimensions of conflict among capitalist factions and among various social, religious, and other types of groups.
• Normative conflict over contents results from the balancing between two distinct and at least partially exclusive norms.
• This kind of conflict may exist even if all actors fully comply with their respective norms in the absence of any self-interested reasoning.
• A normative conflict arises when multiple plausible rules exist, specifying how one ought to behave in a given situation.
• In such cases, enforcing one normative rule can lead to a sequence of mutual retaliatory sanctions, which we refer to as a feud.

The correct answer is Respectable people.

Key PointsWhite collar crime

• White-collar crime, in other words, corporate crime, is a definition given to financially motivated but non-violent crimes committed by government professionals and businesses. 
• Sociologist Edwin Sutherland first described white-collar crime in 1939. According to Sutherland, white-collar crime was defined as a crime committed by a respectable and high social status person during the profession.
• Types of White-Collar Crime : White-collar crimes cover many crimes; these crimes usually include non-violent crimes.
  • Bribery
  • Money Laundering
  • Fraud
  • Insider Trading
  • Embezzlement
  • Espionage
     

The correct answer is He will not be deviant in all other activities.

Key Points

• Deviant, sometimes known as deviance sociology, is the study of actions and/or behaviors that violate social standards, including both formally enforced rules (such as crime) and informal infractions of social norms (e.g., rejecting Folkways and mores).
• Although deviance has a negative connotation, breaking social norms is not always a negative activity; in some cases, a good deviation is possible.
• Even when a norm is broken, a concept might be categorized as positive or acceptable.
• Throughout civilization and throughout cultures, social norms differ.
• In one civilization, a specific act or behavior may be considered aberrant and subject to sanctions or punishments, while in another society, it is considered normal.
• Furthermore, the collective impression of deviance varies over time as a society's understanding of social norms evolves.
• Deviance is measured in terms of the location where it occurred or the time when it occurred.
• For example, killing another person is typically regarded wrong, except when governments allow it in times of war or self-defense.
• Mala in se and mala prohibita are the two categories of serious deviant behaviour.

The correct answer is "The cases of deviance may also increase".

Key PointsCultural Deviance Theory

• In conflict theory, deviant behaviors are actions that do not comply with social institutions.
• The institution's ability to change norms, wealth, or status comes into conflict with the individual.
• The legal rights of poor folks might be ignored, while the middle-class side with the elites rather than the poor.
• Culture conflict theory is also known as cultural deviance theory.
• This theory suggests that crime is caused due to the clash of values that arises when different social groups have different ideas of acceptable behavior.
• In other words, different social groups have different cultural beliefs and ideas that conflict, and this conflict sometimes leads to crime.

The correct answer is When the society changes norms also change.

Key Points Social Change

• The term social change is used to indicate the changes that take place in human interactions and interrelations.
• Society is a web of social relationships and hence social change means a change in the system of social relationships.
• These are understood in terms of social processes and social interactions and social organization.
• Auguste Comte, the father of Sociology has posed two problems- the question of social statics and the question of social dynamics, what is and how it changes.
• The sociologists not only outline the structure of the society but also seek to know its causes also.
• According to Morris Ginsberg social change is a change in the social structure.

The correct answer is Activities do not lead to a betrayal of any kind.

Key PointsDeviant behavior

• Deviant behavior is defined as actions that violate social norms, which may include both informal social rules or more formal societal expectations and laws.
• Socially acceptable behavior, on the other hand, refers to the actions that are generally viewed as being appropriate to engage in when in the presence of other people.
• This article discusses what causes deviant behavior and how it differs from socially acceptable behavior.
• It also covers different types of deviant behavior and how some behaviors, such as addiction, can span from socially acceptable to deviant.
• There are a variety of theories that explain why people engage in deviant behavior, including psychological, biological, and sociological explanations.
• It is also important to note that what is considered deviant can vary from one culture to the next. Other factors—including sex and socioeconomic status—also influence the informal and unwritten social rules and expectations that people are expected to conform to.
• Types of Deviant Behavior
  • Deviant behavior can include both informal and formal deviance from social norms. Informal types of deviance are things that are considered socially unacceptable and inappropriate. Formal types of deviant behavior are those that violate codified laws, regulations, and other rules.
    • Examples of Informal Deviant Behavior
      • Gossiping about people behind their back
      • Showing up late to work
      • Borrowing items and not returning them
      • Telling inappropriate jokes at work
      • Lying to others
      • Chewing with your mouth open
      • Swearing in public
      • Staring inappropriately
    • Examples of Formal Deviant Behavior
      • Domestic violence
      • Rape, sexual harassment, and stalking
      • Murder
      • Theft and robbery
      • Assault, violence, bullying
      • Fraud
      • Addiction, substance use, DUI, and drug trafficking

The correct answer is all of the above.

Key PointsFreud: Id, Ego, and Superego 

• Sigmund Freud originated the concepts of the id, the ego, and the superego, three separate but interacting parts of the human personality that work together to contribute to an individual's behavior.
• The Id and superego fight on the battlefield of ego.  Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• While Freud’s ideas have often been critiqued and labeled unscientific, his work continues to be highly influential in the field of psychology.
• Id
  • According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality.
  • The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth.
  • This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes instinctive and primitive behaviors.
• Ego
  • According to Freud, The ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • The ego functions in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind.
  • The ego is the component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality.
  • Ego fulfills the social demands. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• ​Superego
  • According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge at around age five.
  • The superego of Freud resembles to that of Mead's Me. Hence, statement 4 is correct.
  • The superego holds the internalized moral standards and ideals that we acquire from our parents and society (our sense of right and wrong).
  • The superego provides guidelines for making judgments.
  • The superego consists of two components: the conscious and the ego ideal.
  • The conscious is the part of the superego that forbids unacceptable behaviors and punishes with feelings of guilt when a person does something they shouldn’t.
  • The ego-ideal, or ideal self, includes the rules and standards of good behavior one should adhere to.
  • If one is successful in doing so, it leads to feelings of pride. However, if the standards of the ego ideal are too high, the person will feel like a failure and experience guilt.