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252 Unit 3 Social Inequality
Figure 8.4 Focus on Theoretical Perspectives
Social Stratification. This table summarizes what issues of social stratification might be of interest to each of the major perspectives and predictions that they would make. Why would the symbolic interactionists be more likely than the functionalists to look at issues of self-esteem?
Theoretical Perspective
Conflict Theory
Research Topic
Relationship between social class and the likelihood of punishment for a crime
Expected Result
The chances for prosecution decrease as the level of social
class increases.
Functionalism Relationship between Pay levels increase with job job performance performance.
and pay
Symbolic Link between social Self-esteem is higher Interactionism class and self-esteem among the upper
class than the lower class.
Section 2 Assessment
1. Identify which of the major perspectives describes the examples below.
a. Corporate executives make more money because they decide who
gets what in their organizations.
b. Engineers make more money than butlers because of their education.
c. Poor children tend to have low self-esteem.
2. How did Marx explain the stratification of society?
3. According to the symbolic interactionists, people are socialized to accept the existing stratification structure through .
a. the “I”
b. evolution
Critical Thinking
4. Making Comparisons
by functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism for the existence of poor people in the United States.
c. conflict
d. the self-concept
Compare and contrast the explanations given