Sociology

Sociology Study Guide

but they are paid more than almost everyone else on the planet. Two negative effects of stratification are1) talent of many is wasted as there is only room in the output for so many to be in those favored positions, and 2) strain. Lenski’s Theory: Gerhard Lenski saw that parts of functionalist and conflict viewpoints were valid. Lenski noted that functionalism explained only the necessity for a certain amount of stratification. Lenski also agreed with the conflict theorist’s explanation of the uneven power of societies and the struggle that occurs because of it. He taught that political power is important but stratification is due to the distribution of surpluswealth. 4.3 Social Stratification in the United States In the United States, class boundaries are indistinct andmovement occurs frequently betweenclasses. Americans, in general, have a very low level of class consciousness, awareness of common class interests. Americans suffer from a false consciousness in that they believe that their societal system grants them opportunity; their perception of reality is not consistent with situationalreality. The United States is highly stratified with the most visible marker of that being the unequal distributionof wealth. Income levels are astoundingly different from one class to another, and a small minority of wealthy owns the majority of all assets. Power is unequally shared as well, with the majority of power lying with the upper levels of government and corporations. Symbols of prestige, however, are more universally shared and available as the symbols are more readily available to more of the population. In spite of the above discrepancies, the standard of living in the US is rising, the amount of the population living in poverty is declining, and the median income is rising. There are three methods used to analyze the American class structure: • Reputation method: Asking what members of the society view the stratification as. • Subjective method: Asking of what class members of a society believe they are a part. • Objective method: Ranks people based on facts like income and occupation. The American class system has five basic strata. Some characteristics overlap, but each has its own set of specifics.

©2018

Achieve Test Prep

Page 92

of 172