Compare and contrast the individual versus structural explanations for poverty. And, given what you have learned about poverty policies in the U.S. today, explain which perspective(s) these policies emphasize.
What will be an ideal response?
1. Individual perspective – associates conditions of poverty with government policies that motivate unemployment and the prevalence of single-parent households.
2. Structural perspective – explains poverty as a feature of capitalism and acknowledges the ways in which social and economic circumstances impact individual experiences in poverty, and their chances of rising above it.
3. Poverty legislation today has a work requirement – implying that individuals are primarily responsible for their own economic circumstances (i.e., the individual perspective).
4. On the whole, poverty legislation in the U.S. today does not provide substantial assistance to individuals as they navigate the complex realities of what it means to live in poverty (i.e., the structural perspective).
Learning Objective: 3.1.2 Explain how structural explanations for poverty differ from individual explanations.
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For women, talk
a. wastes time. b. is for interaction. c. is for gossiping. d. is for information.
Which of the following best defines the differential association theory?
a. Inconsistencies and contradictions in the social system contribute to many forms of crime. b. It is the deviant behavior that a person adopts in response to the reaction of others to his or her primary deviance. c. Whether other people define or label a person as deviant is a critical determinant in the development of a pattern of deviant behavior. d. Crime and delinquency are learned in interaction with other people, for the most part within intimate primary groups such as families and peer groups.
The child of about eight or nine years of age begins to consider several tasks and relationships simultaneously. At this point in development, children grasp not only their own social positions but also those of others around them. Mead calls this stage the
A. preparatory stage. B. play stage. C. imitative stage. D. game stage.
As a social institution, education performs a rather conservative function-transmitting the dominant culture.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)