How Do Social Institutions Produce and Perpetuate Human Misery

question 31

Essay

How do social institutions produce and perpetuate human misery?

Acknowledge the influence of culture on personality as reflected in cultural personality theories.

Recognize Freud's contributions to personality psychology and the criticisms thereof.

Articulate the relevance of temperament as a foundational component of personality.

Understand the basic principles of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory.

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Definitions:

Bystander Effect

A social psychological phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present.

Alienation

Decreasing importance of social ties and community and the corresponding increase in impersonal associations and instrumental logic; also, according to Marx, the sense of dissatisfaction the modern worker feels as a result of producing goods that are owned and controlled by someone else.

Herbert Gans

A sociologist known for his analytical work in urban sociology, media studies, and studies on the American working class.

Cosmopolite

An individual who is at ease in any part of the world and keen to understand different cultures, often embracing a global perspective rather than identifying solely with a single locality or nation.