Soc

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the application of imaginative though to the asking and answering of sociological questions

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sociological imagination

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according to Durkheim, the aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals

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social facts

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a concept first brought into wide usage in sociology by Durkheim, referring to a situation in which social norms lose their hold over individual behavior

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anomie

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a theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can best be explained in terms of functions they perform

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functionalist perspective

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argument that deviance is deliberately chosen and often political in nature

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conflict perspective

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social processes, (such as conflict, cooperation, identity formation) from human interaction.

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interactionist perspective

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functions that are unintended or unrecognized and have a negative effect on society.

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latent functions

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refers to understanding the meaning of action from the actor's point of view.

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verstehen

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the variable that causes change

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independent variable

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sampling method in which a sample is chosen so that every member of the population has the same probability of being included

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random sample

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a variable that is held constant in a research analysis

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control variable

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the firsthand study of people using participant observation or interviewing

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ethnography

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degree to which a measurement instrument gives the same results each time that it is used

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reliability

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values, norms, and material goods characteristic of a given group

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culture

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values and norms held distinct from those of the majority

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subculture

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a subculture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society

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counter culture

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the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit

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culture shock

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the practice of judging a society by its own standards

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cultural relativism

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the tendency to look at other cultures through the eyes of one's own culture, and thereby misrepresent them

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ethnocentrism

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the social processes through which we develop an awareness of social norms and values and achieve a sense of distinct self

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socialization

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the process, facilitated by social interactions, in which non-group-members learn to take on the values and standards of groups that they aspire to join

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anticipatory socialization

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preparing for the presentation of one's social role

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impression management

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the self-image an individual forms by imagining what others think of his or her behavior and appearance

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looking glass self

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a place of work and residence where a great number of similarly situated people, cut off from the wider community for a considerable time, lead an enclosed

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total institutions

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the social status a person is assigned at birth or assumed involuntarily later in life

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ascribed self

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a social position that a person can acquire on the basis of merit; it is a position that is earned or chosen

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achieved status

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social expectations about behavior regarded as appropriate for the members of each sex

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gender

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the dominance of men over women

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patriarchy

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performs jobs in the service industry

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pink collar jobs

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a relationship that links individuals through blood ties, marriage, or adoption

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kinship

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a socially approved sexual relationship between two individuals

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marriage

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a form of monogamy characterized by several marriages over the course of a lifetime

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serial monogamy

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marriage between individuals who are, in some culturally important way, similar to each other

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homogamy

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a set of beliefs adhered to by the members of a community, ritual practices

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religion

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describing something that inspires awe or reverence among those who believe in a given set of religious ideas

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the sacred

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a fragmentary religious grouping to which individuals are loosely affiliated

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cult

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the system of production and exchange that provides for the material needs of individuals in a society

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economy

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a society based on the production of information rather than material goods

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postindustrial society

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an economic system based on the private ownership of wealth

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capitalism

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the theory that the way we present ourselves to other people is shaped partly by our interactions with others, as well as by our life experiences

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social construction of reality

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situation in which a person is expected to play two incompatible roles

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role conflict

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the distinctive, stable arrangement of institutions whereby human beings in a society interact and live together

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social structure

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a group that is characterized by intense emotional ties, face to face interaction, sense of commitment

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primary group

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a group that provides a standard for judging one's attitudes or behavior

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reference group

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means by which a group is rationally designed to achieve its objectives

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formal organizations

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a type of organization marked by a clear hierarchy of authority and the existence of written rules of procedure

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bureaucracy

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the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society

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McDonaldization of society

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modes of action that do not conform to the norms or values held by most members of a society

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deviance

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any action that contravenes the laws established by political authority

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crime

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criminal activities carried out by those in professional jobs

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white collar crime

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theory argues that in the last 100+ years, there has been a shift in which social institution primary is associated with the labeling/"handling" of deviance and deviants

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medicalization of deviance

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the existence of structured inequalities among groups in society

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social stratification

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a social system in which one's social status is determined at birth and set for life

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caste

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combined total measure of a person's work experience and of an individual's or family's economic and social position in relation to others, based on income, education, and occupation.

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SES

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the self-understanding of members of a social class

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class consciousness

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a social science theory of the opportunities each individual has to improve his or her quality of life

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life chances

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movement from one position to another within the same social level

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horizontal mobility

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changes enable a whole group of people to move up or down the class ladder

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structural mobility

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the process whereby western nation establish their rule in parts of the world away from their home territories

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colonialism

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the economic and political policies by which a great power indirectly maintains or extends its influence over other areas or people

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Neo-colonialism

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theory emphasizes the interconnections among countries based on the expansion of a capitalist world economy

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world systems

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differences in human physical characteristics used to categorize large numbers of individuals

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race

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cultural values and norms that distinguish members of a given group from another

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ethnicity

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the holding of preconceived ideas about an individual or group

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prejudice

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the attribution of characteristics of superiority or inferiority to a population sharing certain physical characteristics

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racism

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patterns of discrimination based on ethnicity that have become structured into social institutions

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institutional racism

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the acceptance of a minority group by the majority

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assimilation

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refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individualas

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racial profiling

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behavior that denies the members of a particular group resources or rewards that can be obtained by others

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discrimination

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the means by which power is employed to influence the nature and content of governmental activities

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politics

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ability to achieve aims by a group

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power

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a governments legitimate use of power

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authority

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empowered by a formalistic belief in the content of the law (legal) or natural law

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rational legal authority

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the study of the size, distribution, and composition of populations

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demography

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a measure of the number of children that it is biologically possible for a woman to produce

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fecundity

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which state that population tends to increase faster, at a geometrical ratio, than the means of subsistence, which increases at an arithmetical ratio, and that this will result in an inadequate supply of the goods supporting

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malthusian theory

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movement of individuals or groups among different social positions

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social movement

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an innovative idea or concept is spread by members of the social group through certain channels.

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diffusion

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the recognition that one has less than his peers

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relative deprivation

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a society or group characterized chiefly by formal organization, impersonal relations, the absence of generally held or binding norms, and a detachment from traditional and sentimental concerns

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gesellshaft

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the social cohesion that results from the various parts of society

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organic solidarity

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notion that culture takes time to catch up with technological innovations

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cultural lag