As Sociology Key Terms

Front 1

Define: Society

Back 1

The social totality of relationships in a given space. The notion that society exists on different levels e.g. British,Japanese and Jewish society

Front 2

Define: Social structure

Back 2

The people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships

Front 3

Define: Socialisation

Back 3

The process whereby the young of society learn the values,practices, ideas and roles in society.

Front 4

Define: Norms

Back 4

An agreed common behaviour

Front 5

Define : Values

Back 5

A general belief/principal people hold

Front 6

Define :Agents of social control

Back 6

Permanent features of society that play a role in transmitting and regulate the ideas,practices and roles within society.

Front 7

Define :Primary socialisation

Back 7

Socialisation that begins in the early stages of life til around 5 usually involves family.

Front 8

Define :Secondary socialisation

Back 8

This starts around 5 and it involves education, peers, media, religion and work.

Front 9

Define :Social order:

Back 9

Patterned actions/regularities which people display in their social lives. This allows some degree of predictability and therefore allows social life to continue.

Front 10

Define :Social control

Back 10

Refers to social mechanisms that help regulate individual /group behaviour usually leading to conformity and compliance to the given rules in society.

Front 11

Define:Formal control

Back 11

Sanctions that are enforced by formal codes and conduct e.g. police, law and punishments.

Front 12

Define:Informal control

Back 12

Sanctions that are enforced without formal codes and conduct e.g. class detentions

Front 13

Define:Sanctions

Back 13

Is the means whereby a social norm is enforced by either a positive /negative device.

Front 14

Define:Culture

Back 14

Is difficult to define is thought to be a way of life. It is also used to describe people’s beliefs, customs and norms in a certain group.

Front 15

Define:Social cohension

Back 15

A degree of social order that brings everyone together and where people share the same values.

Front 16

Define: High Culture

Back 16

Cultural practises and upper classes such as opera, classical music and theatre.

Front 17

Define : Popular culture

Back 17

Cultural practices qith mass partcipation such as soap operas, music and hollywood.

Front 18

Define: Cultural diversity

Back 18

Society that has culturally embedded differences.

Front 19

Define:Consumer culture

Back 19

A culture based on what we buy/consume.

Front 20

Define: Global culture

Back 20

An identifiable group within society whose members share their common values and have similar behavioural patterns

Front 21

Define :Custom

Back 21

An established and traditional pattern of behaviour.
e.g. British =Christmas

Front 22

Define: Status

Back 22

Social position/standing amount of prestige you have in society.

Front 23

Define:Ascribed status

Back 23

A position in society which is the result of a fixed chararcteristic given at birth.

Front 24

Define: Achieved status

Back 24

A position in society which individuals gain through their own efforts.

Front 25

Define :Roles

Back 25

Is a template , a set of expectations of how we should behave.