Ch 1: A Unique Way to View the World

Sociology

the scientific study of social life, social change, and social causes and consequences of human behavior

Reciprocal Relationship

how people are affected by society and vice versa

Sociological Imagination

our individual lives are affected by social events

C. Wright Mills

Who developed the Sociological Imagination?

Levels of Analysis

interconnected series of small groups, organizations, institutions, and societies

Social Structure

Stable patterns of interactions, statuses, roles, and organization that provide stability and order to society (but may also conflict)

Social Unit

similar to levels of the social world model, from the small to the large (interconnected)

Social Institutions

Provide guidelines for behavior and help society meet basic survival needs

Social Processes

Essentially the ACTIONS from individuals in institutions and \n other social units that keep society alive

Micro

Individual or small group interaction in specific situations \n (interpersonal and more local level)

Meso

middle level (intermediate) units that are smaller than the nation but larger than the local community or region

Macro

The largest level of analysis involves looking at entire nations, global forces, international social trends