Sociology ch.1

Customs

Established and accepted cultural practices and behaviors

Culture

The way of life of a particular group of people, taught and learned through socialisation

Socialisation

The process through which people learn the various forms of behavior that go with membership of a particular culture

Social construction

The idea that our perception of what is real is created through a variety of historical and cultural processes, rather than something that is fixed and naturally occurring.

Roles

Expected patterns of behavior expected with each position that we hold

Values

Beliefs or ideas that are important to the people who hold them. A value always expresses a belief about how something should be

Norms

Socially acceptable ways of behaving in different roles

Anomie

A situation in which people are unable to predict the behavior of others because the system of norms and values is not being followed

Social control

Ways in which members of society are made to conform to norms and values

Sanctions

Ways of rewarding or punishing acceptable or unacceptable behavior; usually used in the sense of punishments (negative sanctions)

Agencies of socialisation/social control

The social institutions and groups, such as family and the media, which influence behavior by providing guidance, examples and sanctions

Family

A social institution comprising a group of people linked by kinship ties

Marxism

Political, sociological and economic school of thought based on the work of Karl Marx

Peers

People of similar status, and usually age, with whom a person has frequent contact

Subculture

A culture within a larger culture. Subcultures take many forms, such as religious groups, fans of a particular singer or actor, school gangs and so on. Subcultures usually develop their own norms and values, although these do not necessarily conflict with those of the wider culture within which they exist

Consensus

General agreement across a society on a set of values; seen by functionalists as essential for society to be stable

Consumerism

Repeated experience of wealthy lifestyles and desirable consumer goods that suggest that ‘happiness’ is something that can be bought

Patriarchy

Male-dominated unit or society

Structuralist

A form of sociology, such as functionalism and Marxism, that focuses on analysing society in terms of its institutional relationships and their effect on individual beliefs and behaviors

Determinism

The claim that human behaviour is shaped by forces beyond the immediate control of individuals, such as social structures or ‘society’

Interactionist

An approach focused on the behavior of individuals that refers to three related perspectives (phenomenology ethnomethodology and symbolic interactionism)

Agency

When people have some control over their lives and can make choices and decisions, rather than their behavior being determined by forces beyond their control

Deviance

Behavior that breaks the norms or values of a group

Social class

The division of society into socio-economic groups, with different levels of power and wealth

Relations of production

The relationship between the people involved in production, such as between the owners and the workers

Forces of production

The ways in which capital can be transformed through technology and people’s labour into goods for sale

Ideology

A set of ideas and ideals which explains how society works or should work

Capitalism

An economic system based on the private ownership of property and the pursuit of profit

Liberal feminism

A feminist approach which seeks to bring about equal opportunities for men and women without changing the system

Marxist feminism

A feminist approach which combines feminism with Marxism to argue that women are exploited by both capitalism and the patriarchy

Radical feminism

A feminist approach which focuses on patriarchy as the cause of women’s oppression

Microsociology

A type of sociology focused on the study of individuals and small groups

Over-socialised conception of man

Criticism of the claim that human beings are simply the product of their socialisation and that behavior can be understood as merely a response to external influence

Structuration

Theory, developed by Giddens, which argues that structure and action are equally significant in terms of our ability to understand the relationship between the individual and society

Conformity

Behaving in a socially acceptable way

Force

Also referred to as coercion- using intimidation and threats to persuade someone to do something they do not want to do

Power

The ability to make others do what you want, even against their will

Surveillance

When people or places are watched over carefully; a way of controlling behavior

Non-conformity

When a person acts in ways that go against the norms and values of society

Under-socialisation

When the process of socialisation is incomplete or inadequate

Marginalisation

The pushing of an individual or group to the edge of a group or society, denying them an active voice and identity

Cultural deprivation

Not having the values and attitudes which are likely to bring success in society

Resistance

The ways in which people combat and contest the dominant power in a society. Used for a wide variety of activities

Neo-Marxism

Any developments from original Marxism, adapting it to meet changing circumstances

Social identity

Collective or group identities applied to important roles. Cultures classify, group and give meaning to broad identities, such as male or female, that define how they are generally expected to behave

Age cohort

The group of people who move together from one age to the next