Chapter 4 Essentials of SOCIOLOGY A-Down-To-Earth-Approach (Eleventh Edition) James M. Henslin

Macrosociology

analysis of social life that focuses on broad features of society, such as social class and the relationships of groups to one another; usually used by functionalists and conflict theorists.

microsociology

analysis of social life that focuses on social interaction; typically used by symbolic interactionists.

social interaction

what people do when they are in one another's presence; includes communications at a distance.

social structure

the framework of society that surrounds us; consists of the ways that people and groups are related to one another; this framework gives direction to and sets limits on our behavior

social class

large numbers of people who have similar amounts of income and education and who work at jobs that are roughly comparable in prestige.

status

the position that someone occupies in a social group (also called social status)

status set

all the statuses or positions that an individual occupies

ascribed status

a position an individual either inherits at birth or receives involuntarily later in life

achieved statuses

positions that are earned, accomplished, or involve at least some effort or activity on the on the individual's part

status symbols

indicators of a status, especially items in that display prestige

master status

a status that cuts across the other statuses that an individual occupies

status inconsistency

ranking high on some dimensions of social status and low on others; also called discrepancy

role

the behaviors, obligations, and privileges attached to a status

group

people who interact with one another and who believe that what they have in common is significant; also called a social group

social institution

the organized, usual, or standard ways by which society meets its basic needs

social integration

the degree to which members of a group or a society are united by shared values and other social bonds; also known as social cohesion

mechanical solidarity

Durkheim's term for the unity (a shared consciousness) that people feel as a result of performing the same or similar tasks

division of labor

the splitting of a group's or a society's tasks into specialties

organic solidarity

Durkheim's term for the interdependence that results from the division of labor; as part of the same unit, we all depend on others to fulfill their jobs

Gemeinschaft

a type of society in which life is intimate; a community in which everyone knows everyone else and people share a sense of togetherness

Gesellschaft

a type of society that is dominated by impersonal relationships, individual accomplishments, and self-interest

stereotype

assumptions of what people are like, whether true or false

body language

the ways in which people use their bodies to give messages to others

dramaturgy

an approach, pioneered by Erving Goffman, in which social life is analyzed in terms of drama or the stage; also called dramaturgical analysis.

impression management

people's efforts to control the impressions that others receive of them,

front stage

place where people give performances

back stages

places where people rest from their performances, discuss their presentations, and plan future performances

role performance

the ways in which someone performs a role; showing a particular "style" or "personality"

role conflict

conflicts that someone feels between roles because the expectations are at odds with one another

role strain

conflicts that someone feels within a role

sign-vehicle

the term used by Goffman to refer to how people use social setting, appearance, and manner to communicate information about the self

teamwork

the collaboration of two or more people to manage impressions jointly

face-saving behavior

techniques used to salvage a performance (interaction) that is going sour

ethnomethodology

the study of how people use background assumptions to make sense out of life

background assumption

a deeply embedded, common understanding of how the world operates and of how people ought to act

Thomas theorem

Willam I. and Dorothy S. Thomas' classic formulation of the definition of the situation: "if people define situations as real, they are real in the consequences"

social construction of reality

the use of background assumptions and life experiences to define what is real