Sociology Lecture: Deviance, Stratification, and Social Systems

Key vocabulary and concepts covering deviance, social stratification, gender dynamics, and structural institutions from sociology lecture notes.

Deviance

Any behavior, trait, or belief that violates social norms, standards of conduct, or expectations of a group or society.

White-Collar Crime

An offense committed by a professional or group of professionals against a corporation, agency, or institution (e.g., fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion).

Types of Suicide (Durkheim)

Émile Durkheim's four types of suicide based on social integration and regulation: Egoistic (low integration), Altruistic (high integration), Anomic (low regulation/normlessness), and Fatalistic (high regulation).

Punitive vs. Rehabilitative Justice

Punitive justice focuses on making lawbreakers suffer to define moral boundaries (mechanical solidarity), while rehabilitative justice focuses on reforming offenders based on individual circumstances (organic solidarity).

Deviant Behaviors (Examples)

Actions violating social expectations, which can be non-criminal (e.g., talking loudly on a bus, laughing at a funeral) or criminal (e.g., robbery, murder).

Social Stratification

A hierarchical system by which a society ranks categories of people based on factors like income, education, power, and prestige.

Income vs. Wealth

Income is the flow of money received from work, investments, or government assistance, whereas wealth is total net worth (assets minus debts).

Vertical vs. Horizontal Social Mobility

Horizontal mobility is moving from one social position to another on the same level, whereas vertical mobility is moving upward or downward between different social strata.

World System Theory Regions (Wallerstein)

Immanuel Wallerstein's global economic model comprising Core states (industrialized/dominant nations), Periphery states (exploited/low-tech nations), and Semi-periphery states (intermediate/developing nations).

Intersectionality

A framework (coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw) examining how overlapping social identities (race, class, gender, sexuality) intersect to shape unique systems of privilege and oppression.

Patriarchy

A nearly universal social system characterized by the subordination of femininity to masculinity.

Sex vs. Gender

Sex refers to biological differences distinguishing males from females, whereas gender is a social construct of roles, behaviors, and cultural meanings assigned to those biological categories.

Glass Ceiling vs. Glass Escalator

The glass ceiling is an invisible barrier preventing women from advancing to top jobs, while the glass escalator refers to the accelerated promotion of men in female-dominated occupations.

Masculinity vs. Femininity

Masculinity consists of traits and roles traditionally assigned to men (with hegemonic masculinity as the dominant cultural ideal), while femininity encompasses traits and roles traditionally assigned to women (e.g., empathy, nurturing, caregiving).

Social Mobility

The movement of individuals or groups between different positions within a society's system of social stratification.

Innovator

In Merton's Strain Theory, an individual who accepts cultural goals (e.g., wealth) but rejects legitimate means to achieve them, turning to alternative or illegal methods.

Retreatist

In Merton's Strain Theory, an individual who rejects both cultural goals and legitimate means, completely withdrawing from active participation in society.

Equality of Condition (Affirmative Action)

The idea that everyone should have an equal starting point, exemplified by affirmative action policies that compensate for structural inequalities.

Total Institution

An environment in which an individual is totally immersed and where all aspects of daily life are controlled under a single authority (e.g., prisons, military boot camps, psychiatric hospitals).

Gender Stereotypes

Oversimplified, rigid cultural beliefs and expectations assigned to individuals based on their sex or gender.