Studied by 34 peopleperspective
a particular point of view
sociology
the scientific study of social structure (human social behavior)
sociological perspective
a view that looks at behavior of groups, not individuals
social structure
the patterned interaction of people in social relationships
sociological imagination
the ability to see the link between society and self
who is the father of sociology?
Auguste Comte
Who created Social Darwinism?
Herbert Spencer
Who predicted that all industrial societies would contain only two social classes: bourgeoisie and proletariat
Karl Marx
bourgeoisie
class owning the means for producing wealth
capitalist
person who owns or controls the means for producing wealth
proletariat
working class; those who labor for the bourgeoisie
class conflict
the ongoing struggle between the bourgeoisie (owners) and the proletariat (working) classes
verstehen
understanding social behavior by putting yourself in the place of others
rationalization
the mind-set emphasizing knowledge, reason, and planning
functionalism
approach that emphasizes the contributions made by each part of society
manifest functions
intended and recognized consequences of an aspect of society
dysfunction
negative consequence of an aspect of society
conflict perspective
approach emphasizing the role of conflict, competition, and constraint within a society
symbol
anything that stands for something else and has an agreed-upon meaning attached to it
symbolic interactionism
approach that focuses on the interactions among people based on mutually understood symbols
correlation
a measure of the relationship between two variables
culture
knowledge, values, customs, and physical objects that are shared by members of a society
society
a specific territory inhabited by people who share a common culture
instincts
innate (unlearned) patterns of behavior
reflex
automatic reaction to physical stimulus
drive
impulse to reduce discomfort
sociobiology
the study of the biological basis of human behavior
symbols
a thing that stands for or represents something else
hypothesis of linguistic relativity
theory stating that our idea of reality depends largely upon language
norms
rules defining appropriate and inappropriate behavior
folkways
Norms that lack moral significance
mores
norms that have moral dimensions and that should be followed by members of the society
taboo
a rule of behavior, the violation of which calls for strong punishment
law
a norm that is formally defined and enforced by officials
sanctions
rewards and punishments used to encourage people to follow norms
formal sanctions
sanctions imposed by persons given special authority
informal sanctions
rewards or punishments that can be applied by most members of a group
values
broad ideas about what is good or desirable shared by people in a society
nonmaterial culture
ideas, knowledge and beliefs that influence people's behavior
beliefs
Ideas about the nature of reality.
material culture
the concrete, tangible objects of a culture
ideal culture
cultural guidelines that group members claim to accept
real culture
actual behavior patterns of members of a group
social categories
groupings of persons who share a social characteristic
subculture
a group that is part of the dominant culture but that differs from it in some important respects
counterculture
a subculture deliberately and consciously opposed to certain central beliefs or attitudes of the dominant culture
ethnocentrism
judging others in terms of one's own cultural standards
cultural universals
general cultural traits that exist in all cultures
cultural particulars
the ways in which a culture expresses universal traits
Socialization
the process of learning to participate in a group
self-concept
an image of yourself as having an identity separate from other people
looking-glass self
an image of yourself based on what you believe others think of you
significant others
those people whose reactions are most important to your self-concept
role taking
assuming the viewpoint of another person and using that viewpoint to shape the self-concept
imitation stage
Mead's first stage in the development of role taking; children begin to imitate behaviors without understanding why
play stage
Mead's second stage in the development of role taking; children act in ways they imagine other people would
game stage
Mead's third stage in the development of role taking; children anticipate the actions of others based on social rules
generalized other
integrated conception of the norms, values, and beliefs of one's community or society
"me"
the part of the self formed through socialization
"I"
the part of the self that accounts for unlearned spontaneous acts
peer group
set of individuals of roughly the same age and interest
mass media
means of communication designed to reach the general population
total institutions
places in which people are separated from the rest of society and controlled by officials in charge
desocialization
the process of giving up old norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors
resocialization
the process of adopting new norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors
anticipatory socialization
the voluntary process of preparing to accept new norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors
reference group
group whose norms and values are used to guide behavior; group with whom you identify
social structure
the underlying patterns of relationships in a group
status
a position a person occupies with a social structure
ascribed status
a position that is neither earned nor chosen but assigned
achieved status
a position that is earned or chosen
master status
a position that strongly affects most other aspects of a person's life
role
an expected behavior associated with a particular status
role performance
the actual behavior of an individual in a role
social interaction
the process of influencing each other a people relate
role conflict
condition in which the performance of a role in one status interferes with the performance of a role in another status
role strain
condition in which the roles of a single status are inconsistent or conflicting
society
people living within a defined territorial boundaries and sharing a common culture
hunting and gathering society
a society that survives by hunting animals and gathering edible plants
horticultural society
a society that survives primarily through the growing of plants
pastoral society
a society in which food is obtained primarily by raising and taking care of animals
agricultural society
a society that uses plows and draft animals in growing food
industrial society
a society that depends on science and technology to produce its basic goods and services
mechanization
the process of replacing animal and human power with machine power
urbanization
the shifting of population from farms and villages to large cities
Gemeinschaft
the pre-industrial society based on tradition, kinship and close ties
postindustrial society
a society in which the economic emphasis is on providing services and information
group
at least two people who have one or more goals in common and share common ways of thinking and behaving
social category
people who share a social characteristic
social aggregate
people temporarily in the same place at the same time
primary group
people who are emotionally close, know one another well, and seek one another's company
secondary group
people who share only part of their lives while focusing on a goal or task
reference group
group used for self-evaluation and the formation of attitudes, values, beliefs, and norms
in-group
exclusive group demanding intense loyalty
out-group
A group toward which members of an ingroup feel a sense of separation, opposition, or even hatred.
social network
a web of social relationships that joins a person to other people and groups
cooperation
interaction in which individuals or groups combine their efforts to reach a goal
conflict
interaction aimed at defeating an opponent
social exchange
a voluntary action performed in the expectation of getting a reward in return
coercion
interaction in which individuals or groups are forced to behave in a particular way
Note 
Flashcard (22)