Final Sociology Key terms Unit 1

Norms

Shared rules and expectations in a society that guide behvaiour in specific situations

Values

What a person or group feels is important to them

Beliefs

Assumptions about the world that influences how a person behaves

Roles

How someone occupying a particular status or situation is expected to act

Status

The specific position a person hold within a society

Ascribed status

The social position a person is born with

Achieved status

The social position that is the result of a persons efforts

Sanctions

Children are punished for unacceptable behaviour and rewarded for acceptable behaviour

Informal control

Ways society encourages people to follow norms and behave appropriately

Formal control

Insitutions in society exist to ensure people behave in a certain way

Social construct

A concept/idea that exists within a society because people have attached meaning to it

Material culture

The physical objects and artifacts created and used by people in a society

Non-material culture

Tangible aspects of a society

Collectivist culture

The view of oneself as interdependent and a member of a group rather than as an independent being

Individualist culture

The needs and desires of individuals over those of the group

Subculture

A smaller group within the dominant culture with different norms and values

Folk culture

Local communities rooted in the traditions, experiences and beliefs of everyday people

High culture

Traditionally seen as cultural products or activities of lasting artistic and literary value

Mass culture

Culture liked and enjoyed by the majority

Social control

Rules that we follow to conform to the expectations of society

Social change

The way people think or act changes over time within a society

Socialisation

The process through which humans learn and internalise their culture’s norms and values

Primary socialisation

Early socialisation within the family where basic norms and values are learned

Secondary socialisation

Later socialisation outside the family

Peer groups

Groups of individuals who are similar in age, background, and social status

Nuture

Environmental factors

Nature

Biological and genetic factors

Habitus

Who you are as a person: how you speak, think, act, and what you like and value

Imitation

Watching and copying parents or others

Expectations

Children are encouraged to do activities expected of them

Role models

People we imitate; often, same-sex parents are imitated

Canalisation

Channeled into different activities and ways of acting

Hidden curriculum

Unspoken lessons, values and norms that are unintentionally learnt

Expressive role

Women - provide emotional support

Instrumental role

Men - provide for the family through work

Pester power

A strong form of child influence over family decisions

Dominant culture

The main culture of a society

Ethnicity

Differences between cultures such as shared values, traditions and beliefs

Nationality

Citizenship of a nation-state, including things like voting rights

Extreme nationalism

Extreme forms of behaviour

Civic nationalism

Unites people together to feel a sense of pride in their country

Nation

A particular geographical area with which a group of people identify

Nation-state

A nation which has its own independent government controlling a geographical area.

Youth culture

set of shared behaviors, values, norms, and practices that distinguish young people from society

Resistance

The act of opposing or refusing to accept power, authority, or control

Neo tribe

Loose, fluid groups with no fixed membership

Deviance / deliquency

Any behavior or belief that goes against social norms

Moral panic

An exaggerated outburst of public concern over the morality or behaviour of a group in society

Anomie

A sense of normlessness or disconnected form society

Bedroom culture

A subculture primarily associated with teenage girls

Ladette

A feminist movement and the desire for women to assert their independence and challenge traditional gender norms.

Spectacular youth subculture

youth cultures that have significantly different norms and values from mainstream society and previous cultures

Counterculture

rejecting dominant (hegemonic) values and resisting control by powerful institutions like the governmenR

Rite of passage

A ceremonial event or ritual that marks a significant transition in an individual’s life

Disposable income

The amount of money individuals have available to spend

Malestream

The dominance of male perspectives in sociological research and theory

Value Consensus

A shared agreement within a society about core values and norms that guide behavior and maintain social cohesion

Social solidarity

A sense of unity and mutual support that binds members of a society together

Collective conscience

The set of shared beliefs, values, and moral attitudes that unify members of a society and guide their behavior

Capitalist hegemony

The process by which a dominant class maintains its power and influence over other classes through cultural, economic, and political means

Symbols of resistance

Various forms of resistance that individuals and groups use to challenge dominant power structures and social norms

Bricolage

Taking ordinary objects and giving them new meanings

Incorporation

When subcultures are absorbed into mainstream culture

Liquid identity

Constant change, uncertainty, and fluidity

Metanarrative

Comprehensive, overarching stories or explanations that societies use to contextualise and interpret the world.

Status frustration

Feelings of dissatisfaction or frustration individuals experience when they are unable to achieve

Alternative status hierarchy

A system of social ranking within a subculture where individuals gain esteem and recognition by achieving goals valued by the group

Self-fulfilling prophecy

The way a perosn acts according to what society has labelled them

Exaggeration of working class values

Overemphasising certain aspects of working-class culture and values

Class conflict

Tension and conflict that arises between different social classes