Sociology Chpts. 3/4 Vocab

Achieved status

the status a person chooses, such as a level of education or income

Ascribed status

the status outside of an individual’s control, such as sex or race

Class consciousness

the awareness of one’s rank in society

Looking-glass self

our reflection of how we think we appear to others

Mechanical solidarity

a type of social order maintained by the collective consciousness of a culture

Organic solidarity

a type of social order based around an acceptance of economic and social differences

Alienation

an individual’s isolation from his society, his work, and his sense of self

False Consciousness

a condition in which the beliefs, ideals, or ideology of a person are not in the person’s own best interest

Role conflict

a situation when one or more of an individual’s roles clash

Role-set

an array of roles attached to a particular status

Symbols

gestures or objects that have meanings associated with them that are recognized by people who share a culture

Beliefs

tenets or convictions that people hold to be true

Values

a culture’s standard for discerning what is good and just in society

Culture

shared beliefs, values, and practices

Real culture

the way society really is based on what actually occurs and exists

Popular culture

mainstream, widespread patterns among a society’s population

Formal norms

established, written rules

High Culture

the cultural patterns of a society’s elite

Ideal culture

the standards a society would like to embrace and live up to

Informal norms

casual behaviors that are generally and widely conformed to