SYG2000 Chapter 4 Study Guide

Society

A group of people who live in a definable community and share the same culture.

Hunter-Gatherer Societies

Societies that depend on hunting wild animals and gathering uncultivated plants for survival.

Pastoral Societies

Societies that rely on the domestication of animals as a resource for survival.

Horticultural Societies

Societies based around the cultivation of plants.

Agricultural Societies

Societies that rely on farming as a way of life.

Feudal Societies

Societies that operate on a strict hierarchical system of power based around land ownership and protection.

Industrial Societies

Societies characterized by a reliance on mechanized labor to create material goods.

Postindustrial Societies

Societies based on the production of information and services.

Functionalism

The theoretical perspective that views society as a system of interrelated parts working together to maintain stability.

Conflict Theory

Theoretical perspective that focuses on the struggles between different social classes and the power dynamics within society.

Symbolic Interactionism

The theoretical framework that examines how individuals and groups interact, focusing on the creation of personal identity through these interactions.

Social Constructions of Reality

The process by which people creatively shape reality through social interaction.

Thomas Theorem

The principle stating that 'If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.'

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A belief or prediction that influences actions in a way that causes the belief to come true.

Role

Behavior expected of an individual who occupies a given social position or status.

Status

Responsibilities and benefits that a person experiences according to their rank and role in society.

Ascribed Status

A status that one is born into.

Achieved Status

A status that one earns or chooses.

Master Status

A status that has special importance for social identity, often shaping a person’s entire life.

Role Strain

The stress experienced when incompatible demands are built into a single status.

Role Conflict

Tension caused by competing demands between two or more roles pertaining to different statuses.

Primary Groups

Small, informal groups of people who are closest to us.

Secondary Groups

Larger and more impersonal groups that are task-focused and time-limited.

In-Groups

Groups toward which we feel loyalty.

Out-Groups

Groups toward which we feel antagonism.

Social Institutions

Structures that provide for patterned relationships and that are organized around particular purposes.

Examples of Social Institutions

Family, education, religion, government, and economy.

The Evolution of Societies

Discusses the transformation from hunter-gatherer societies to postindustrial societies and the impact of technological advancements on social structures.

The Role of Social Interaction

Explores how daily interactions and the interpretation of these interactions shape societal norms and individual identities.

The Impact of Social Institutions

Examines how institutions like family, education, and government influence societal stability and change.