Sociology final

Sociology Final 2026

Sociology

The scientific study of social structure

Sociological perspective

how individuals are influenced by society & culture AND how individuals actions and beliefs help change society & culture over time

Sociological imagination

ability of individuals to see the relationship between events in their personal lives and events in their society

5 Key Concepts of Sociology

• Functional Integration

• Power

• Culture

• Social Action

• Social Structure

Functionalism

A society rests on the consensus of its members

Conflict Theory

A society involves the constraint and coercion of some members by others

Survey Methods

when people are asked to answer a series of questions

Secondary Analysis

utilizing information someone else has already gathered

Field Research

analyzing aspects of social life in a natural setting

Causation

Events occur in predictable, nonrandom ways

Correlation

measure of how things are related to each other

Culture

refers to the knowledge, language, values, customs, and physical objects that are passed from generation to generation among members of a group

Society

a group of people that live in a defined territory and participate in a common culture

Ethnocentrism

judging others in terms of your own cultural standards

Random highlighted sentence?

Of the three major theoretical perspectives, symbolic interactionism offers the most fully developed perspective for studying socialization

Family

norms, beliefs, values, gender roles

Adolescence (teenage years)

Significant physiological and psychological changes and increased decision making

The Five Stages of Grief

1. Denial

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

Status

The position that a person occupies within a social structure.

Status can be either ascribed (given to us) or achieved (earned)

primary group

composed of people who are emotionally close, know each other well, and seek one another’s company

Bureaucracies exhibit the following major characteristics:

• A division of labor based on the principle of specialization

• A hierarchy of authority through power and legitimacy

• A system of rules and procedures

• Written records of work and activities

• Promotion on the basis of merit and qualifications

deviance

refers to behavior that departs from societal or group norms.

Strain Theory

• Deviance is more likely to occur when a gap exists between cultural goals and the ability to achieve them through innovation, ritualism, or retreatism

Race & Ethnicity

People sharing certain inherited physical characteristics that are considered important within a society are members of a race

ethnic minority

a group identified by cultural, national, or religious characteristics.

The word ethnicity come from the Greek word ethnos, meaning “people” or “nations”

Accommodation

a choice by a minority group to maintain its own culturally unique way of life independent of the dominant culture

• Cubans in Miami or the Amish in Pennsylvania

hate crime

a criminal act motivated by extreme prejudice

Sxe (its restricting the word)

the biological distinction between male and female

Gender identity

a sense of being male or female based on learned cultural values (Nurture)

Conflict Theory

Social arrangement: Patriarchy (male domination)

Ageism

a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify age-based prejudice and discrimination

Patterns of Family Structure- 1: Inheritance

Format: Bilineal - passed equally through both parents (United States)

Functionalist Perspective- Manifest Functions

intended and recognized result of an action

• Transmitting culture

• Creating a common identity

• Selecting and screening students

• Promoting personal growth and development

Conflict Theory Perspective

Conflict theorists place an emphasis on the education system being built as a meritocracy - a society in which social status is based on ability and achievement

Charismatic

authority that arises from the personality of an individual

Socialism

economic system founded on the belief that the means of production should be controlled by the people as a whole

religion

a unified system of beliefs and practices concerned with sacred things

There are five dimensions of religiosity: (bolded one you need to know)

• Belief - what a person considers to be true

• Ritual - religious practice that members of a religion are expected to perform

• Intellectual Dimension - knowledge of holy or sacred texts or an interest in religious aspects of human existence as evil, suffering, or death

• Experience - feelings attached to religious expression

• Consequences - decisions and commitments people make as a result of religious beliefs, rituals, knowledge, or experiences

demography

The scientific study of population

World Population Doubling - What trend do you see?

1st:  A.D.1 - 1650 (500M)

• 2nd:  1650 - 1800 (1B)

• 3rd:  1800 - 1930 (2B)

• 4th:  1930 - 1976 (4B)

• 5th:  1976 - 2022 (8B)
  
  It doubles faster and faster through the years.

Malthusian Theory

Population if left unchecked will exceed food supply

Demographic Transition Theory

Stages of economic development in a country predicts population growth

Urbanization

the process by which an increasingly larger portion of the world’s population lives in cities

gentrification

the development of low-income areas by middle-class home buyers, landlords, and professional developers signaling a return to the city from the suburbs

Social change

alteration in a society’s makeup or norms that occurs when many members of a society adopt new behaviors

The Functionalist Perspective

Society lives in equilibrium making small adjustments to keep itself in a state of balance.  Society will move from stability to temporary instability and back to stability.

Conventional Crowd

specific purpose following accepted norms for appropriate behavior

Contagion Theory

members of crowds stimulate each other to higher and higher levels of emotion and irrational behavior

social movement

the most highly structured, rational, and enduring form of collective behavior.