Ch. 4: Society and Social Interaction

achieved status

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

anomie

a situation in which society no longer has the support of a firm collective consciousness

ascribed status

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

bourgeoisie

the owners of the means of production in a society

capitalism

a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc) are owned by individual people and companies rather than by the government

collective conscience

the communal beliefs, morals, and attitudes of a society

false consciousness

a person’s beliefs and ideology that are in conflict with their best interests.

feudal societies

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

habitualization

the idea that society is constructed by us and those before us, and it is followed like a habit

horticultural societies

societies based around the cultivation of plants

information societies

societies based on the production of nonmaterial goods and services

institutionalization

the act of implanting a convention or norm into society

iron cage

a situation in which an individual is trapped by social institutions

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

pastoral societies

societies based around the domestication of animals

proletariat

the laborers in a society

rationalization

a belief that modern society should be built around logic and efficiency rather than morality or tradition

role conflict

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

role performance

the expression of a role

role strain

stress that occurs when too much is required of a single role

role-set

an array of roles attached to a particular status

roles

patterns of behavior that are representative of a person’s social status

social integration

how strongly a person is connected to their social group

status

the responsibilities and benefits that a person experiences according to their rank and role in society

Thomas theorem

how a subjective reality can drive events to develop i accordance with that reality, despite being originally unsupported by objective reality