Important vocabulary

What are life chances?

The degree to which people succeed in areas such as education, income, and health.

What does social environment refer to?

A general term for social backgrounds and other aspects of society.

Define sociology.

The scientific study of social behavior and social institutions.

What is the sociological perspective?

The belief that people’s social backgrounds influence their attitudes, behaviors, and life chances.

What is the debunking motif in sociology?

A theme aimed at going beyond superficial understandings of social reality.

What does social structure refer to?

The social patterns through which society is organized.

What is horizontal social structure?

The social relationships and characteristics of communities to which individuals belong.

Define vertical social structure.

A term used interchangeably with social inequality.

What is social inequality?

The unequal distribution of resources that a society values.

What are personal troubles?

C. Wright Mills’s term for the personal problems that many individuals experience.

What are public issues?

C. Wright Mills’s term for problems in society that underlie personal troubles.

What does sociological imagination mean?

The realization that personal troubles are rooted in public issues.

What is blaming the victim?

The belief that people experiencing difficulties are to blame for these problems.

What does blaming the system refer to?

The belief that personal difficulties stem from problems in society.

Define macrosociology.

That part of sociology that deals with large-scale social change and social institutions.

What is microsociology?

That part of sociology that deals with social interaction in small settings.

What is functionalism?

The view that social institutions are important for their contributions to social stability.

What is collective conscience?

The combined norms of society that establish a strong set of social rules.

Define anomie.

Normlessness, a state in which social norms are unclear.

What is conflict theory?

The view that society is composed of groups with different interests arising from their placement in the social structure.

Define bourgeoisie.

The ruling class.

What is the proletariat?

The working class.

What is class consciousness?

Awareness of one’s placement in the social structure and the interests arising from this placement.

What does feminist theory focus on?

The view that society is filled with gender inequality characterized by women being the subordinate sex.

Define symbolic interactionism.

A micro perspective that focuses on the meanings people gain from social interaction.

What is utilitarianism in sociology?

The view that people interact to maximize their benefits and minimize their disadvantages.

What is a hypothesis?

A statement of the relationship between two variables concerning the units of analysis a researcher is studying.

What is a random sample?

A subset drawn from a larger population in which every unit has an equal chance of being included.

What is a convenience sample?

A nonrandom sample used because it is relatively quick and inexpensive to obtain.

Define secondary data analysis.

The analysis of data from existing records.

What is nonmaterial culture?

The symbols, language, norms, and values that constitute a major part of a society’s culture.

What does the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggest?

That language influences the thoughts and perceptions of people in a society.

What does cultural relativism mean?

The belief that no culture's norms, values, or practices are superior or inferior to those of any other culture.

Define feral children.

Children who have been extremely socially isolated.

What is the looking glass self?

Charles Horton Cooley’s term for how individuals gain an understanding of their self-image.

What is the role of significant others according to George Herbert Mead?

Parents and other important individuals in children's lives.

Define total institutions.

Institutions that have total control over their residents' lives.

What is social capital?

The social networks and relationships that can facilitate actions and access resources.

What does the term collective conscience refer to?

The set of shared beliefs and values that bind a society together.

Define groupthink.

The tendency of group members to go along with group desires and views against their better judgment.

What is bureaucracy?

A formal organization designed to achieve specific goals in an efficient manner.

What are the main offenses included in Part I Offenses according to the FBI?

Major crimes such as homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

What is white-collar crime?

Crime committed in the course of one’s occupation.