Sociology defenitions

All definitions from High School Sociology online course

Norms

Standards or rules that members of a group are expected to follow

Role

a set of norms that specifies rights and obligations within a particular status

Self-concept

How you view yourself

Status

A specialized position within a group (reputation)

Socialization

The process of learning the roles, statuses, values, or norms necessary for participation in social institiutions

Sociology

the study of social structures and how they affect human behavior

Taboo

An act seen as negative and dysfunctional within a society (violation of a norm)

Values

Beliefs about what is right or good

Negotiated self

changing the way we act in different situations to sarisfy the role or status we occupy at that time

Significant others

people we are close to and whose opinion we value, usually in our same social circle

Acheived status

social status acquired through individual effort and personal ability

Ascribed status

a social position received at birth or involuntarily assumed later in life

Causual relationship

when one action results in another action or outcome (your alarm went off and caused you to wake up)

Consience

knowing right from wrong; a sense of self-respect which causes moral behavior (the most important process of social control)

Role Conflict

incapability of performing two roles (statuses) at once

Sanction

rewards for conformity (following norms) and punishments for nonconformity in a society

Variable

measured characteristics; describes the relationship between two things or outcomes

Assimilation

process in which minorities gradually adopt patterns of the dominant culture

Culture

beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects that define a people’s way of life

Cultural relativity

judging a culture by its own standards; what is normal in one culture may be taboo in another

Cultural transmission

one generation passes cultural traits and practices to the next generation

Ethnocentrism

judging other cultures by your own cultural standards; thinking your own cultural beliefs and practices are the only “right” ones

Material traits

tangible products of human society

Nonmaterial traits

intangible creations of human society

Symbol

anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture

Subculture

distinguished segments or groups of a society’s population

Counterculture

group patterns opposed by the larger society

Cultural integration

elements of a culture harmonize and are close in relationship

Fads

social patterns embraced enthusiastically, but only briefly

Fashions

social patterns favored for a time by a large number of people

Acting crowd

group fueled by intense emotions that ignores social norms and favors wild and extreme behavior

Casual crowd

people who gather unexpectedly or spontaneously for a short time

Collective behavior

group conduct which is brief, spontaneous, irregular, unpredictable, and often against norms

Conventional crowd

a crowd that is planned for and whose behavior follows established norms

Expressive crowd

a crowd that forms around an event that has emotional appeal (religious revival, wrestling match, etc.)

Mass hysteria

collective behavior that responds to a real or imagined event with irrational, frantic, and sometimes self-destructive behavior

Panic

group reaction of irrational or frantic behavior due to a threat or other stimulus

Cultural lag

cultural elements change at different rates, which may disrupt a social system

Diffusion

when one culture comes into contact with another and cultural traits integrate

Population

groups with common characteristics such as geographical location, religion, or school

Science

knowledge based on direct, systematic observation

Technology

knowledge applied to living in a physical environment

Caste system

social status determined by ascription; also referred to as a closed system

Class system

social status determined by achievement

Social class

group that shares the same amount of power, status, or occupational prestige

Social mobility

changing to a different status than that of your parents

Expressive

seeks to change the inner, spiritual self

Reform movement

seeks to improve society by changing certain conditions that are currently dissatisfactory

Resistance

Seeks to prevent change or abolish change that has already taken place

Revolutionary

seeks to overthrow existing social structure and replace it with an entirely new structure

Achievement motivation

courage and determination to gain a higher education; one of the major causes of social mobility

Education

the best predictor of an individual’s eventual social class

Intelligence

result of learning from experiences and learning how to incorporate those experiences into life

Self-fulfilling prophecy

believing a situation to exist, acting on that belief, and causing it to become real

In-group

group with which a person identifies and feels that he or she belongs to

Peer group

group of friends or associates of about the same age and social position

Primary group

group characterized by close, personal, and informal relationships

Out-group

group a person does not identify with and does not feel that he or she belongs to

Reference group

group that serves as a standard for evaluating one’s own achievement, behavior, and values

Secondary group

group characterized by impersonal, relatively formal relationships

Social-exchange analysis

individuals guided by what each stands to lose or gain

Social Group

group that consists of two or more people who share the same goals, feel unity, and have the same expectations of each other

Social Network

a large number of people an individual can count on or talk to

Social Processes

the regularly occurring patterns of interaction among human groups

Symbolic interaction

a theory based on the assumption that society is the product of the everyday interaction of individuals and the different meanings derived from that interaction

Primary Group examples (Groups)

Family, playmates, couples

Secondary Group examples (Groups)

School class, political party, study group

Primary Group Examples (Relationships)

Mother-child, friends, sweethearts

Secondary Group Examples (Relationships)

Teacher-student, cashier (employee), boss - employee

Primary Group Examples (Social)

informal; be yourself, feel free and spontaneous

Secondary Group examples (Social)

Formal, feel constrained

Family

a social institution, found in all societies, that unites individuals into cooperative groups that bear and raise children.

Nuclear family

a mother, a father (married to each other), and their children

Kinships

social bonds based on blood, marriage, or adoption that join individuals into families

family of orientation

a family into which an individual is born

family of procreation

two adults who form a family by bearing or adopting children

exchange

the act of either being something or giving something in order to gain something else

extended family

a nuclear family as well as other relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins

family unit

a social group of two or more people who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption, who usually live together

homogamy

marrying someone who is like yourself

Monogamy

having sexual relations with only one person

Patriarchal society

societies in which homes are headed by men

social stability

the tendency for social groups to contain the same people over time; allows for consistent socialization

church

an institutionalized religious organization that is supported by societal values and norms and is an active part of society

faith

a conviction anchored in belief rather than scientific evidence

profane

that which is an ordinary element of everyday life

religion

a social institution involving beliefs and practices based on a conception of the sacred

ritual

formal, ceremonial behavior

sacred

that which is defined as extraordinary, inspiring a sense of awe, reverence, and sometimes even fear

sects

religious organizations that reject social environments in which they exist

Age stratification

the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege among people at different stages of life

Ageism

prejudice and discrimination against a particular age group, especially the elderly

Gerontology

The study of aging and the elderly

Living Will

statements of what medical procedures an individual does and does not want given to them under specific medical conditions.

Euthanasia

to assist in the death of a person suffering from an incurable disease.

Bereavement (steps of grief)

1.Denial, 2. Anger, 3. Negotiation, 4. Resignation, 5. Acceptance