Sociology IGCSE CIE: Unit 2 - Keywords

Culture

a way of life in a society

Beliefs

what people hold to be true

Values

standards shared by members of a culture

Norms

the behavior that societies expect of their members in situations

Social interaction

any situation in which people interact with each other

Customs

norms in society that are widely accepted and carry on over a long time

Laws

rules given by the government

Status

position someone has in society (eg. daughter, student, teacher)

Role

patterns of behavior expected because of someone's status in society

Social institutions

parts of society with their own set of norms and values

Social identity

people's perception of themselves based on how people see them

Gender

roles associated with being male or female

Stereotype

attributes that people characterize with a group

Social control

ways in which members are made to conform to norms (eg. sanctions and rewards)

Sanctions

ways of punishing people who don't conform to norms

Rewards

positive sanctions praising someone so they continue to conform to norms

Sub-culture

a group within a larger culture that has its norms and values

Youth sub-culture

sub-culture of young adults, based on style, music taste, and dress.

Value consensus

general agreement across society about values

Social conformity

acting by norms and values.

Informal social control

ways of controlling behavior imposed by people who do not have a formal role.

Peer group

people of the same age

Ostracism

excluding someone

Formal social control

control imposed by a person with the formal role (teacher, officer)

Agencies of socialization

institutions where people are socialized

Primary socialisation

a period of socialisation in which an individual learns the norms.

Secondary socialization

later socialisation involving more specific norms and statuses.

Hidden curriculum

what people learn in school apart from the content in the lessons.

Peer pressure

influence a peer group has to persuade members to conform

Coercion

use or threat of violence

Social order

ways in which societies and institutions remain stable over time.

Globalization

the growing interconnectedness of cultures around the world

Global culture

as a result of globalization there is or will be a single culture shared by people worldwide.

Diversity

where there are many differences between human cultures.

Lifestyle

Way of life of a culture

Cultural relativism

considering all cultures from their point of view and not judging

them

Multicultural society

a society where many cultures exist alongside each other

Social construction

the idea that events are constructed by societies and do not exist on their own

Imitation

young children copying behaviour of others

Role model

someone who acts as an example whos behaviour is copied by others

Sex

male or female

Manipulation

How parents encourage behaviour and discourage other behaviour

Canalisation

pushing children towards activities deemed appropriate for them. (eg. cause of gender)

Verbal appellations

ways which parents address children. (boys may be handsome and girls pretty)

Social class

form in which people are grouped in different levels at social hierarchy.

Inadequate socialisation

when socialisation is ineffective

Feral children

‘wild’ children who have not been socialised.