Sociology Exam 1

Sociological Imagination

Ability to see the connection between personal issues and broader social forces

History

The social, political, and economic state in which people live their lives (could be past or present)

Biography

The story of an individual’s life

Comparsion

Drawing similarities between history and biography to understand how they are derived from similar contexts

Personal Troubles

The troubles that an individual experiences on a private level

Public Issues

The troubles that a large number of people from within society endure due to structural influences

Grand Theory

Broad theories that are framed to explain large societal problems

Abstract Empiricism

Quantifiable data that is meaningless or general

Impression Management

How an individual controls there action or behavior in certain social contexts

Personal Front

A combination of tools and characteristics an individual utilizes in order to put up a performance

Appearance

Refers to the physical attributes (race, gender, ethnicity), the way of dressing, or anything that conveys social status of an individual

Manners

Refers to the way an individual acts, which include behavior or attitude, in order to put up a front in order to interact with others

Front Region

The region ins which an individual perform and present themselves

Back Region

The region in which an individual can relax and not worry about behaving or appearing a specific way

Audience Segregation

The separation of social audiences in order to avoid conflicting performances

Dramaturgical Loyalty

Staying loyal to a team or a role in order to keep a consistent performance

Dramaturgical Discipline

The ability to convey and sustain a specific performance without making mistakes

Dramaturgical Ciscumpsection

The planning or foresight of a performance in order to avoid mistakes that can hinder one’s reliability

Losing Face

The embarrassment one endures when the lose reliability due to performance disruptions

Social Reproduction

How social advantages and disadvantages are passed dwon from generation to generation to child and how that impact the activities they take part in and how they advocate for themselves

Concerted Cultivation

A child-rearing style that middle class parents take part in as they actively foster their children’s talents, skills, and abilities through organized activities and continuous involvement in their education

This allows children to foster a sense of entitlement and advocate for themselves

Natural Growth

A child-rearing style that working class or low-income parents take part in as they only provide their children with basic necessities like love and care

These children have more unstructured time and are forced to develop independently. They also don’t involve themselves in their children’s education and don’t advocate for them

Logic of Entitlement

A sense instilled by middle-class parents who explain to their child that they are entitled to help from others and have the right to advocate for themselves

This allows children to communicate with authoritative figures more easily and advocate for themselves

Logic of Constraint

A sense instilled by working class or low-income families who explain to their child that their needs come secondary to others and not entitled to support

This forces children to not approach or question authoritative figures

By-all-means Problem Solving

The sense that a child, specifically a middle-class child, should draw on all available resource in order to solve a problem

No-Excuses Problem Solving

The sense that a child, specifically a low-income class child, should rely on themselves in order to solve their own problems instead of recieving assistance

Strong Ties

Personal relationships including friends and family that individuals can trust

Characterized by frequent interactions

Are core relationships

Weak Ties

More distant relationships that don’t involve emotional intensity

Institutional Mediation

The norms and rules of an institution that help guide social interactions

Institutional Context

Refers to the specific environment or setting that shape interactions

Multiplexity of Roles

The multiple role an individual plays in someone’s life

Emotional Reciprocity

When both parities of a social interactions share similar emotions, thus leading to support

Reciprocal Ambiguity

When the emotions between two parties are ambiguous or just not shared

Homophily

The idea that individuals are more inclined to stick with a group pf people who have similar characteristic as them

Attribute Similarity

Similar physical attributes such as race, gender, and ethnicity

Situational Similairty

Similar situations that individuals can be in that allows them to confide with one another due to social context

Structural Similarity

Similar structural hierarchies that individuals may be in which allows them to confide in one another more easily

Institutional Rules

The rules set by an institutions in order to support social interactions within a specific place

Spatial Layout

The physical layout of a place that make confiding more easy

Structured nature of encounters

Structured physical places that allow individuals to share personal experiences

Focus

The specific goals or purpose of a group that allow confiding to become easy