Introduction to Sociology and Classical Sociological Theory

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from Module 1 and Module 2, covering foundational sociological terminology, philosophical origins, theoretical frameworks, and key thinkers.

Sociological Imagination

A concept described by Charles Wright Mills as the ability to connect individual experiences and personal troubles to larger social issues, linking individual biography with history.

Personal Troubles

Private problems that occur at the individual level, such as a single student struggling to afford university tuition.

Social Issues

Widespread problems grounded in the structure and institutions of society as a whole, such as widespread student struggle due to high tuition costs.

Seeing the General in the Particular

Peter Berger's concept of observing individual situations or unique events and identifying the broader social patterns and forces behind them.

Seeing the Strange in the Familiar

Peter Berger's concept of questioning social practices and situations that appear normal or routine to recognize their peculiar nature.

Agency

An individual's capability to make independent choices, act autonomously, and alter their socially constructed life.

Structure

The network of relatively stable social forces, rules, and institutions—such as laws, families, and education systems—that create opportunities and constraints for individual actions.

Theological Stage

The first stage of Auguste Comte's Law of the Three Stages, where supernatural beings and religion explain human existence and the order of the world.

Metaphysical Stage

The second stage of Auguste Comte's Law of the Three Stages, characterized by human reflection, insights, philosophy, and creative expression to understand society.

Positive Stage

The final stage of Auguste Comte's Law of the Three Stages, in which reason, science, observation, logic, and experimentation explain social phenomena.

Positivism

A philosophical approach asserting that an objective and knowable reality exists, that all sciences share a unified methodology, and that scientific study must remain free from value judgements.

Anti-positivism

A theoretical stance holding that social science cannot be separated from human values, that no single scientific approach offers complete understanding, and that researchers must interpret the meaning behind actions.

State of Nature (Hobbes)

Thomas Hobbes's hypothetical condition before government or civilization, where human competition for survival made life "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."

Social Contract (Rousseau)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's principle stating that stability is achieved when individuals agree to cooperate for the collective good, trading extreme personal autonomy for social institutional support.

Conservative Reaction to the Enlightenment

A body of thought opposing excessive individualism, emphasizing that society exists independently of individuals, forms its members, and relies on social order, rituals, and traditional hierarchies for stability.

Functionalism

A theoretical framework utilizing an organic analogy to show how interdependent social institutions work together to maintain social equilibrium and order.

Collective Conscience

Emile Durkheim's term for the shared values, moral attitudes, and beliefs that bind members of a society together.

Anomie

Emile Durkheim's concept describing a state of normlessness or the breakdown of social order and moral guidance within society.

Organic Solidarity

Emile Durkheim's term for social cohesion in modern societies based on the division of labor and mutual interdependence among specialized roles.

Conflict Theory

A sociological perspective focusing on unequally distributed power as the foundation of social relationships and examining how dominant groups exploit or exclude subordinate groups.

Capitalist Class

In Karl Marx's theory, the social class (bourgeoisie) that owns and controls the economic base and means of production.

Working Class

In Karl Marx's theory, the social class (proletariat) that sells its labor power to survive and experiences economic exploitation.

Ideology

A system of ideas or myths—such as the "self-made man" or "trickle-down theory"—used by powerful groups to validate social inequality and maintain their domination.

Social Closure

Max Weber's concept describing how status groups in white-collar professions enforce entry rules and boundaries to preserve their income, privilege, and standing.

Rationalization

Max Weber's concept of the historical shift toward efficiency, formal logic, calculation, and scientific reason dominating all institutions in society.