What Is Sociology? Chapter 1 - Key Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Chapter 1 of Sociology: A Brief Introduction (2024 release).

Sociology

The scientific study of social behavior and human groups; focuses on social relationships, how relationships influence behavior, and how societies develop and change.

Sociological Imagination

An awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society, past and present; viewing society from an outsider’s perspective and going beyond personal experiences to understand public issues.

Social sciences

Disciplines that study the social features of humans and their interactions, including sociology, anthropology, economics, history, psychology, and political science.

Common sense

Informal knowledge that is not always reliable; sociologists test, record, and analyze information using scientific studies.

Theory

A set of statements that explains problems, actions, or behaviors; theories can be explanatory and predictive and are not final statements about human behavior.

Émile Durkheim

One of the early sociologists who argued that behavior must be understood within a larger social context; studied anomie and wrote key works such as The Division of Labor in Society and Suicide.

Anomie

A loss of direction in a society when social control of individual behavior becomes ineffective, often during times of profound social change.

Auguste Comte

Coined the term sociology and advocated for a theoretical science of society and systematic study.

Harriet Martineau

Wrote the first book on sociological methods and emphasized how economy, law, trade, health, and population affect social problems.

Herbert Spencer

Applied Darwinian ideas to society, suggesting that evolution explains social change and that inequalities (like wealth gaps) can be natural.

Verstehen

German for understanding or insight; Weber’s idea that to comprehend behavior we must interpret the subjective meanings people attach to their actions.

Ideal type

A model or construct used to evaluate real-world cases; a tool for theoretical comparison in Weberian sociology.

Max Weber

Sociologist who emphasized verstehen and ideal type; linked religion and capitalism; author of The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism and Economy and Society.

The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism

Weber’s work arguing that religious ideas can influence economic behavior and the development of capitalism.

Karl Marx

Founder of conflict theory; argued society is divided between owners (bourgeoisie) and workers (proletariat) and co-authored The Communist Manifesto with Engels.

Proletariat

The workers in capitalist society who are exploited by the owners.

The Communist Manifesto

Writings by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels calling for the overthrow of capitalist society and outlining class struggle.

W. E. B. Du Bois

Early Black sociologist who argued knowledge combats prejudice and helped found the NAACP; introduced the concept of double consciousness.

Double consciousness

The division of an individual’s identity into two social realities, often applied to Black Americans navigating both Black and white American cultures.

Hull House

Settlement house co-founded by Jane Addams that advocated social reform, juvenile courts, and workers’ rights for women.

Charles Horton Cooley

Sociologist who studied face-to-face groups and emphasized micro-level social processes.

Jane Addams

Social reformer who co-founded Hull House and worked to establish social services and labor reforms.

Robert Merton

Sociologist who developed theories of deviance and integrated macro- and micro-sociology; introduced concepts like macrosociology, microsociology, and mesosociology.

Macro sociology

Study of large-scale social processes, such as institutions and entire civilizations.

Mesosociology

Study of intermediate social structures, such as formal organizations and social movements.

Micro sociology

Study of small groups and everyday interactions.

Pierre Bourdieu

Sociologist who wrote about different forms of capital that sustain individuals and families across generations.

Cultural capital

Noneconomic cultural goods—knowledge of language, arts, and education—that promote social mobility.

Social capital

Benefits derived from social networks and reciprocal trust within a community.

Functionalist Perspective

A theoretical perspective that emphasizes how parts of society are structured to maintain social stability; associated with Talcott Parsons.

Manifest functions

Open, stated, conscious functions of institutions.

Latent functions

Unintended or hidden functions of institutions.

Dysfunctions

Elements or processes that disrupt the social system or reduce stability.

Conflict Perspective

A theoretical perspective that sees social life as a competition for power and resources among groups.

Marxist View

A subset of the conflict perspective focusing on how social institutions maintain privilege and how resources should be redistributed.

Feminism

A conflict perspective examining gender inequality as central to social organization and behavior; often emphasizes macro-level analysis and intersectionality.

Intersectionality

The interlocking matrix of domination where multiple social factors (race, gender, age, sexuality, religion) influence privilege and oppression.

Queer Theory

The study of society focusing on diverse sexual identities; emphasizes that norms of sexuality vary across cultures and times.

Third Place

A social setting beyond home (first place) and work (second place) where people gather and interact; includes considerations of race, class, and gender dynamics.

Interactionist Perspective

A theory that explains society through everyday interactions and the shared meanings of objects, actions, people, and symbols.

Symbol

Something with shared meaning central to communication in social interaction.

Nonverbal communication

Gestures, facial expressions, and postures that convey meaning without words.

George Herbert Mead

Founder of the interactionist perspective who emphasized the micro level of behavior.

Erving Goffman

Sociologist known for the dramaturgical approach and the idea of presenting self in public and private settings.

Dramaturgical approach

Viewing social life as a theater where people perform roles and manage impressions.

Presentation of self

How individuals present themselves to others in social interactions.

The Sociological Approach

The idea that sociologists use multiple perspectives and that one’s theoretical orientation influences what is studied and how it is studied.

Applied sociology

The use of sociological knowledge to yield practical applications for human behavior and organizations.

Clinical sociology

A branch focused on facilitating change by altering social relationships or restructuring social institutions.

Basic sociology

Sociology that seeks a profound understanding of fundamental social phenomena.

Influencer

A social media user with credibility in a field and a large audience who can persuade others; sponsorships can occur with followers aware of the sponsorship.