Chapter 1: Thinking Like a Sociologist Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, early theorists, and contemporary theoretical perspectives from Chapter 1: Thinking Like a Sociologist.

Sociology

The scientific study of human behavior in society.

Conventional Wisdom (Common Sense)

Subjective thinking that ignores facts, varies across groups and cultures, and is based on myths and misconceptions.

Sociological Imagination

The ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and larger social influences.

Microsociology

A level of sociological analysis that examines the patterns of individuals' social interaction in specific settings.

Macrosociology

A level of sociological analysis that examines large-scale patterns and processes that characterize society as a whole.

Theory

A set of statements that explains why a phenomenon occurs.

Auguste Comte

The father of sociology who advocated for the empirical study of society.

Harriet Martineau

An early sociological theorist who translated and disseminated Auguste Comte's work and emphasized systematic data collection.

Émile Durkheim

An early sociological theorist who used scientific methods to study society and advocated for the study of social facts.

Karl Marx

An influential social scientist who viewed the development of capitalism as a social change.

Max Weber

An early sociological theorist who was concerned with social organizations like bureaucracies, advocated subjective understanding of behavior, and was interested in value-free sociology.

Jane Addams

A leader in the women's suffrage movement and Nobel Peace Prize recipient who contributed to early sociological thought.

W.E.B. Du Bois

An early sociological theorist who examined the oppressive effects of race and class, advocated women's rights, and played a key role in reshaping Black-White relations in America.

Functionalism

A contemporary sociological perspective that views society as a complex system of interdependent parts that work together to ensure survival.

Manifest Functions

Intended functions within functionalism.

Latent Functions

Unintended functions within functionalism.

Dysfunctions

Patterns or factors that negatively impact society within functionalism.

Conflict Theory

A contemporary sociological perspective that examines how and why groups disagree, struggle over power, and compete for scarce resources.

Feminist Theories

Contemporary sociological perspectives that focus on women's social, economic, and political inequality and consider gender an important variable in research.

Symbolic Interaction

A contemporary sociological perspective that examines an individual's everyday behavior through the communication of knowledge, ideas, beliefs, and attitudes.