Sociology Study Sheet: Social Class, Globalization, Organizations, and Bureaucracy

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing core concepts and definitions from the sociology study sheet, including social class theorists, globalization, capital forms, organizations, and Weberian bureaucracy.

Social class

A large group with similar property, power, and prestige.

Property

Wealth (what you own) and income (money earned).

Power

Ability to influence or control others.

Prestige

Social respect, status, or admiration.

Beauty premium / sexual capital

Advantages people may receive from perceived attractiveness or sexual appeal.

Karl Marx

Theorist associated with class conflict; focuses on economic ownership and conflict between owners and workers.

C. Wright Mills

Theorist associated with the power elite: influential corporate, military, and political leaders.

Herbert Spencer

Theorist who held a functionalist/evolutionary view where society works like an interconnected system.

Kingsley Davis

Structural functionalist who viewed social arrangements and roles as serving functions; connected to necessary but devalued “dirty work.”

Pierre Bourdieu

Theorist who argued that class is more than money, identifying cultural capital, social capital, economic capital, and habitus.

Habitus

Learned habits and ways of thinking shaped by social background.

Social capital

Benefits gained through relationships and networks that offer support or opportunities.

Cultural capital

Knowledge, language, tastes, skills, and behaviors valued by society or in a social setting.

Globalization

Growing connections and interdependence among countries, economies, and cultures.

Global consciousness

Awareness that people and events around the world are connected.

Cultural homogenization

Cultures becoming more alike through shared products, habits, and media.

Glocalization

Adapting a global product or idea to local culture and preferences.

“Nothing” vs. “something” (Ritzer)

“Nothing” refers to standardized, centrally controlled forms with little distinctive local content; “something” refers to distinctive, locally meaningful forms.

McDonaldization

Applying fast-food principles to society: efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control.

Efficiency

Doing things quickly and conveniently (e.g., drive-through).

Predictability

Consistent experiences and results across locations.

Calculability

Emphasis on quantity, speed, and measurable results rather than quality.

Control

Rules, technology, and standardized procedures guiding behavior, where technology may replace some human tasks.

Irrationality of rationality

A phenomenon where a system designed to be efficient can still create frustration or unexpected problems.

Prosumption

Combining production and consumption; e.g., creating and watching social-media content.

Social stratification

Society arranged in layers with unequal access to resources and opportunities.

Financial/economic capital

Money and material wealth.

Human capital

Education, knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Organization

A planned, formal collection of people working toward shared goals; e.g., hospitals, churches, government offices.

Growing organizational dominance

A trend where personal roles become formal organizational roles, technology enables mass production, and urbanization/population growth increase the need for organized services.

Rationality

Choosing practical, goal-oriented methods.

Manifest function

An intended and recognized consequence.

Latent function

An unintended or less obvious consequence.

Alienation

Feeling disconnected from one's work, its purpose, or others.

Mutual-benefit organization

An organization that primarily benefits members (e.g., membership association).

Business organization

An organization that primarily seeks profit for owners.

Service organization

An organization that provides services/benefits to clients.

Commonweal organization

An organization that aims to benefit the public at large.

Bureaucracy

Formal organization using hierarchy, specialized roles, rules, and procedures.

Hierarchy

Chain of authority and responsibility.

Written rules

Policies and procedures that guide decisions.

Documentation

Reports and records that provide an official account of activities.

Technical qualifications

Jobs assigned based on training, expertise, or credentials.

Red tape

Excessive procedures that delay or complicate work.

Objectification

People treated like cases, numbers, or records rather than individuals.

Documented reality

Official records that may not fully match what actually happened.

Peter Principle

The concept that people may be promoted until they reach a role beyond their competence.

Goal displacement

A situation where following rules becomes more important than achieving the original goal.

New institutionalism

The perspective that organizations are shaped by social expectations, norms, and accepted practices—not only efficiency.

Tight coupling

A condition where parts of an organization are closely connected and changes in one affect others quickly.

Loose coupling

A condition where parts of an organization have more independence and may apply rules or policies differently.