Keywords

Sociology

Sociology

The planned and organised study of human groups in modern society.

Society

A group of people with a common or shared culture

e.g. UK society,

Culture

The whole way of life of a society : its norms, values, customs, language and history.

Norms

Social rules which define the acceptable behaviour in a society, social group or social context. People are expected to conform to these norms.

e.g. queuing in a shop

Values

Commonly held beliefs about what is right or wrong, desirable and worth striving for in a society.

e.g. privacy, material wealth

Social structure

Feautures of society which can influence and limit our behaviour (including social institutions and social factors).

Social institution

The organisations or groups within society that are united behind a common purpose

e.g. family, education, media

Social factors

Circumstances within society that can affect a person’s lifestyle and opportunities. (DR CAGES)

Social class

A way of distinguishing between different individuals based on factors such as wealth and education.

Social processes

A series of interactions with people which can shape an individuals behaviour.

e.g. socialisation/social control

Primary socialisation

Learning the norms and values of society in the early years of life which usually happens within the family.

Secondary socialisation

Learning the norms and values which occurs outside of the family, such as in education or work.

Agent of socialisation

The social institutions responsible for teaching the norms and values.

e.g. family

Social control

The process by which the members of a society are persuaded to conform to the rules of that society.

Positive sanctions

Rewards that are given for behaviour that follows society’s norms.

e.g. certificates

Negative sanctions

Penalties given for unacceptable behaviour that goes against society’s, norms, rules and laws.

e.g. punishments such as detention/prison.

Formal social control

Organisations/systems that use strict values and morals that we are commonly made to obey.

e.g. police, law courts, prison

Informal social control

Organisations that encourages to follow norms and values but have no legal power.

e.g. family, education, media

Sex

The biological differences between men and women.

Gender

Social or cultural expectations and ideas associated with being male or female.

Gender socialisation

The process by which children learn the cultural expectations of their gender.

e.g. through the toys they are given to play with.

Race

The classification of people based on apparent physical differences

e.g. skin colour

Ethnicity

A shared cultural identity

e.g. sharing a language and customs.

Ethnic group

People within a society who share a clear identity based on a common culture, traditions and history

e.g. Irish

Minority ethnic group

A social group with a different ethnic identity from the majority of the population

e.g. in the UK British Asian

Social issue

Common concerns and problems within a society which sociologists try to solve

e.g. poverty