Sociology Foundations and Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, sociological theories, researchers, methods, culture, socialization, and role theory from the introductory sociology lecture notes.

Sociology

The study of human society.

Sociological Imagination

The ability to connect the most basic, intimate aspects of an individual's life to seemingly impersonal and remote historical forces, allowing one to locate oneself within a period to understand personal chances in life.

Thinking like a sociologist

Applying analytical tools to things done without much conscious thought, requiring one to reconsider assumptions about society and 'make the familiar strange.'

Xenophobia

Feelings that may result from the discomfort of facing a different reality.

Social Institution

A complex group of interdependent positions that together perform a social role and reproduce themselves over time; networks of structures in society that work to socialize the groups of people within them.

Positivism

An approach associated with Auguste comet proposing that there are scientific laws governing human behavior and forces outside of free will that impact decisions.

Historical Materialism

A theory proposed by Karl Marx in the 'Communist Manifesto' that identifies class conflict as the primary cause of social change.

Verstehen

German word for 'understanding,' introduced by Max Weber as the basis of interpretive sociology.

Interpretive Sociology

A type of scholarship in which researchers imagine themselves experiencing the life positions of the social actors they want to understand rather than treating them as objects to be examined.

Anomie

A sense of aimlessness or despair arising from too little social regulation or normlessness, occurring when life can no longer reasonably be expected to be predictable.

Positivist Sociology

An approach to sociology that emphasizes the scientific method to study objectively observable behavior regardless of the meanings those actions have for the subjects.

Double Consciousness

A concept conceived by W. E. B. Du Bois describing two behavioral scripts maintained by African Americans—one for navigating the world and one incorporating the external opinions of prejudiced onlookers.

Functionalist Theory

The theory developed around Durkheim's work stating that society is maintained as long as its social institutions function properly to serve necessary roles.

Conflict Theory

The idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force for social change and society in general.

Symbolic Interactionism

A micro-level theory focused on how face-to-face interactions, shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions shape realities and form human motivations.

Postmodernism

A perspective questioning progress and history, asserting that everything is a social construct and replacing narrative with pastiche or imitation.

Social Construction

An entity that exists because people behave as if it exists and whose existence is perpetuated through agreed-upon rules or norms.

Midrange Theory

A theory that attempts to predict how certain social institutions tend to function.

Microsociology

A branch of sociology seeking to understand local interactional contexts, using participant observation and in-depth interviews.

Macrosociology

A branch of sociology concerned with social dynamics across the breadth of society at a higher level of analysis.

Quantitative Research

Research seeking to obtain information about the social world using precisely defined measures and systematic comparisons.

Qualitative Research

Research seeking information about the social world relying on rich descriptions and subjective interpretations.

Deductive Research Approach

A research approach in which theory guides the formulation of hypotheses.

Inductive Research Approach

A research approach where empirical observations inform the development of theory.

Directionality

The time order requirement in causal inference establishing what variable is causing what.

Spuriousness

A condition in causal inference where a relationship between variables is misleading due to omitted variable bias.

Material Culture

Physical aspects of culture, including technological innovations.

Nonmaterial Culture

Non-physical components of culture, including norms, values, and systems of belief.

Cultural Lag

The lag time between technological innovations and corresponding cultural changes.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own group is superior to others.

Ideology

A system of ideas that shape society.

Code Switching

The practice of adapting behavioral codes depending on context, such as acting white or black.

Cultural Scripts

Codes of behavior that are not universal or natural.

Subcultures

Groups that hold values and practice norms of behavior distinct from the larger population.

Socialization

The process by which individuals internalize values, beliefs, and norms of a given society and learn to function as members of that society.

Looking Glass Self

A theory of socialization by Charles Cooley proposing that self-concept is formed through imagining how others view us.

Total Institutions

Institutions such as military, prisons, and monasteries that control all the basics of day-to-day life and resocialize adults.

Role Theory

A theory associated with Robert K Merton explaining how status and expected roles structure behavior in society.

Ascribed Status

A social position a person is born with that is unlikely to change.

Achieved Status

A status earned through individual effort or imposed by others.

Master Status

A status that stands out or overshadows other statuses depending on social context.

Role Conflict

A clash between roles associated with different statuses.

Role Strain

A clash among roles associated with a single status.

Dramaturgical Theory

Erving Goffman's theory viewing social life as a theatrical performance where individuals exhibit front-stage and backstage behaviors.

Face

The esteem in which an individual is held by others, prompting dramaturgical action in order to 'save face.'

Civil Inattention

Refraining from direct social interaction unless given an opening, after which a closing is needed.

Ethnomethodology

Harold Garfinkel's approach to studying social interaction by using breaching experiments to test reliance on shared meanings and norms.