Paper 1 Sociologists List

Imagined Communities

Concept by Anderson, refers to the social construction of reality and community based on shared feelings of belonging with others within geographic borders, despite not meeting most of them.

Norms

Expected patterns of behavior within specific roles, as defined by Merton, crucial for maintaining order and predictability in society; deviation from norms can lead to feelings of anomie.

"I and the Me"

Theory by Mead, describes the dual nature of the self, consisting of the instinctual self (the I) and the social self (the Me), influencing behavior based on social situations.

Social Actors

Idea by Goffman, emphasizes that individuals perform and manage impressions for others, portraying themselves in ways they believe will be accepted or liked.

Looking-Glass Self

Cooley's concept highlighting how individuals form their self-image based on how they believe others perceive them, shaping their identity.

Ideological State Apparatus

Althusser's theory focusing on the control and oppression exerted by the ruling class on society through institutions and ideologies.

Gender Construction

Connell's perspective stating that individuals acquire their gender identity through socialization processes, emphasizing that gender is a social construct.

Hybrid Identities

Peele's notion of blurred and mixed identities, suggesting a blurring of traditional distinctions like class identities in contemporary society.

Hawthorne Effect

Discovered by Mayo, it reveals that subjects may alter their behavior when they are aware of being observed, impacting the reliability of research findings.

Verstehen

Coined by Weber, it emphasizes the importance of understanding social phenomena by immersing oneself in the experiences and perspectives of others, a key principle of Interpretivism.

Scientific Ethos

Merton's concept advocating for ethical codes in research to uphold scientific integrity, including principles like universality, communalism, disinterestedness, and skepticism.

Bobo Doll Experiment

Conducted by Bandura, a lab experiment demonstrating the influence of observational learning on aggressive behavior, often discussed to illustrate limitations of lab experiments.

Ethnomethodological Breaching Experiments

Garfinkel's approach involving breaking social norms in everyday settings to study people's reactions and the breakdown of social order, often through covert non-participant observation.