Sociological Approach to Social Problems and Inequality

Flashcards covering key sociological terms and concepts from the provided lecture notes.

Control Group

A group of subjects that is not exposed to the independent variable in an experiment.

Dependent Variable

The variable being measured in an experiment; it may or may not be affected by the independent variable.

Deviant Behavior

Activity that violates the norms of a social organization or larger society.

Experimental Group

A group of subjects that is exposed to the independent variable in an experiment.

Independent Variable

A variable that may or may not affect the dependent variable.

Longitudinal Survey

The collection of information about the same persons over many years.

Nonparticipant Observation

The researcher does not join the group or participate directly in any activities being observed.

Objective Reality of Social Problems

The notion that societal conditions harm certain segments of the population and therefore are social problems.

Participant Observation

The researcher joins the group being studied in order to understand their behavior.

Person-blame

The assumption that social problems result from the pathologies of individuals.

Recidivism

Reinvolvement in crime.

Sample

A smaller part of a larger population; if selected scientifically, it will be representative of the larger population.

Social Darwinism

The belief that the place of people in the stratification system is a function of 'the survival of the fittest.'

Social Problems

Acts and conditions that violate the norms and values found in society; or societally induced conditions that harm any segment of the population.

Sociological Imagination

The ability to see the societal patterns that influence individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, societies, and the world.

Sociological Theory

A set of ideas that explains a range of human behavior, culture, and social structure.

Subjective Nature of Social Problems

The idea that what is and what is not a social problem is a matter of definition.

System-blame

The assumption that social problems result from social conditions.

Value Neutrality

To be absolutely free of bias in research.

Variable

Something that can vary, such as a characteristic, value, or belief.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production, personal profit, and competition.

Cloture

The vote needed to end a filibuster.

Democracy

A political system that is of, by, and for the people.

Direct Interlock

The linkage between corporations that results when an individual serves on the board of directors of two companies.

Filibuster

The Senate rule that allows a senator to hold the floor for an unlimited time as a strategy to delay or prevent a vote.

Gerrymandering

When the party in power shapes voting districts to keep itself in power.

Indirect Interlock

When two companies each have a director on the board of a third company.

Interlocking Directorate

The linkage between corporations that results when an individual serves on the board of directors of two companies or when two companies each have a director on the board of a third company.

Monopoly

When a single corporation dominates a certain market.

Oligarchy

A political system that is ruled by a few.

Oligopoly

When a small number of large firms dominate a particular industry.

Plutocracy

A government by or in the interest of the rich.

Power Elite

People who occupy the power roles in society; they either are wealthy or represent the wealthy.

Systemic Imperatives

The economic and social constraints on political decisionmakers that promote the status quo.

Trickle-down Economics

The theory that economic benefits for the wealthy will indirectly trickle down to benefit everyone.

Colony

A territory controlled by a powerful country that exploits the land and the people for its own benefit.

Differential Fertility

Differences in the average number of children born to a woman by social category.

Fertility Rate

The average number of children born to each woman.

Life Chances

The chances throughout one’s life cycle to live and experience the good things in life.

Megacity

An urban population of more than 10 million people.

Modern Demographic Transition

A three-stage pattern of population change occurring as societies industrialize and urbanize.

Modern Slavery

The severe exploitation of other people for personal or commercial gain.

Transnational Corporation

A profit-oriented company engaged in business activities in more than one nation.

Ageism

The devaluation of and the discrimination against the elderly.

Assimilation

The process by which individuals or groups adopt the culture of another group, losing their original identity.

Baby Boom Generation

The people born following World War II between 1946 and 1964.

Beanpole Family Structure

A vertical, four-generation family structure that includes three tiers of parent–child relations.

Custodial Care

Nonskilled personal care facilities that help residents with daily activities.

Demography

The study of population size, distribution, composition, and changes over time.

Dependency Ratio

The proportion of the population who work compared to the proportion who do not work.

Fertility

Birth rate.

Human Agency

People are agents and actors who cope with, adapt to, and change social structures.

Immigration

The movement of people into a destination country to which they are not native or do not possess citizenship.

Islamophobia

Anti-Muslim sentiment; prejudice against Islam or Muslims.

Mortality

Death rate.

Regressive Tax

Taxing that takes a larger proportion of income from low- and moderate-income taxpayers.

Sandwich Family Structure

A family structure in which adults care for both their parents and their children simultaneously.

Therapeutic Care

Skilled personal care focused on treatment by licensed medical personnel.

Boomburg

A suburban city of at least 100,000 that has experienced double-digit growth each decade.

Colonias

Substandard housing developments where residents lack basic services.

Environmental Classism

When the poor are disproportionately exposed to toxic wastes.

Environmental Racism

The tendency for minority areas to be targets of illegal dumping and hazardous waste disposal.

Gentrification

The redevelopment of poor urban neighborhoods into middle-class enclaves.

High-poverty Areas

Neighborhoods where at least two in five households live below the poverty line.

Informal Economy

When people turn to alternate economic activity for survival.

Jobs/Housing Mismatch

The inability of central-city residents to reach jobs on the urban fringe.

Medicaid

The state and federal governments’ insurance program for the poor.

Public Housing

Housing funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for low-income families.

Redlining

When banks refuse to make loans in poor neighborhoods.

Rural

The nonmetropolitan population that resides in small towns and countryside.

Section 8

Housing assistance for low-income families, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Families or individuals are issued a housing choice voucher and find their own housing to live in.

Slumlording

Landlords buy properties in poor neighborhoods and do not maintain them.

Biosphere

The surface layer of the planet and the surrounding atmosphere.

Culture

The knowledge (ideas, values, norms, beliefs) that the members of a social organization share

Ecosystems

Plants, animals, and microorganisms that provide essentials of life.

Environmental Justice

A movement to improve community environments by eliminating toxic hazards.

Greenhouse Effect

When gases accumulate in Earth’s atmosphere, trapping heat.

Planned Obsolescence

The manufacture of consumer goods designed to wear out.

Blaming the Victim

The belief that some individuals are poor due to flaws within them.

Culture-of-Poverty Hypothesis

The view that the poor are qualitatively different in values from the rest of society.

Extreme-Poverty Neighborhoods

Areas where more than 40% live below the poverty line.

Institutional Discrimination

Discrimination incorporated into the structures of an organization.

Meritocracy

Social classification based on ability.

Official Poverty Line

The federal definition of poverty based on a basic diet cost.

Persistent Poverty Counties

Counties where over 20% have lived below the poverty line for 30 years.

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)

Reformed the welfare system in 1996, shifting programs to states.

Poverty

Standard of living below the minimum needed for adequate diet, health, and shelter.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

An event that occurs because it is predicted, altering behavior to conform.

Severely Poor

People whose cash incomes are at half the poverty line or less.

Social Darwinism

The belief that a person's place in society is a function of ability and effort.

Wealthfare

Government subsidies to the nonpoor.

Welfare

Government services provided to the poor.

Bias Theories

Explanations that blame the prejudiced attitudes of majority members for the status of people of color.

Color-blind Racism

The belief that the U.S. has moved beyond race and racism.

Critical Race Theory

The idea that race is a social construct embedded in society.

Deficiency Theories

Explanations viewing the secondary status of people of color as a result of their own behaviors.

Environmental Racism

The tendency for minority areas to be the targets of a disproportionate share of illegal dumping and the sites where most toxic and hazardous waste is disposed

Ethnic Groups

Groups characterized by distinctive cultural characteristics.

Institutional Racism

A complex pattern of racial advantage/disadvantage built into the structure and institutions of society.

Laissez-faire Racism

A subtle ideology that blames cultural norms of people of color for their social position.