SOCIOLOGY VOCABULARY
(in alphabetical order)
Absolute poverty- a deprivation of resources that is life threatening (living on, or just above, the margin of survival)
Animism – the
religious beliefs surrounding a spirit world animated by living spirits and
souls that exist in all living, and non-living, things. It’s a polytheism, but necessarily of gods/goddesses but personal
or impersonal spirits of nature, often seen spiritual connected to each other.
Assimilation - bring ethnic and racial diversity within a society into a common cultural fold; making them more alike, or more like the dominant ethnic or racial group (ie. "the melting-pot")
Blasé Urbanite – in a highly congested urban area with lots of traffic, activities,
noise and different people, many with deal with the over-stimuli by
disconnecting from much of what is around them; sorting of tuning most of it
out; acting more blasé.
Bureaucracy – it is an organizational model based in rational thought seeking to accomplish tasks in a specialized and efficient manner (large businesses, governments, schools, etc.)
Civil religion- a quasi-religious loyalty binding individuals in a basically secular society (ex. patriotism, socialism or any social or political movement or constitution that people have strong feelings towards, and creates a sense of solidarity)
Class system- a system of social stratification based on individual achievement (stratification system supposedly based on individual merit, but often includes some structure of inequality like inheritance, sexism, racism, ethnocentrism)
Colonialism- the process by which some nations enrich
themselves through political and economic control of other countries. (ex.
Europeans in the
Cultural lag- the fact that cultural elements change at different rates, which may disrupt a cultural system (ex. religion lagging behind the changes happening in science or technology; or old traditions of gender roles that are hard to die in an egalitarian modern society)
Cultural relativism- the practice of judging a culture by their own standards; all culture groups are valid and functional to those who practice in those cultures. (there is no good or bad cultures; inferior or superior; just different based on each group’s own cultural evolution)
Culture- the beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects that define a people’s way of life; it is everything that a particular group of people can and do share in common (ex. values, beliefs, social norms, world view, etc.) in an attempt to functional and fulfilled human beings
Culture shock- personal disorientation that accompanies exposure
to foreign cultures or an unfamiliar ways of life different from your own.
Davis-Moore thesis- the assertion that social stratification is
a universal pattern because it has beneficial consequences for the operation of
a society; sort of justifies inequality
in a class system (functionalist theory).
Dramaturgical analysis- Erving Goffman’s term for the investigation of social interaction in terms of theatrical performance; we are all actors in society playing our different roles with different "sets" or "stages" with our unique languages as our “scripts”
Endogamy- marriage between people of the same social category (same religion, race, social class/caste, tribal group, ethnicity)
Ethnicity- a shared cultural heritage (group usually sharing in common language, religion, history-homeland-ancestry, and some remaining customs and traditions; ethnic group often represent watered-down culture groups due to the assimilation pressures around them)
Ethnocentrism- the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture; an attitude of superiority about one's own culture or society
Exogamy- marriage between people of different social categories; this is often to build social, political and/or economic alliances between two different groups or families
Extended Family – those family members outside
of the nuclear family related by blood or marriage (aunts, uncles, cousins,
grandparents, etc.), to include the nuclear family itself.
Gender- the significance and roles
a society attaches to biological categories of female and male
Generalized other- George Herbert Mead’s term for widespread cultural norms and values we use as references in evaluating ourselves; the roles society lays out for us becomes a part of our individual identity, and the identity we superimpose upon others (typical librarian, policeman, drill sergeant)
Gemeinshaft – an attitude or behavior in a group that reflects
community sharing, cooperation, and self-sacrifice; usually associated with
tribal and traditional cultures in more rural or low-population areas.
Gesellshaft –
an attitude or behavior within a group that reflects a more independent,
self-reliant, competitive and individualistic nature; usually associated with
more modern urban high-population areas.
Global perspective- the study of the larger world and our society’s place in it; comparing our thinking and behavior to that of other cultures around the world
Greenhouse
effect- a
rise in the earth’s average temperature (global warming) due to an increasing
concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
that holds in more and more of the sun’s heat energy
Groupthink- the tendency of group members to conform by adopting a narrow view of some issue; in groupthink individuals tend not to challenge the group because of its solidarity or the charisma of its leadership
Homogamy- marriage between people with the same
social/cultural characteristics
Ingroup- a social group commanding a member’s esteem and loyalty whose identity is in part based on an “outgroup”, or opposition group
Liberation
theology- a
fusion of Christian principles with political activism, often Marxist in
character
Looking-glass-self- Cooley’s assertion that the
self is based on how others respond to us
Modernity – it largely relates to the social
changes that came about as a result of advanced industrialization, continuing
on into post-industrial ways of life, and what is its impact of cultural social
organization.
Multiculturalism- (a.k.a. Pluralism) an educational program recognizing past and present cultural diversity in U.S. society and promoting the equality of all cultural traditions; the government’s accommodation of the widest possible cultural diversity (multilingualism; multi-religious; multicultural history; etc.)
Multinational corporation- a large corporation that operates in many different countries
Neocolonialism-a new form of global power relationships that involves
not direct political control but, rather through economic exploitation and
political manipulation by multinational corporations often supported by their
governments (ex.
Nonverbal communication- communication using body movements, body gestures, and facial expressions supporting, or in lieu of, speech
Norms- rules, guidelines and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members (those “1001” little rules/guidelines that we learn for proper social interaction; some written rules, others unwritten and just understood)
Nuclear family- (conjugal family) a family unit composed of one or more parents and their children
Outgroup- a social or cultural group toward which one feels competition or opposition; an outside group whose cultural practices you avoid or behave in contrast to (if you’re a Jewish Israeli (ingroup), then Palestinians are your outgroup, and vice-versa)
Pluralism- a state in which racial and ethnic minorities are distinct but have social parity (equality)
Prejudice- an attitude involving a rigid and irrational generalization about an entire category of people, usually remarking on their inferiority
Race- a category composed of humans who share certain biologically transmitted traits that members of a society deem socially significant; in reality it’s an artificial classification because the differences genetically or biologically are too few and insignificant biologically or genetically to represent truly different categories
Rationalization of society- Max Weber’s term for the historical change from tradition, emotion and spirituality to more scientifically based rationality as the dominant mode of human thought and decision making
Rational-legal authority- (also bureaucratic authority) power legitimized by legally enacted rules and regulations (stand in line; take a number; appointments only; majority rules; chain of command; etc.)
Religion- a social institution involving beliefs and practices based upon a conception of the sacred and the possible rituals that surround the sacred
Religiosity –
the level of religious or spiritual influence within the group or individual;
how intertwined is one’s life with their religion (its history, its ritual, its
sacred things, its practice, its required behavior)
Role- behavior expected of someone who holds a particular status (position with expected behavior)
Role set- a number of roles attached to a single person (ex. mom, wife, realtor, Cuban-American, catholic, etc.)
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis- a hypothesis stating that people perceive the world through the cultural lens of their unique language; habits of speech and reading create habits of perception, and to some extent unique reality
Scapegoat- a person or category of people, typically with little power, whom people unfairly blame for their own troubles
Secularization- the historical decline in the importance of the supernatural and the sacred; a declining influence of religion in everyday life; a weakening of religiosity in favor of answers and social control outside of religion doctrine.
Sexual harassment- comments, gesture, or physical contact of a sexual nature that is deliberate, repeated and unwelcome
Social-Conflict Approach- (aka Conflict Theory) a framework for building theory based on the assumption that society is characterized by inequality and conflict that generate change; where Functional Theory addresses what works in a culture group or society, social-conflict theory looks for the dysfunction, what doesn’t work so well, mostly the structures of inequality
Socialization- the lifelong social experience by which individuals develop human potential and learn patterns of their culture; it’s the teaching and learning of culture, most of which is acquired in the early years
Social stratification- a system by which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy; ie. it’s a system of inequality (ex. caste or class systems)
Society- people who interact in a defined territory and share some facets of common interests and values; ie. some aspects of culture and leadership that bring them together.
Sociocultural evolution- the Lenskis’ term for the process of change that results from a society’s gaining new cultural information, particularly technology, that may have a good or bad impact on the society, or both
Status- a recognized social position and identity that an
individual occupies
Status Set – the multiple statuses that one person might hold (if you have a role set then you will often have a status set [see role set above])
Stereotype- a set of overgeneralizations concerning some category of people, some positive stereotypes exists, but most are negative
Stigma- a powerfully negative social label that radically changes a person’s self-concept and social identity
Structural-Functional approach- (aka Functionalist Theory) a framework for building theory based on the assumption that society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote stability; that human work toward functional organization, order and stability, and their cultural norms and institutions reflect that goal, and therefore there’s logical reasons why people do the things they do and organize themselves the way they do
Subculture- cultural patterns that distinguish some segment of a society’s population; variations within a society regarding some aspects of religion, or language, or traditions/customs, or outward symbols/appearance that sets them apart from the mainstream or dominant culture (intercity gangs; cowboys of W. Texas; Amish of Pennsylvania; hippies of the 60’s; some African-American communities; etc.)
Sustainable ecosystem- the human use of the natural environment to meet the needs of the present generation without threatening the prospects of future generations; economic growth without further or irrevocable damage to natural ecosystems
Symbolic-interaction approach - a theoretical framework based on the assumption that society is the product of the everyday interactions of individuals, therefore the focus of research should be on the actual viewpoints, perspectives and interpretations of people – culture and it’s institutions as THEY see it, not necessarily as social scientist see it; reality of culture is in the eye of the beholder
Thomas theorem-W.I. Thomas’s assertion that situations we define as
real become real in their consequences, even if all the facts are not
considered; ie. we often act
on limited information ("
Urban renewal- government programs intended to revitalize cities
Values-culturally defined standards by which people judge
desirability, goodness, and beauty, and which serve as broad guidelines for
social living as well as public policies; core
values are key values give high priority