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Sociology Midterm
Ch. 1 pg. 9-12, 22-29; Ch. 3 pg. 67-72, 79-84; Ch. 8 pg. 194-203
77
Sociology
Undergraduate 1
07/13/2015

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Term
Auguste Comte
Definition
Credited as the founder of sociology, began to analyze the bases of social order. Stressed that the scientific method should be applied to the study of society, did not apply it himself. Associated with positivism
Term
Positivism
Definition
The application of the scientific approach to the social world
Term
Sociology
Definition
The scientific study of society and human behavior
Term
Hebert Spencer
Definition
Called the second founder of scoiology, coined the term "survival of the fittest." Thought that helpingthe poor was wrong, that this merely helped the "less fit" survive
Term
Karl Marx
Definition
Believed that the roots of human misery lay in class conflict, the exploitation of workers by those who won the means of production. Social change, in the form of the workers overthrowing the capitalists was inevitable from Marx's perspective. Did not consider himself a sociologist. Conflict Theory
Term
Class Conflict
Definition
Marx's term for the struggle between capitalists and workers
Term
Bourgeoisie
Definition
Marx's term for capitalists, those who own the means of production
Term
Proletariat
Definition
Marx's term for the exploited class, the mass of workers who do not own the means of production
Term
Social integration
Definition
the degree to which members of a group or a society feel united by shared values and other social bonds, also known as social cohesion
Term
Emile Dukheim
Definition
First academic sociologist appointed in France, studied how social forces affect people's behavior (suicide) --> social integration
Term
Patterns of behavior
Definition
recurring behaviors or events
Term
Max Weber
Definition
Early sociologist, used cross-cultural and historical material to race the causes of social change and to determine how social groups affect people's orientations to life; Theorized that religion (Catholicism) encouraged followers to hold on to traditional ways of life, while Protestant beliefs encouraged members to embrace change
Term
Value free
Definition
The view that a sociologists personal values or beliefs should not influence social research
Term
values
Definition
the standards by which people define what is desirable or undesirable, good or bad, beautiful or ugly
Term
objectivity
Definition
value neutrality in research
Term
Theory
Definition
A general statement about how some parts of the world fit together and how they work; an explanation of how two or more facts are related to one another
Term
George Herbert Mead
Definition
One of the founders of symbolic interactionism, a major theoretical perspective in sociology- how social life depends on the ways we define ourselves and others
Term
Symbolic interactionism
Definition
A theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another (Mead)
Term
Functional analysis
Definition
A theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of various parts, each with a function that, when fulfilled, contributes to society's equilibrium; also known as functionalism and structural functionalism
When all parts are working, society is in a "normal" state. if not, abnormal (Merton)
Term
Robert K Merton
Definition
Was a major proponent of functionalism. Used the term "functions" to refer to the beneficial consequences
Term
Conflict theory
Definition
A theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources (Karl Marx)
Term
Macro-level Analysis
Definition
An examination of large-scale patterns of society, such as how Wall Street and the political establishment are interrelated (Functionalism, Conflict Theory)
Term
Micro-level analysis
Definition
An examination of small-scale patterns of society, such as how the member s of a group interact (Symbolic Interactionism)
Term
Social Interaction
Definition
One person's actions influencing someone else; usually refers to what people do when they are in one another's presence, but also includes communications at a distance
Term
Nonverbal interaction
Definition
Communication without words through gestures, use of space, silence, and so on
Term
Globalization
Definition
The growing interconnections among nations due to the expansion of capitalism
Term
Socialization
Definition
The process by which people learn the characteristics of their group- the knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, norms, and actions thought appropriate for them. Al 3 theoretical perspectives agree that socialization is needed for culture and society values to be learned
Term
Self
Definition
The unique human capacity of being able to see ourselves "from the outside"; the views we internalize of how others see us
Term
Looking-glass self
Definition
A term coined by Charles Horton Cooley to refer to the process by which our self develops through internalizing others' reactions to us
Term
Survival of the Fittest
Definition
Hebert Spencer: Societies go through a natural evolution, from lower to higher forms. Sociology should not guide social reform
Term
3 Main events which set stage for the emergence of sociology
Definition
Industrial Revolution
Social upheaval of revolutions
Imperialism (empire building)
Term
Basic Sociology
Definition
Pure; analyzing some aspect of society, publishing their findings in books or sociology journals
Term
Applied Sociology
Definition
Using sociology to solve actual problems
Term
Science
Definition
Requires theories that can be tested by research
Term
When did sociology emerge?
Definition
Mid-1800s, when social observers began to use scientific methods to test their ideas
Term
WEB Du Bois
Definition
Looked at racism,first African American to get PhD from Harvard. Taught sociology with whites, but couldn't eat or stay in same hotels
Term
Jane Addams
Definition
Social reforms- One of the first women to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Founder of Hull-House in Chicago- took in anyone who needs refuge. Co-founder of ACLU- 8 hour work day, laws against child labor
Term
Taking the role of the other
Definition
Mead--> Putting yourself in someone else's shoes; understanding how someone else feels and thinks, so you anticipate how that person will act
Term
Significant other
Definition
An individual who significantly influences someone else. Children: Parents, grandparents, siblings
Teens: Peers
Adults: Spouses, parents, friends, employers
Term
Mead's 3 Stages of Role taking
Definition
1) Imitation Stage (1.5-2 years): children imitate physical-verbal behavior, but don't understand
2) Play Stage (3-4 years): imagine world through someone else's eyes
3) Game stage (4+): multiple roles considered at once, anticipate others actions, there are specific rules
Term
Generalized Other
Definition
The norms,values, attitudes, and expectations of people "in general"; the child's ability to take the role of the generalized other is a significant step in the development of self
Term
Piaget's 4 stages of reasoning
Definition
Sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage,formal operational stage
Term
Sensorimotor stage
Definition
(Birth-2) Our understanding is limited to directo contact- sucking, touching, listening, looking. Cannot recognize cause and effect, nor that we are separate from our environment
Term
Preoperational Stage
Definition
(2-7) Develop the ability to use symbols, but don't understand common concepts such as size, speed, or causation
Term
Concrete Operational Stage
Definition
(7-12) Reasoning abilities are more developed, remain concrete. Can now understand numbers, size, causation,and speed,able to take the role of another. Must have concrete examples
Term
Formal operational stage
Definition
(12+) Capable of abstract thinking, can talk about concepts, come to conclusions based on general principles,and use rules to solve abstract problems
Term
Id
Definition
Freud's term for our inborn basic drives
Term
Ego
Definition
Freud's term for a balancing force between the id and the demands of society
Term
Superego
Definition
Freud's term for the conscience; the internalized norms and values of our social groups
Term
Mead's Concept of Self (2 parts)
Definition
1) The"me": self created through socialization, predictability and conformity come from the me
2) The "I": Part of self that is spontaneous, acts in extreme situations
Term
Kohlberg's Theory (Morality)
Definition
Children go through four stages of morality: the amoral stage, the preconventional stage, the conventional stage,and the postconventional stage
Term
Preconventional Stage
Definition
Before age 7, there is no right or wrong, just personal needs to be satisfied
Term
Preconventional Stage
Definition
Ages 7-10, have learned rules and follow them ot stay out of trouble. View right and wrong as what pleases or displeases their parents, friends, and teachers. Concern is to get rewards and avoid punishment
Term
Conventional stage
Definition
Around age 10, morality means following the norms and values they have learned
Term
Postconventional stage
Definition
Individuals reflect on abstract principles of right and wrong and judge people's behavior according to these principles
Term
Social Inequality
Definition
A social condition in which privileges and obligations are given to some but denied to others
Term
Agents of socialization
Definition
People or groups that affect our self concept, attitudes, behaviors, or other orientations of life (family, neighborhood, religion, day care, school, peer groups, the workplace)
Term
Manifest functions
Definition
The intended beneficial consequences of people's actions
Term
Latent Functions
Definition
unintended beneficial consequences of people's actions
Term
anticipatory socialization
Definition
the process of learning in advance an anticipated future role or status
Term
resocialization
Definition
the process of learning new norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors
Term
total institution
Definition
a place that is almost totally controlled by those who run it, in which people are cut off from the rest of society and the society is mostly cut off from them
Term
Degradationi ceremony
Definition
A term coined by Harold Garfinkel to refer to a ritual whose goal is to remake someone's self by stripping away that individual's self-identity and stamping a new identity in its place
Term
Deviance
Definition
The violation of norms, rules, or expectations
Term
Crime
Definition
The violation of norms written into law
Term
Stigma
Definition
"Blemishes" that discredit a person's claim to a "normal" identity
Term
Social Order
Definition
A group's usual and customary social arrangements, on which its members depend and on which they base their lives
Term
Social Control
Definition
A group's formal and informal means of enforcing its norms
Term
Negative Sanction
Definition
An expression of disapproval for breaking a norm, ranging from a mild, informal reaction such as a frown to a formal reaction such as a fine or a prison sentence
Term
Positive Sanction
Definition
An expression of approval for following a norm, ranging from a smile or a good grade in a class to a material reward such as a prize
Term
Genetic predisposition
Definition
Inborn tendencies (for example, a tendency to commit deviant acts)
Term
Street Crime
Definition
Crimes such as mugging, rape, and burglary
Term
Personality disorders
Definition
The view that a personality disturbance of some sort causes an individual to violate social norms
Term
Differential association
Definition
Edwin Sutherland's term to indicate that people who associate with some groups learn an "excess of definitions" of deviance,increasing the likelihood that they will become deviant
Term
Control Theory
Definition
The idea that two control systems- inner controls and outer controls- work against our tendencies to deviate
Term
Labeling theory
Definition
The view that labels people are given affect their own and others' perceptions of them, thus channeling their behavior into either deviance or conformity
Term
Techniques of neutralization
Definition
Ways of thinking or rationalizing that help people deflect (or neutralize) society's norms
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