Sociology Vocabulary 1

Ethnocentrism

the act of evaluating or judging another culture based on one's own cultural norms.

Calvinism

the belief that the wealthier a person is, the more likely they are to receive grace and go to heaven.

Conflict Theory (Marx)

proposed by Marx, posits the existence of two classes: the capitalist (bourgeoisie) who own the means of production, and the laborers who own nothing and compete for valuable resources.

Looking-Glass Self

describes how a person's sense of self develops from interactions with others.

Dramaturgical Analysis

Viewing social interactions as a play or performance, where people take on different roles and present themselves in certain ways to manage the impressions they make on others.

This approach helps us understand how individuals manage their self-presentation and navigate social expectations in different settings.

Symbolic Interactionism

highlights that human interactions are based on the meanings ascribed to things.

Functionalism (Durkheim)

proposed by Durkheim, is the idea that society is like a living organism, with different parts working together to maintain stability and harmony.

A disadvantage of functionalism is the unequal distribution of opportunities among individuals.

Popular Culture

refers to accessible cultural experiences existing in the mainstream, such as the Stanley Cups.

High Culture

encompasses cultural experiences exclusive to high-status individuals, like buying a private jet.

Sociology

the systematic and scientific study of human society and social institutions.

Society

a group of people who interact and share a culture that distinguishes their group from others.

Sociological Imagination

the ability to see personal lives in the context of the larger social structure and connect personal experiences to the broader social framework.

Empirical Framework

involves scientific research based on empirical evidence derived from direct experiments or sources.

Interpretive Framework

focuses on gathering information and taking a sociological approach through direct observation and interaction with subjects.

Meta-analysis

is like a big study that combines the results of many smaller studies on the same topic.

Reliability

measures the likelihood of research results being replicated if the study was reproduced.

Literature Review

involves uncovering existing research about the topic of the study.

Hawthorne Effect

describes the tendency of people to change their behaviors because they know they are being observed as part of a study.

Field Research

involves gathering primary data from a natural environment through experimentation, where the researcher is the 'subject'.

Experiments

aim to measure the relationship between independent and dependent variables by attempting to control all other variables. However, they are not mainly used in sociology due to the inability to completely control human behavior.

Norms

Norms define how to behave in accordance with what society deems 'good'.

Social Solidarity

the social ties that bind a group of people together, such as kinship, shared location, and religion.

Power Elite

involves the examination of systems of power and the ways in which the government, military, and corporations form this group.

False Consciousness

refers to the inability of proletarians to see their real position within a society, for example, skilled laborers believing they are part of the upper class.

Class consciousness

is when individuals are aware of their class and social situations.

Anomie

a sense of not knowing who you are- feeling out of place in a culture, “this in’t normal (rural-industrial)

Alienation

condition in which the individual is isolated and divorced from his or her society, work, or sense of self. worker does not have the opportunity to relate to the product he labors on and not taking pride in your job, just doing it

IronCage

in which the individual is trapped by institutions and bureaucracy

bureaucracies

formal organizations characterized by a hierarchy of authority, a clear division of labor, explicit rules, and impersonality.

primary groups

usually fairly small and is made up of individuals who generally engage face-to-face in long-term, emotionally significant ways

ex. family

secondary groups

often larger and impersonal. They may also be task-focused and time-limited

ex. coworker

formal organizations

large, impersonal organizations

meritocracy

a bureaucracy where membership and advancement is based on merit—proven and documented skills

group

any collection of at least two people who interact with some frequency and who share a sense that their identity is somehow aligned with the group

in-group

a group a person belongs to and feels is an integral part of their identity

dyad

two-member group; if one person withdraws, the group can no longer exist

ex. divorce

triad

if one person withdraws, the group lives on; but two-against-one dynamics can develop

authoritarian leader

a leader who issues orders and assigns tasks

democratic leader

a leader who encourages group participation and consensus-building before moving into action

expressive leader

a leader who is concerned with process and with ensuring everyone’s emotional wellbeing

instrumental leader

a leader who is goal oriented with a primary focus on accomplishing tasks

laissez-faire leader

a hands-off leader who allows members of the group to make their own decisions

Validity

refers to the accuracy and meaningfulness of a measurement, ensuring that it is actually measuring what it is intended to measure.

Values

represent what is considered 'good' in society.