Basic Sociology Flashcards
Perspective
A way of looking at something.
Sociological Perspective
A set of theories which influences what is looked at and how research is done when studying society.
Sociology
The study of societies.
Social Problem
matters that are seen as being harmful to society in some way
Sociological Problem
a social problem that needs explaining
Social Institution
organised social arrangements which are found in all societies
Social Group
two or more people who interact and identify with each other.
Perspective
a way of looking at something.
Sociological Perspective
a way of looking at society that will affect topics of study and methods that are used.
Structural Perspectives
a perspective which is concerned with the overall structure of society
Social Action Perspectives
a perspective which emphasises the free will which people have
Conflict
struggle or clash between social groups
Consensus
agreement or harmony between social groups
Values
General beliefs about what is right or wrong
Norms
Social rules which define what is expected behaviour for an individual in a given society or situation.
Identity
How individuals see and define themselves and how other people see and define them.
Culture
The the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society
Socialisation
The process of learning the culture of any society.
Role
The patterns of behaviour which are expected from individuals in society.
Status
Sometimes refers to the position someone occupies in society
Social Control
The ways a society encourages people to follow society’s norms.
Deviance
Rule-breaking behaviour of some kind
Sanctions
A reward or punishment to encourage social conformity.
Macro Approach
a focus on society as a whole
Micro Approach
a focus on everyday life in social interactions
Hierarchy
Persons or things arranged in ranks or classes
Conflict Structural Perspective
an approach to studying society as a whole which believes society is characterised by inequality that generates conflict and change. e.g. marxism, feminism
Consensus Structural Perspective
an approach to studying society as a whole which believes society is characterised by agreement and harmony. e.g. functionalism
Marxism
A structural theory of society which sees society divided by conflict between two main opposing social classes, due to the private ownership of the means of production and the exploitation of the non-owners by the owners.
Functionalism
A sociological perspective and structural theory which sees society as made up of parts which work together to maintain society as an integrated whole. Society is seen as fundamentally harmonious and stable, because of the agreement on basic values (value consensus) established through socialization.
Feminism
The view that examines the world from the point of view of women, coupled with the belief that women are disadvantaged and their interests ignored or devalued in society.
Social Policy
The packages of plans and actions adopted by national and local government or various voluntary agencies to solve social problems or achieve other goals that are seen as important.
Postmodernism
An approach that stresses that society is changing so rapidly and constantly that it is marked by chaos, uncertainty and risk, and is fragmented into many different groups, interests and lifestyles. Social structures are being replaced by a mass of individuals making individual choices about their lifestyles. Societies can no longer be understood through the application of general theories or grand stories (metanarratives), like Marxism or functionalism, which seek to explain society as a whole.
Social Conflict
struggle between segments of society over valued resources
Class conflict
The conflict that arises between different social classes. It is generally used to describe the conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariat in Marxist views of society.
Patriarchy
Power and authority held by males.
Social Class
A broad group of people who share a similar economic situation, such as occupation, income and ownership of wealth.
Gender
The cultural, learned aspects of what it means to be male or female in different societies.
Ethnicity
The shared culture of a social group which gives its members a common identity in some ways different from that of other groups.
Sex
The biological differences between males and females.
Subculture
A smaller culture held by a group of people within the main culture of a society, in some ways different from the main culture, but with many aspects in common.
Positive Sanction
Rewards of various kinds to encourage people to conform to social norms.
Negative Sanction
Punishments of various kinds imposed on those who fail to conform to social norms.
Primary Socialisation
Socialisation during the early years of childhood carried out in the family and close community.
Secondary Socialisation
Socialisation which takes place beyond the family and close community, such as through the education system, the mass media and the workplace.
Ascribed Status
Status which is given to an individual at birth and usually can’t be changed.
Achieved Status
Status which is achieved through an individual’s own efforts.
Working Class
Those working in manual jobs – jobs involving physical work and, literally, work with their hands, like factory or labouring work.
Middle Class
Those in non-manual work – jobs which don’t involve heavy physical effort, are usually performed in offices and involve paperwork or computer work of various kinds.
Upper Class
A small social class who are the main owners of society’s wealth. It includes wealthy industrialists, landowners and the traditional aristocracy.
Ruling Class
The social class of owners of the means of production, whose control over the economy gives them the power to rule over all aspects of society.
Underclass
A social group right at the bottom of the social class hierarchy, whose members are in some ways different from, and cut off or excluded from, the rest of society.
Proletariat
Karl Marx’s term for the working-class.
Bourgeoisie
Karl Marx’s term for the owners of the means of production—factories, businesses, and equipment needed to produce wealth.
Liberal Feminism
A feminist approach (see feminism) which seeks to research the inequalities facing women, and to enable women to achieve equal opportunities with men, without challenging the system as a whole.
Marxist Feminism
A Marxist approach (see Marxism) to the study of women, emphasizing the way they are exploited both as workers and as women.
Radical Feminism
A feminist approach (see feminism) which focuses on the problem of patriarchy. Their main focus of research is on the problem of men and male-dominated society.
Ideology
A set of beliefs that serve the interests of a particular social group. e.g. ruling class ideology; patriarchal ideology
Social Construct
Something that is created by social processes, rather than simply occuring naturally. Likely to vary between cultures and historically. E.g. crime statistics
