Chapter 1 Flashcards
Affective Prejudice
The emotional or feeling dimension of individual prejudice. The prejudiced individual attaches negative emotions to members of other groups.
Apartheid
The policy of extreme racial segregation formerly followed in South Africa
Ascribed status
A position in society that is assigned to the individual, usually at birth. Examples of ascribed status include positions based on ethnicity, race, and gender
Bourgeoisie
The elite or ruling class in an industrial society that owns or controls the means of production
Cognitive prejudice
The thinking dimension of individual prejudice. The prejudiced individual thinks about members of other groups in terms of stereotypes
Discrimination
The unequal or unfair treatment of a person or persons based on their group membership
Dominant Group
The group that benefits from and typically tries to sustain minority group subordination
Ethnic Minority Groups
Minority groups identified primarily by cultural characteristics, such as language or religion
Gender
Social characteristic typically associated with women or men. Gender is a social status or position in the social structure. People typically assume a gender identity that is normative and congruent with their biology
Gender Norms
Societal expectations for behavior based on one’s gender status
Genocide
The deliberate attempt to exterminate an entire group of people
Ideological racism
A belief system asserting that a particular group is inferior. Although individuals may subscribe to racist beliefs, the ideology itself is incorporated into the culture of the society and passed on from generation to generation.
Institutional Discrimination
A pattern of unequal treatment based on group membership that is built into the daily operations of society
Intersectionality
A theoretical perspective in sociology that stresses the crosscutting, linked nature of inequality and the multiplicity of statuses that all people occupy
Level of Development
The stage of societal evolution. The stages discussed in this book are agrarian, industrial, and postindustrial
Life chances
Opportunities and access to resources such as nutritious food, health care, education, and a job that provides a good income
Means of Production
The materials, resources, and social relations by which a society produces and distributes goods and services.
Minority Group
A group that experiences a pattern of disadvantage or inequality, has a visible identifying trait, and is a self-conscious social unit. Membership is usually determined at birth, and group members tend to form intimate relations within the group
Miscegenation
Marriage or sexual relations between members of different racial groups
Modern Racism
A subtle and indirect form of prejudice that incorporates negative feelings about minority groups but not the traditional stereotypes. Also known as color-blind racism and symbolic racism.
Patriarchy
Systems of dominance by men. in a patriarchal society, men tend to monopolize power and decision making.
Postindustrial societies
A society dominated by service work, information processing, and high technology
Power
The ability to affect the decision-making process of a social system
Prejudice
The tendency of individuals to think and feel negatively toward others.
Prestige
The amount of honor or respect accorded a particular person or group of people
Proletariat
The workers in an industrial society
Racial Minority Groups
Minority groups identified primarily by physical characteristics such as skin color
Selective Perception
The tendency to see only what one expects to see; associated with stereotyping in individual prejudice
Sexism
Belief systems that label women as inferior to men and rationalize their lower social status
Social Classes
Groups of people who commanded similar amounts of valued goods and services, such as income, property, and education.
Social Constructions
Perceptions and ideas shared by a group. These perceptions become real to the people who share them.
Social Distance
The degree of intimacy a person is willing to accept with members of other groups
Social Mobility
Movement up and down the stratification system
Socialization
The process of physical psychological, and social development by which a person learns his or her culture
Stereotypes
Overgeneralizations that are thought to apply to all members of a group
Stratification
The unequal distribution of valued goods and services (income, job opportunities, etc.) in society; the social class system
Subsistence Technology
The means by which a society satisfies basic needs. An agrarian society relies on labor-intensive agriculture, whereas an industrial society relies on machines and inanimate fuel supplies.
Vicious Cycle
A process in which a condition (e.g., minority group inferiority) is assumed to be true, and forces are then set in motion to create and perpetuate that condition
Agrarian Society
A society whose economy depends on the production of food crops and farmlands.
