Chapter 1 - An Introduction to Sociology Key Terms Flashcards
functionalism (Big Three Paradigm)
a theoretical approach that sees society as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of individuals that make up that society, the way each part of society functions together to contribute to the whole (macro or mid)
conflict theory (Big Three Paradigm)
a theory that looks at society as a competition for limited resources, the way inequalities contribute to social differences and perpetuate differences in power (macro)
symbolic interactionism (Big Three Paradigm)
a theoretical perspective through which scholars examine the relationship of individuals within their society by studying their communication (language and symbols), one-to-one interactions and communications (micro)
antipositivism
the view that social researchers should strive for subjectivity as they worked to represent social processes, cultural norms, and societal values
constructivism
an extension of symbolic interaction theory which proposes that reality is what humans cognitively construct it to be
culture
a group’s shared practices, values, and beliefs
dramaturgical analysis
a technique sociologists use in which they view society through the metaphor of theatrical performance
dynamic equilibrium
a stable state in which all parts of a healthy society work together properly
dysfunctions
social patterns that have undesirable consequences for the operation of society
figuration
the process of simultaneously analyzing the behavior of an individual and the society that shapes that behavior
function
the part a recurrent activity plays in the social life as a whole and the contribution it makes to structural continuity
generalized others
the organized and generalized attitude of a social group
grand theories
an attempt to explain large-scale relationships and answer fundamental questions such as why societies form and why they change
hypothesis
a testable proposition
latent functions
the unrecognized and unintended consequences of a social process
macro-level
a wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a society
manifest functions
sought consequences of a social process
micro-level theories
the study of specific relationships between individuals or small groups
paradigms
philosophical and theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed in support of them
positivism
the scientific study of social patterns
quantitative sociology
statistical methods such as surveys with large numbers of participants
reification
an error of treating an abstract concept as though it has a real, material existence
significant others
specific individuals that impact a person’s life
social facts
the laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, customs, fashions, rituals, and all of the cultural rules that govern social life
