Chapter 1 - An Introduction to Sociology Key Terms

Question 1

functionalism (Big Three Paradigm)

Answer 1

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)

Question 2

conflict theory (Big Three Paradigm)

Answer 2

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)

Question 3

symbolic interactionism (Big Three Paradigm)

Answer 3

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)

Question 4

antipositivism

Answer 4

the view that social researchers should strive for subjectivity as they worked to represent social processes, cultural norms, and societal values

Question 5

constructivism

Answer 5

an extension of symbolic interaction theory which proposes that reality is what humans cognitively construct it to be

Question 6

culture

Answer 6

a group’s shared practices, values, and beliefs

Question 7

dramaturgical analysis

Answer 7

a technique sociologists use in which they view society through the metaphor of theatrical performance

Question 8

dynamic equilibrium

Answer 8

a stable state in which all parts of a healthy society work together properly

Question 9

dysfunctions

Answer 9

social patterns that have undesirable consequences for the operation of society

Question 10

figuration

Answer 10

the process of simultaneously analyzing the behavior of an individual and the society that shapes that behavior

Question 11

function

Answer 11

the part a recurrent activity plays in the social life as a whole and the contribution it makes to structural continuity

Question 12

generalized others

Answer 12

the organized and generalized attitude of a social group

Question 13

grand theories

Answer 13

an attempt to explain large-scale relationships and answer fundamental questions such as why societies form and why they change

Question 14

hypothesis

Answer 14

a testable proposition

Question 15

latent functions

Answer 15

the unrecognized and unintended consequences of a social process

Question 16

macro-level

Answer 16

a wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a society

Question 17

manifest functions

Answer 17

sought consequences of a social process

Question 18

micro-level theories

Answer 18

the study of specific relationships between individuals or small groups

Question 19

paradigms

Answer 19

philosophical and theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed in support of them

Question 20

positivism

Answer 20

the scientific study of social patterns

Question 21

quantitative sociology

Answer 21

statistical methods such as surveys with large numbers of participants

Question 22

reification

Answer 22

an error of treating an abstract concept as though it has a real, material existence

Question 23

significant others

Answer 23

specific individuals that impact a person’s life

Question 24

social facts

Answer 24

the laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, customs, fashions, rituals, and all of the cultural rules that govern social life

Question 25

social institutions

Answer 25

patterns of beliefs and behaviors focused on meeting social needs

Question 26

social solidarity

Answer 26

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

Question 27

society

Answer 27

a group of people who live in a defined geographical area who interact with one another and who share a common culture

Question 28

sociological imagination

Answer 28

the ability to understand how your own past relates to that of other people, as well as to history in general and societal structures in particular

Question 29

sociology

Answer 29

the systematic study of society and social interaction

Question 30

theory

Answer 30

a proposed explanation about social interactions or society

Question 31

verstehen

Answer 31

a German word that means to understand in a deep way