Chapter 4 - Terms Flashcards
macrosociology
analysis of social life that focuses on broad features of society, such as social class and the relationships of groups to one another; usually used by functionalists and conflict theorists
microsociology
analysis of social life that focuses on social interaction; typically used by symbolic interactionists
social interaction
one person’s actions influencing someone else; usually refers to what people do when they are in one another’s presence, but also includes communications at a distance
social structure
the framework of society that surrounds us; consists of the ways that people and groups are related to one another; this framework gives direction to and sets limits on our behavior
social class
large numbers of people who have similar amounts of income and education and who work at jobs that are roughly comparable in prestige
status
the position that someone occupies in a social group; also called social status
status set
all the statuses or positions that an individual occupies
ascribed status
a position an individual either inherits at birth or receives involuntarily later in life
achieved statuses
positions that are earned, accomplished, or involve at least some effort or activity on the individual’s part
status symbols
indicators of a status, especially items in that display prestige
master status
a status that cuts across the other statuses that an individual occupies
status inconsistency
ranking high on some dimensions of social class and low on others; also called status discrepancy
role
the behaviors, obligations, and privileges attached to a status
group
people who have something in common and who believe that what they have in common is significant; also called a social group
social institution
the organized, usual, or standard ways by which society meets its basic needs
social integration
the degree to which members of a group or a society are united by shared values and other social bonds; also known as social cohesion
mechanical solidarity
Durkheim’s term for the unity (a shared consciousness) that people feel as a result of performing the same or similar tasks
division of labor
the splitting of a group’s or a society’s tasks into specialties
organic solidarity
Durkheim’s term for the interdependence that results from the division of labor; as part of the same unit, we all depend on others to fulfill their jobs
Gemeinschaft
a type of society in which life is intimate; a community in which everyone knows everyone else and people share a sense of togetherness
Gesellschaft
a type of society that is dominated by short-term impersonal relationships, individual accomplishments, and self-interest
stereotype
assumptions of what people are like, whether true or false
body language
the ways in which people use their bodies to give messages to others
dramaturgy
an approach, pioneered by Erving Goffman, in which social life is analyzed in terms of drama or the stage; also called dramaturgical analysis
impression management
people’s efforts to control the impressions that others receive of them
front stage
a place where people give their performances in everyday life
back stages
places where people rest from their performances in everyday life, discuss their presentations, and plan future performances
role performance
the ways in which someone performs a role; showing a particular “style” or “personality”
role conflict
conflicts that someone feels between roles because the expectations are at odds with one another
role strain
conflicts that someone feels within a role
sign-vehicle
the term used by Goffman to refer to how people use social setting, appearance, and manner to communicate information about the self
teamwork
the collaboration of two or more people to manage impressions jointly
face-saving behavior
techniques used to salvage a performance (interaction) that is going sour
ethnomethodology
the study of how people use background assumptions to make sense out of life
background assumption
a deeply embedded, common understanding of how the world operates and of how people ought to act
thomas theorem
William I. and Dorothy S. Thomas’ classic formulation of the definition of the situation: “If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences”
social construction of reality
the use of background assumptions and life experiences to define what is real
