Chapter 5 Sociology Terms Flashcards
group
people who interact with one another and who believe that what they have in common is significant; also called a social group
aggregate
individuals who temporarily share the same physical space but who do not see themselves as belonging together
category
people, objects, and events that have similar characteristics and are classified together
primary group
a small group characterized by cooperative, intimate, long-term, face-to-face relationships
secondary group
a larger, relatively temporary, more anonymous, formal, and impersonal group based on some interest or activity
voluntary associations
groups made up of people who voluntarily organize on the basis of some mutual interest; also known as voluntary memberships and voluntary organizations
the iron law of oligarchy
Robert Michel’s term for the tendency of formal organizations to be dominated by a small, self-perpetuating elite
in-group
a group toward which one feels loyalty
out-group
a group toward which one feel antagonism
reference group
a group whose standards we refer to as we evaluate ourselves
social network
the social ties radiating outward from the self that link people together
clique
a cluster of people within a larger group who choose to interact with one another
bureaucracy
a formal organization with a hierarchy of authority and a clear division of labor; emphasis on impersonality of positions and written rules, communications, and records
mcdonaldization of society
the process by which ordinary aspects of life are rationalized and efficiency comes to rule them, including such things as food preparation
goal displacement
an organization replacing old goals with new ones; also known as goal replacement
alienation
Marx’s term for workers’ lack of connection to the product of their labor; caused by workers being assigned repetitive tasks on a small part of a product - this leads to a sense of powerlessness and normlessness; others use the term in the general sense of not feeling a part of something
self-fulfilling stereotype
ideas of what someone is like that lead to the person’s behaving in ways that match the stereotype
“hidden” corporate culture
stereotypes of the traits that make for high-performing and underperforming workers, which end up producing both types of workers
diversity training
efforts to minimize conflict among people of different backgrounds, to enhance their understanding of their contrasting backgrounds, and to promote their cooperation in reaching mutual goals; often in a work setting
group dynamics
the ways in which individuals affect groups and the way sin which groups influence individuals
small group
a group small enough for everyone to interact directly with all the other members
dyad
the smallest possible group, consisting of two people
triad
a group of three people
