CLEP - Sociology 11-14 Flashcards
Rational-legal authority
Authority stemming from within the framework of a body of laws that have been duly enacted
Traditional authority
Authority based on long-held & sacred customs
Charismatic authority
Authority based on the extraordinary, uncanny, & supernatural powers or abilities that have been associated with a particular person
Authoritarian
A form of govt in which rulers tolerate little, if any, opposition to their authority
Totalitarian
A form of govt in which there are, in principle, no recognizable limits to authority that rulers are willing to acknowledge
Democratic
A form of govt in which authority ultimately lies with the people, whose participation in govt is considered a right
Religion
A theory, creed, or body of dogma that seeks to comprehend the universe & human beings place in it, god or the gods, as well as the supernatural realm
Sacred
The sphere of ideas, activities, persons, objects, abilities, & experiences that have been deemed holy, divine, supernatural, or mystical & hence, unalterable
Profane
The visceral sphere of objects, persons, & behaviors capable of being understood & of being altered
Cult
A religious organization consisting of a small group of followers surrounding a charismatic religious leader
Church
A religious organization whose leadership is formally established, economic foundation has been institutionalized, membership is by birth (not voluntary), & sanctions take the form of interdiction & excommunication
Sect
A religious organization that, unlike a cult, does not depend on the kind of personal inspiration offered by a charismatic leader for its continuity
Social stratification
The structured inequality characterized by groups of people with differential access to the rewards of society bc of their relative position in the social hierarchy
Social hierarchy
Ranked statuses in which people function
Social mobility
The ability of a given individual or group to move thru the social strata
Race
The attribution of hereditary differences to human populations that are genetically distinct
Ethnicity
A population known & identified on the basis of their common language, national heritage, &/or biological inheritance
Mass hysteria
A collective emotional response to tension & anxiety in a group
Panic
A collective action caused by the overwhelming feeling & awareness of needing to escape a dangerous situation immediately
Craze
A situation of collective behavior in which people become obsessed with wanting something bc of the popular belief that “everyone else” seems to have it
Fad
The type of short term obsession with a behavior that is unexpected & widely copied
Fashions
Widely held beliefs, styles, & attitudes toward dress, hair styles, music & the like
Rumor
A piece of unconfirmed public info that may or may not be accurate
Mass
Those people who are similarly concerned with the same problem or phenomena w/out necessarily being together in the same place at the same time
Audience
The type of “passive crowd” that is both oriented toward & responding to a social situation in a relatively orderly & predictable way
Mob
The type of crowd that is easily aroused & easily bent to taking aggressive action of a violent or disruptive nature
Riot
Similar to mob action, although usually larger numbers of people, longer in duration, & not as spontaneous
Contagion theory
Theory developed by Gustave LeBon that contends that crowds exert a distinct milieu that powerfully influences its members
Convergence theory
Theory that individuals, not the crowd, possess particular motivations
Emergent-norm theory
Theory developed by Ralph Turner & Lewis Killian that argues that crowds do not necessarily begin with individuals sharing the same interests & motives but, rather, certain individuals construct new norms, which are soon adopted by the entire collective
