Core Themes Key Words Flashcards
Consensus Theories
Perspectives who assume that society is primarily harmonious, and social order is maintained through widespread agreement
Conflict Theories
Perspectives in sociology that emphasise the social, political, or material inequality of a social group
Macro
Large scale structures and society as a whole
Micro
Small groups or individuals rather than society as a whole
Value Consensus
General agreement around the main values and norms of any society
Social solidarity
Integration of people into society through shared values, a common culture, shared understanding and social ties that bind them together
Collective Conscience
Set of shared beliefs, ideas and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society
Organic Analogy
Concept that society works in the same way as the human body, interdependently
Functional Prerequisites
Basic needs that must be met if society is to survive
Social Institutions
Various organised social arrangements that are found in society (the family, education)
Social control
Various methods used to persuade or force individuals to conform to dominant norms and values
Sanctions
The rewards and punishments given in response to conformity or deviance towards societies norms and values
Capitalism
Economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state
Bourgeoise
The upper class which consists of those who are the main owners of societies wealth
Proletariat
The working class which consists of those who work in manual jobs such as factories and labour
False Class Consciousness
Failure of the members of the working class to realise they are being exploited
Exploitation
The action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work
Dominant Ideology
Set of ideas and values that represent the dominant group in society
Repressive State Apparatus
Institutions within society that suppress and control the working class through physical force
Ideological State Apparatus
Institutions within society that suppress and control the working class through manipulating and conditioning the way they think
Patriarchy
Refers to male dominance with men having power and authority
Norms
Social rules which define the correct and acceptable behaviour in society to which people are expected to conform
Values
General beliefs about what is right and wrong and the important standards which are worth maintaining in a social group or society
Primary Socialisation
Occurs when a child learns the attitudes, values and actions appropriate to individuals as member of a particular culture. Usually completed within the society
Secondary socialisation
Process of learning what is the appropriate behaviour as a member of a smaller group within the larger society. Usually completed through education
Marxist feminism
Type of feminism that focuses on challenging capitalism as a route to freeing women from oppression and inequality
Radical feminism
Form of feminism theory that believes gender inequality is the result of male domination in all aspects of social and economic life
Liberal feminism
Seeks equal opportunity for both sexes within the existing society
New right
Conservative political movements in industrialised democracies that have risen since the 1960s and stress ‘traditional values’, of them with a racist undertone
Postmodernism
Belief that society is no longer governed by history or progress and that it is changing rapidly and constantly, marked by chaos, uncertainty and risk
