Final Exam Terms Flashcards
what is acculturation/enculturation?
the transmission of culture from one generation to another
what is an acting crowd?
an excited group that moves towards a goal. composed of 5 parts:
- tension, exciting event, milling, common object of attention, and common impulses.
what is an agent provocateur?
a person sent to spy on a social movements leader(ship) and perhaps sabotage the agenda/activities
what is assimilation?
dominant group absorbing the minority group
types of sociological authority?
charismatic, rational-legal, traditional
what is traditional authority?
authority based on custom: bloodline
rational-legal authority?
bureaucratic authority - a position a person holds with pronouncements as written by the written law/constitution. not based on custom or personal characteristics.
charismatic authority
a person with outstanding traits, exceptional qualities and thought to be chosen by god lol
what is social deviance?
violation of norms
what is capitalism?
economic system: private ownership of means of production, make a profit, competition in the market, investment of capital
social order definition:
a groups usual and customary social arrangements.
what is social control?
means by which a group enforces social order and norms.
ex.: police, laws, principals
what is social deviance?
violation of norms
biological theory of deviance?
looks at individual genetic predispositions to explain social deviance.
1. intelligence - low education leads to more crime
2. XYY - extra Y chromosome in males leads to more crime
3. body type - some body types lead to street crime
psychological theory of deviance?
personality disorders - deviating personalities lead to social deviance.
sociological theory of deviance?
sociologists look outside the individual there are inconsistencies in subgroups and wide spread differences in norms cause sociologists to look at the bigger picture:
- SOCIALIZATION
- SUBGROUP MEMBERSHIP
- SOCIAL CLASS
what is differential association?
theory: deviance or conformity to society’s norms are learned through the people whom we spend time with
what is labelling theory?
labels influence self-concept
what are the levels of social deviance?
primary, secondary, and tertiary social deviance.
how is secondary social deviance defined?
when an individual adopts the label given to a specific people group based on their deviant behaviours.
what is primary social deviance?
an individual who partakes in deviant behaviours but ‘does not become part of their self-concept’
what is tertiary social deviance?
socially deviant behaviour relabelled as non deviant. rejecting the notion that the behaviour is wrong
what is symbolic interactionalism?
theory that people act according to their interpretations on a given situation. not blind predispositions.
what is ‘strain theory’?
a theory that depicts how different people react to cultural goals and their means or circumstances in relation to the goal. in other words, how peoples place in life effects how people respond to society’s chasing of the wind.
define white collar crime:
crimes that popped of high status commit during in their jobs/occupations.
what is police discretion?
the decision whether or not to arrest someone or to ignore it
define postmodernism:
thought process that attempts to deconstruct or decode the meaning of concepts
what is modernization?
the transformation of traditional societies to industrial societies.
what is a sect?
a group larger than a cult where members feel tension between the beliefs and values of the prevailing culture
what is ecclesias?
government and religion working together to try to shape society
what is institutionalized religion?
bureaucratic style, the counterparts and positions in a religious structure are passed down from generation to generation
definition of denomination?
splinter groups of religions not based off of the main belief but on smaller teachings.
how do technology and society mingle?
technology refers to the artificial means of extending human abilities.
who is William Ogburn?
sociologist who theorized that social change is promoted by the use of technology
three processes of technology and social change
- invention
- discovery
- diffusion
cultural lag
some elements of culture adapt more quickly than others
theories of social change:
unilinear …
multilinear …
- marxist, cyclical, feminist, postmodern
