Second Set of Vocabulary Terms Flashcards
Iron Law of Oligarchy
The idea that power in an organization tends to become concentrated in the hands of a small group of leaders.
Absolute Poverty
The condition of having too little income to buy the necessities– food, shelter, clothing, health care
Achieved Status
A social position (status) obtained through an individual’s own talents and efforts.
Ascribed Status
A social position (status) such as sex, race, and social class that a person acquires based on their birth or life situations
Back Region
The settings in which people act in more relaxed, spontaneous ways rather than paying attention to how they are being perceived by others.
Bureaucracy
A large-scale formal organization with centralized authority, a hierarchical chain of command, explicit rules and procedures, and an emphasis on formal positions rather than on persons.
Caste System
A closed system of social stratification in which prestige and social relationships are based on hereditary position at birth
Class
Position in a social hierarchy based on prestige and/or property ownership.
Conformity
Going along with the norms or behaviors of a group
Conjugal Family
A form of family organization centered around the husband-wife relationship rather than around blood relationships
Contagion Theory
Le Bon’s theory that the anonymity people feel in a crowd makes them susceptible to the suggestions of fanatical leaders, and that emotions can sweep through such a crowd like a virus
Cultural Capital
Symbolic wealth socially defined as worthy of being sought and possessed. Often marked by style of dress, speech, “elite” taste and manners.
Defining the Situation
The socially created perspective that people apply to a situation
Deviance
Behaviors or characteristics that violate important social norms.
Dominant Status
One social position that overshadows the other social positions an individual occupies (also called master status)
Dramaturgical Analysis
An approach to social situations developed by Erving Goffman in which they are examined as though they were theatrical productions.
Dyad
A group composed of two people
Egalitarian Family
A family in which husband and wife share equally in family decision making.
Emergent Norm Theory
A theory of collective behavior suggesting that people move to form a shared definition of the situation in relatively normless situations.
Emotion Work
An individual’s effort to change an emotion or feeling to one that seems to be more appropriate to a given situation.
Face-work
A term used by Goffman to refer to the actions taken by individuals to make their behavior appear consistent with the image they want to present.
Formal Sanction
A social reward or punishment that is administered in an organized, systematic way, such as receiving a diploma or getting a fine
Generalized Other
A general idea of the expectations, attitudes, and values of a group or community.
Groupthink
The tendency of individuals to follow the ideas or actions of a group.
Habitus
An internalized set of preferences and dispositions that are learned through experience; often linked to an individual’s socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
Human-capital perspective
The view that the earnings of different workers vary because of differences in their education or employability.
Impression Management
A term used by Goffman to describe the efforts of individuals to influence how others perceive them.
Informal Sanction
A social reward or punishment that is given informally through social interaction, such as an approving smile or a disapproving frown.
Institutionalized
Social practices that have become established, patterned, and predictable and that are supported by custom, tradition, and/or law.
Institutions
The patterned and enduring roles, statuses, and norms that have formed around successful strategies for meeting basic social needs
Instrumental Leader
A group leader whose role is to keep the group’s attention directed to the task at hand.
