sociology ch 5 Flashcards
achieved status
a social position a person assumes voluntarily as a result of personal choice, merit or direct effort
ascribed status
a social position conferred on a person at birth or received involuntarily later in life
dramaturgical analysis
the study of social interaction that compares every day life to a theatrical presentation
ethnomethodology
the study of the common sense knowledge that people use to understand the situations in which they find themselves
formal organization
a highly structured group formed for the purpose of completing certain tasks or achieving certain goals
gemeinschaft (guh-mine-shoft)
a traditional society in which social relationships are based on personal bonds of friendship and kinship and on intergenerational stability
gesellchaft (guh-zell-shoft)
a large urban society in which social bonds are based on impersonal and specialized relationships with little long term commitment to the group or consensus on values
impression management
a term for peoples efforts to present themselves to others in way that are most favourable to their own interest or image
master status
a term used to describe the most important status a person occupies
mechanical solidarity
the social cohesion that exists in pre-industrial societies, in which there is minimal division of labour and people fell united by shared values and common social bonds
nonverbal communication
the transfer of information between persons without the use of speech
organic solidarity
the social cohesion that exists in industrial societies, in which people perform specialized tasks and feel united by their mutual dependence
personal space
the immediate area surrounding a person that the person claims as private
primary group
a small, less specialized group in which members engage in face to face, emotion based interactions over an extended time
role
a set of behavioural expectations associated with a given status
role conflict
a situation in which incompatible role demands are placed on a person by two or more statuses held at the same time
role exit
a situation in which people disengage from social roles that have been central to their self identity
role expectation
a group’s or society’s definition of the way a specific role ought to be played
role performance
how a person plays a role
role strain
the strain experience by a person when incompatible demands are built into a single status that the person occupies
secondary group
a larger, more specialized group in which the members engage in more impersonal, goal oriented relationships for a limited time
self fulfilling prophecy
a situation in which a false belief or prediction produces behaviour that makes the originally false belief come true
social construction of reality
the process by which our perception of reality is shaped largely by the subjective meaning that we give to an experience
social group
a group that consists of two or more people who interact frequently and share a common identity and a feeling of interdependence
social institution
a set of organized beliefs and rules that establish how a society will attempt to meet its basic social needs
social interaction
the process by which people act toward or respond to other people
social marginality
the state of being part insider and part outsider in the social structure
social network
a series of social relationships that link an individual to others
social structure
the stable pattern of social relationships that exist within a particular group or society
status
a socially defined position in a group or society characterized by certain expectations, rights and duties
status set
a term used to describe all the statuses that a person occupies at a given time
status symbol
a material sign that informs others of a persons specific status
stigma
any physical or social attribute or sign that so devalues a persons social identity that it disqualifies that person from full social acceptance
