Sociology - Glossary

Question 1

a funeral rite that is adjusted to the needs and wants of those directly involved; and has been altered to suit the trends of the time

Answer 1

adaptive funeral rite

Question 2

dealing with agriculture, farm based; the locale of the extended (joint) family system

Answer 2

agrarian

Question 3

a situation in which a person or entity is unknown

Answer 3

anonymity

Question 4

a household or family unit created by one male and one female and the children from their previous marriages and may include children from the present marriage

Answer 4

blended family

Question 5

the creation of a system which governs through departments and subdivisions managed by sets of officials following an inflexible routine

Answer 5

bureaucratization

Question 6

an instrumental action dealing with death, that is also expressional and that may or may not be charged with symbolic content expressing, among other things, the attitudes of the participants and possible onlookers (passive participants) who may be regarded as co-beneficiaries

Answer 6

ceremony

Question 7

a legal relationship between two people of the same sex

Answer 7

civil union

Question 8

a social grouping which members posses roughly equivalent culturally valued attributes

Answer 8

class

Question 9

two unrelated adults sharing the same living quarters

Answer 9

cohabitants

Question 10

living or happening in the same period

Answer 10

contemporary

Question 11

the process by which a person or group’s language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group

Answer 11

cultural assimilation

Question 12

the emotional attitude that all cultures are equal and pertinent

Answer 12

cultural relativism

Question 13

common traits or patterns found in all cultures

Answer 13

cultural universal

Question 14

the rules, ideas, and beliefs shared by members of society of and for living and dying, which are learned directly or indirectly

Answer 14

culture

Question 15

social behavior as dictated by the tradition of the people

Answer 15

customs

Question 16

the science of vital statistics, or of births, deaths, marriages, etc. of populations

Answer 16

demographics

Question 17

the acquiring of the culture by a person through deliberate instruction by other members of that society

Answer 17

direct learning

Question 18

male and female have equal rights, duties, and governing power

Answer 18

egalitarian

Question 19

the method by which the social values are internalized (learned)

Answer 19

enculturation / socialization

Question 20

any of the basic divisions or groups of humankind distinguished by customs, characteristics and languages, rather than physical characteristics of race

Answer 20

ethnic

Question 21

the emotional attitude that one’s own race, nation, group, or culture is superior to all others

Answer 21

ethnocentrism

Question 22

a household or family unit consisting of father and mother, all their children (except married daughters), their son’s wives and children (except married daughters)

Answer 22

extended (joint) family

Question 23

behaviors which are construed as somewhat less compulsive than mores of the same society, and do not call for a strong reaction from the society if violated

Answer 23

folkways

Question 24

any funeral event performed in a prescribed manner

Answer 24

funeral rites

Question 25

rites with the body present

Answer 25

funeral service

Question 26

the science of social groups and its effects on funeral practices and disposition

Answer 26

funeral service sociology

Question 27

the process involving all activities associated with the funeral rite, OR the process of planning and executing a service

Answer 27

funeralization

Question 28

a funeral rite that is devoid of any religious connotation

Answer 28

humanistic funeral rite

Question 29

disposition of human remains, without funeral rites before or at the time of disposition

Answer 29

immediate disposition

Question 30

a process by which a person learns the norms of his or her culture by observation of others in his or her society

Answer 30

indirect learning

Question 31

individual crafting of products is replaced by manufacture of goods utilizing mass production techniques

Answer 31

industrialization

Question 32

rules of action prescribed by an authority able to enforce its will

Answer 32

laws

Question 33

a family government where the mother or the oldest adult female possesses power and the right of decision making

Answer 33

matriarchal

Question 34

funeral rites with the body not present

Answer 34

memorial service

Question 35

the state or quality of being mobile; the ability to move from place to place readily

Answer 35

mobility

Question 36

characteristic of the present or recent times

Answer 36

modern

Question 37

a household or family unit created by related nuclear families and/or friendships

Answer 37

modified extended family

Question 38

must - behavior; the basic and important patterns of ideas and acts of a people as related to treatment of the dead, which calls for a strong reaction from the society if violated

Answer 38

mores

Question 39

the movement of families from the area in which they were born

Answer 39

neo-localism

Question 40

a funeral rite that deviates from the normal or prescribed circumstances of established custom

Answer 40

non-traditional funeral rite

Question 41

a group held belief about how members should behave in a given context

Answer 41

norms

Question 42

a household or family unit consisting of one man and one woman married to each other and their children, if any

Answer 42

nuclear family

Question 43

the father rules the family; power is passed to the oldest male child

Answer 43

patriarchal

Question 44

a culturally entrenched pattern of behavior made up of: 1. sacred beliefs 2. emotional feelings accompanying the beliefs and 3. overt conduct presumably implementing the beliefs and feelings

Answer 44

religion

Question 45

any event performed in a prescribed manner

Answer 45

rite

Question 46

any single action or series of actions performed during a rite which contains symbolic meaning to the participants and observers of the rite

Answer 46

ritual

Question 47

specified methods of procedure

Answer 47

rules

Question 48

a family unit consisting of one adult, and his or her children

Answer 48

single parent family

Question 49

an event that allows individuals to gather as a community for sharing a common purpose

Answer 49

social function

Question 50

movement of a person or family within the social classes of their society

Answer 50

social mobility

Question 51

categorization of people by money, prestige and power; a ranking of social status (position) in groups such as upper, middle, and lower class

Answer 51

social stratification

Question 52

a group of persons forming a single community with some interests in common

Answer 52

society

Question 53

the science of social groups; the processes that tend to maintain or change these forms of organizations and the relations between groups and individuals

Answer 53

sociology

Question 54

a division, or smaller identifiable unit of culture, having unique traits to itself

Answer 54

subculture

Question 55

an object or act that represents a belief or idea

Answer 55

symbol

Question 56

a social prohibition of certain actions

Answer 56

taboos

Question 57

a funeral rite that follows a prescribed ritual or ceremony that may be dictated either by religious belief or social custom

Answer 57

traditional funeral rite

Question 58

the change from rural to urban in character

Answer 58

urbanization