Sociology in Funeral Services vocab Flashcards
adaptive funeral rite
a funeral rite adjusted to the needs and desires of the deceased family members or which has been altered to suit modern trends
agrarian
related to agriculture or being farm based. considered the original locale of the extended (joint) family structure
anonymity
when a person or entity’s identity is unknown
blended family
membership consists fo one male and one female and the children from their previous marriages. may also include children from the present marriage
bureaucratization
systems that govern through numerous levels of departments and subdivisions in an inflexible manner. not responsive to the needs of the individual
ceremony / ritual
an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite. considered a formal activity conducted for an important occasion (ex. weddings, funerals)
class
a social grouping in which members possess generally equivalent culturally valued attributes or similar economic resources/levels
cohabitants
2 unrelated adults sharing living quarters without being legally married
common law marriage
a marriage recognized in some but not all jurisdictions and premised on the partners perspective that they are married and their cohabitation status
contemporary
living or happening in the same time period. considered the present time
cultural assimilation
the process by which a groups language, culture, and so on becomes incorporated into another’s
cultural relativism
the emotional attitudes that all cultures are equal and pertinent
cultural universal
common traits or patterns existing in all cultures. for ex. all cultures deal with death
culture
consists of abstract patterns of the rules, ideas, beliefs shared by members of society, including for living and dying, which are learned directly or indirectly
culture shock
experience of disorientation, uncertainty, and anxiety when encountering unfamiliar cultural practices
customs
social behavior as dictated by the tradition of a people
demographic
quantitative data about a people that can be analyzed statistically (ex. race, age, sex, socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, etc)
diffusion
how a cultural process or concept spreads from group to group or from one society to another
direct learning
formal teaching and learning
egalitarian
males and females have equal rights, duties, and governing power
enculturation / socialization
the method by which the social values are internalized (learned)
ethnicity
any of the basic divisions or groups of humankind, distinguished by customs, characteristics, language, and so on
ethnocentrism
the emotional attitude that ones own race, nation, group, or culture is superior to all others
extended / joint family
membership within household includes father and mother, all their children, and their children’s children
family of orientation
the family into which one is born
family of procreation
the family established by ones marriage and the production of children
folkways
behaviors construed as somewhat less compulsive than mores of the same society, and so not call for a strong reaction from society if violated. does not involve moral foundations
funeral
rites with the body present
funeral rite
an all inclusive term used to encompass all funerals or memorial services
funeralization
a process involving all activities associated with final disposition
hospice
a home or facility based palliative care service for the terminally ill
humanistic funeral rite
a funeral rite devoid of religious connotation
immediate disposition
any disposition of human remains without any form of funeral rite at the time of disposition
industrialization
the change from independent, multi talented, self sufficient family units to employment of family members in jobs outside the unit, increasing dependency on outside resources for their total needs
laws
formal norms that protect particular social mores and are typically the most strictly enforced in comparison to folkways and other social mores. considered rules of societal conduct of what is right and prohibiting what is wrong
matriarchal
the mother rules the family. a woman holding a position analogous to that of a patriarch
memorial service
funeral rites with the body not present
mobility
the state or quality of being mobile; the ability to move from place to place readily, or to move from class to class, either up or down
modern
of or characteristic of the present or recent times. not ancient, and often used to designate certain contemporary tendencies
mores
must behaviors, or the social norms that demonstrate the moral and often religious expectations of a group (ex. as related to the treatment of the dead) and call for a strong reaction from society if violated
multigenerational household
three or more generations of the same immediate family living in the same house. similar to an extened family, but not necessarily existing in an agricultural environment
neo localism
the tendency of offspring to move away from the area in which they were born
non traditional funeral rite
a funeral rite that deviates from the normal or prescribed circumstances or established custom
norms
a societal belief about how members should behave
nuclear family
membership within household that includes one man, one woman, and their children if any
patriarchal
the father rules the family and power and property are typically passed to the oldest male child
pre literate society
a culture developed before the invention of writing, and hence, leaving no written record
primitive funeral rite
a funeral rite that may be construed as being identifiable with a pre literate society
religion
a culturally entrenched pattern of behavior made up of: 1. sacred beliefs, 2. emotional feelings accompanying the beliefs, 3. overt conduct presumably implementing the beliefs and feelings
rite
any event performed in a solemn and prescribed manner
rites of passage
ceremonies centering on transition in life from one status to another (ex. baptism, marriage, funerals)
ritual / ceremony
an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite. considered a formal activity conducted for an important occasion
rules
specified procedural methods
single parent family
membership consists of one adult, either male or female, and their children
social function
an event in which people come together to share in that event
social stratification
categorization of people by money, prestige, and power. a raking of social status in groups such as upper, middle, and lower class
socialization / enculturation
the method by which social values are internalized / learned
society
a group of people forming a single community with some interests in common
sociology
the science of social groups and human social interactions
step family
the family one acquires when one enters a new marriage that already has children, with the parent having been widowed or divorced
subculture
a division or smaller identifiable unit of culture connected to that culture by common traits, but also having unique traits to itself (ex. ethnicity, religion, language, geography, etc)
symbol
anything such as a tangible object or an act to which socially created meaning is given
taboos
must behaviors that dictates that the individual must abstain from certain acts dealing with death
traditional funeral rite
a funeral rite that follows a prescribed ritual or ceremony dictated either by religious belief or social custom
urbanization
the change from rural to urban in character
