ch1 vocab

Question 1

sociological imagination

Answer 1

the application of imaginative thought to the asking and answering of sociological questions

Question 2

social structure

Answer 2

the underlying regularities or patterns in how people behave in their relationships with one another

Question 3

social construction

Answer 3

an idea or practice that a group of people agree exists. It is maintained over time by people taking its existence for granted

Question 4

socialization

Answer 4

the social processes through which (mostly) children develop an awareness of social norms and values, and achieve a distinct sense of self

Question 5

social facts

Answer 5

Durkheim; the aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals; can be studied scientifically

Question 6

organic solidarity

Answer 6

Durkheim; the social cohesion that results from the various parts of a society functioning as an integrated whole

Question 7

social constraint

Answer 7

Durkheim; the conditioning influence on our behavior of the groups and societies of which we are members; a distinctive property of social facts

Question 8

division of labor

Answer 8

the specialization of work task; different occupations are combined within a production system; became more complex with industrialism

Question 9

anomie

Answer 9

Durkheim; used to refer to a situation in which social norms lose their hold over individual behavior

Question 10

materialist conception of history

Answer 10

Marx; material/economic factors have a prime role in determining historical change

Question 11

capitalism

Answer 11

economic system; private ownership of wealth; (re)investing of wealth to produce profit

Question 12

bureaucracy

Answer 12

organizational system; clear hierarchy or authority; written rules of procedure; staffed by full-time salaried officials

Question 13

rationalization

Answer 13

Weber; refers to the process of using calculation and organization w/ abstract rules and procedures; slowly dominating the social world

Question 14

symbolic interactionism

Answer 14

George Herbert Mead; emphasis of the role of symbols and language as core elements of all human interaction

Question 15

symbol

Answer 15

an item used to stand for or represent another

Question 16

functionalism

Answer 16

theoretical perspective; social events can best be explained in terms of the [functions they perform/contributions they make to the continuity of a society]

Question 17

manifest functions

Answer 17

known and intended consequences/functions of a social activity

Question 18

latent functions

Answer 18

unknown or unintended consequences/functions of a social activity

Question 19

conflict theory

Answer 19

emphasis on the role of political and economic power and oppression as contributing to the existing social order

Question 20

power

Answer 20

the ability to achieve/further interests held by an individual/group; a pervasive element in all human relationships

Question 21

ideologies

Answer 21

shared ideas/beliefs that justify the interests of dominant groups; found in all societies w/ systematic/ingrained inequalities among groups; closely linked to power

Question 22

feminist theory

Answer 22

socio. perspective emphasizing gender in analysis of the social world

Question 23

feminism

Answer 23

advocating women’s right to be equal to men in all spheres of life; late 18th-century europe

Question 24

rational choice approach

Answer 24

the theory that an individual’s behavior is purposive; argues that deviant behavior is a rational response to a specific social situation

Question 25

postmodernism

Answer 25

the belief that society is no longer governed by history or progress; postmodern society is highly pluralistic and diverse, with no “grand narrative” guiding its development

Question 26

microsociology

Answer 26

the study of human behavior in the context of face-to-face interaction

Question 27

macrosociology

Answer 27

the study of large-scale groups, organizations, or social systems