Chapter 1

Question 1

Altruistic Suicide

Answer 1

Is one of the four types of suicide outlined by Emile Durkheim. Altruistic suicide is more likely to occur when the attachments that individuals have are so strong that they lose track of their own unique identity and take on the identity of the group they are a part of. Thus, altruistic suicide occurs as a result of extreme integration.

Question 2

Anomic suicide

Answer 2

Is another type of suicide outlined by Emile Durkheim. Anomic suicide is more likely to occur when a person is feeling a strong sense of normlessness, usually in response to a major event or tragedy that disrupts the status quo and drastically reduces the amount of regulation people have in their lives.

Question 3

Bureaucracy

Answer 3

Is an administrative system with a hierarchy of positions, a clear chain of command and a system of rules and regulations to guide every process.

Question 4

Critical race theory

Answer 4

Views race and racism as integral to the social world we live in. It argues that both oppression and privilege need to be addressed before racism can be eliminated.

Question 5

Dysfunctional

Answer 5

Elements of society are disruptive to society’s social order.

Question 6

Egoistic suicide

Answer 6

Is one of the four types of suicide outlined by Emile Durkheim. Egotistic suicide is more likely to occur when individuals feel detached from other people and lack the social relationships that can bring them comfort. This lack of connection to others is an indication of low integration.

Question 7

Fatalistic suicide

Answer 7

Is one of the four types of suicide outlined by Emile Durkheim. Fatalistic suicide is more likely to occur when most, if not all, aspects of an individual’s life are controlled by rigid rules. This kind of suicide is connected to extremely high social regulation to the point of oppression.

Question 8

Feminism

Answer 8

Is a broad perspective that advocates for equality between men and women.

Question 9

Feminist theory

Answer 9

Is the study of women’s place in society and the inequality faced by women relative to men.

Question 10

Individual agency

Answer 10

Refers to the ability an individual has to make decisions about his or her own life, without outside influence.

Question 11

Integration

Answer 11

Refers to the degree to which an individual is bound to a group or groups by social relationships with others.

Question 12

Latent functions

Answer 12

Are the purposes that a given part of society serves that were not intended; often they are not expected either.

Question 13

Liberal feminist theory

Answer 13

Looks to biology to explain the differences between men and women, and how that translates into men and women being treated differently, being raised differently and being expected to do different things.

Question 14

Macro-level theoretical perspective

Answer 14

Is focused on the broader patterns of behavior displayed by a larger portion of the population.

Question 15

Manifest functions

Answer 15

Are the purposes that a given part of society serves, and which it is expected to serve.

Question 16

Marxist feminist theory

Answer 16

Sees the source of differences between men and women in the economic relationships associated with capitalism.

Question 17

Micro-level theoretical perspective

Answer 17

Is focused on individuals and/or small groups of people and is most concerned with the impact of these individuals and small groups on the behavior of others.

Question 18

Race conflict theory

Answer 18

Sees society as marked by racial divisions and inequalities, which benefits Whites and disadvantages people of color.

Question 19

Racial formation theory

Answer 19

Argues that “race” has been constructed and defined culturally, which has significant implications for both Whites (who benefit) and people of color (who are disadvantaged).

Question 20

Radical feminist theory

Answer 20

Views oppression against women as emanating from patriarchy and male supremacy.

Question 21

Regulation

Answer 21

Refers to the expectations or demands that are placed on individuals as part of their membership in a group.

Question 22

Social conflict theoretical perspective

Answer 22

Sees the world as marked by difference and inequality, with those who benefit from this inequality exercising power over those who do not. Conflict theorists argue that change only occurs when the status quo is challenged.

Question 23

Social facts

Answer 23

Are the social forces such as norms, values and beliefs that structure our actions.

Question 24

Social forces

Answer 24

Are features of society that have the power to shape culture and affect individual behavior and choices.

Question 25

Sociological imagination

Answer 25

Is the exploration of the differences between “personal troubles” and “public issues”; the notion that we must look beyond personal experiences to larger social, historical and political forces to understand social phenomena.

Question 26

Sociological perspective

Answer 26

Is the lens through which sociologists see the world. Taking the sociological perspective requires one to suspend common beliefs and values and take a systematic and scientific approach to understanding the social world.

Question 27

Sociological theory

Answer 27

Provides sociologists a lens through which they view the phenomena they study and influences the things sociologists focus on, the questions they ask and the assumptions they have about the social world.

Question 28

Sociology

Answer 28

Is the systematic study of individuals and groups in society.

Question 29

Structural functionalist theoretical perspective

Answer 29

Views society like an organism with interdependent parts; structural functionalists are most concerned with how social order is maintained and what function each part of society has in maintaining it.

Question 30

Sui generis

Answer 30

Is the notion that society is more than the sum of its parts.

Question 31

Symbolic interactionist

Answer 31

Sees society itself as created and maintained through interaction. It argues that both the “self” and society are socially constructed through interaction with others.

Question 32

Theoretical perspectives

Answer 32

Can be understood as a broad set of assumptions that we have which shape the way we view the world.

Question 33

Thomas Theorem

Answer 33

Is a proposition described by W.I. Thomas and Dorothy Swain Thomas. The Thomases reasoned that if [individuals] define situations as real, they are real in their consequences, which suggests that reality is a social construction.

Question 34

Transgender

Answer 34

Is the concept that is applied to individuals who feel as though their gender does not match their assigned sex.