Sociology ch.2 TERMS
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Created by:
lindsaykate on February 5, 2011
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54 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 achieved status | a status that is attained through an individuals own actions |
| afrocentrism | the view of the world from the standard point of african culture |
| agricultural society | society that produces food primarily by using plows and draft animals on the farm more labor, use of fertilizers, control of water supply, use of animals permanent settlements emergance of large populations towns and cities as well as hierarchies inequality, central power |
| ascribed status | a status that one has no control over such as a status based on race, gender, or age |
| belief | an idea that is relatively subjective, unreliable, or unverifiable |
| cultural integration | the joining of various values into a coherent whole |
| cultural relatvism | the belief that a culture must be understood on its own terms sociologists belive culture must be studied on its own terms counteracts ethnocentrisim beneficial for US buisness |
| cultural universals | practices found in all cultures as the means for meeting the same human needs ex- housing, language, marriage, art, incest taboos, cooking, joking..... |
| culture | a design for living or a complex whole consisting of objects, values, and other characteristics that people acquire as members of society the language, beliefes, noms, behaviors and material objects that are passed from one generation to the next refers to the way of life of individual members or groups within society important source of conformity |
| ethnocentrism | the attitude that ones own culture is superior to those of other peoples sociologists try to aviod this it can be the glue that hold society together but can lead to violence |
| eurocentrism | the view of the world form the stand point of european culture |
| folkways | weak norms that specify expectations about proper behavior if someone does not follow, we may raise our eyebrows but not send them to jail |
| horticultural society | a society that produces food primarily by growing plants in small gardens slash and burn field system permanent settlements, sexual division of labor surplus of food- prestige by posessing more than one garden warfare-practice of torture ex- tropical forests of asia, australia, south america, and africa |
| hunting gathering society | society that hunts animals and gathers plants as its primary mean of survival based on using food provided by nature-gathering, fishing etc every day simple and basic, smart oldest and most egalitarian ex- kung community in south africa |
| industrial society | society that produces food for its subsistence primarily by using machinary appeared 250 years ago mass employment live in big cities/towns social life is impersonal and anonymous. strangers political systems are more develped. large impact on lives |
| knowledge | a collection of relatively objective ideas and facts about the physical and social words |
| laws | norms that are specified formally in writing and backed by the power of the state |
| master status | a status dominates a relationship |
| material culture | every conceivable kind of physical object produced by humans the material objects or good that distinguis a group of people from others |
| mores | strong norms that specify normal behavior and constitute demands not just expectations turned into laws if there is no normative support the laws are hard to enforce(teenage drinking) |
| multiculturalism | a state in which all subcultures in the same society are equal to one another respecting cultural diversity |
| non material culture | the intangible aspects of culture. a groups way of thinking or doing. |
| norm | a social rule that specifies how people should behave. principles of social life people observe. written and unwritten rules to control societys behavior. enforeces them through sanctions |
| pastoral society | a society that domesticates and herds animals as its primarily source of food groups move to where there is pasture for their animals settlers, independent and warlike watching land ex- deserts of north and east africa, middle east |
| postindustrial society | a society that produces food so effieciently that high technology and serve industries try to dominate it moving away from big cities less faith in science high technology has transformed economy outsourcing biotechnology- food production more effiecient increasing power and freedom but impersonal relationships, shallow lives, instant gratification greater gender equality |
| prescribed role | the expectation held by society regarding how an individual with a particular status should behave |
| primary group | a group whose members interact informally, relate to each other as whole persons, and enjoy their relationship for its own sake |
| role | a set of expectations for what individuals should do in accordance with a particular staus that they hold |
| role conflict | conflict between roles of two different statuses being played simutaneously |
| role performance | actual performance of a role |
| role set | an array of roles attached to one particular status |
| role strain | stress caused by imcompatible demands from the roles of a single status |
| sanction | a reward for conformity to norms or punishment for violation of norms |
| secondary group | a group whose member interact formally, relate to each other as players of particular roles, and expect to profit from each other |
| social aggregate | a number of people who happen to be in one place but do not interact with one another |
| social group | a collection of people who interact with one another and have a certain feeling of unity |
| social institution | set of widely shared beliefs, norms, and procedures necessary for meeting the basic needs of society |
| society | a collection of interacting individuals sharing the same way of life and living in the same territory culture could not exist without society/ vice versa |
| sociobiology | a new darwinian theory that human behavior is genetically determined |
| sociocultural evolution | the process of changing from a technologically simple society ot a more complex one, with a significant consquence for social and cultural life |
| status | position in a group or society |
| status inconsistency | a condition in which the same individual is given two conflicting status rankings |
| subordinate status | a status that does not dominate a relationship, the opposite of master status |
| symbol | a word, gesture, music or anything that stands for some other thing |
| values | a socially shared idea bout what is good, desirable, or important. abstract ideals shared by a group. |
| Global Culture | Increased global communications and economic interdependence represent more than the growth of world unity. |
| Forces for Global Culture | Television, unified global economy, global citizens, international organizations, electronic communications. |
| Examples of Cultural Universals | Food-getting technology, Housing, Language, Marriage, Art, Incest taboos, Cooking, Medicine, Joking etc. |
| Assimilation | The process by which different cultures are absorbed into the mainstream culture. |
| Subcultures | Diverse cultures within a society. Different languages or cultural patterns. Offer opportunities for creativity and change such as the following: Can reject prevailing values and norms. Can promote alternatives to dominant culture. Can act as force of change. |
| Sapir-Whorf hypothesis | That language predisposes us to see the world in a certain way. |
| Social Control | Used when a person fails to conform to the culture. Members of a culture are supposed to learn in childhood. |
| premodern societies | Hunting-Gathering Pastoral Horticultural Agricultural |
| modern societies | Industrialized Communists Developing Newly industrializing Postindustrial |
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