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Sociology

Terms in this set (81)

Absolute poverty
income is insufficient to obtain the minimum needs to survive, e.g. food and shelter
Academies
funding is provided by government, rather than local authority
Achieved status
social position earned on the basis of personal talents or merit
Achievement
academic performance or attainment within education
Adolescence
the period of time between childhood and adulthood
Affluence
having a lot of money and material possessions
Ageing population
the proportion of the population over retirement age is gradually increasing
Ageism
Discrimination based on age
Agencies of formal social control
groups who exercise control over people's behaviour based on written laws and rules, e.g. police
Agencies of informal social control
groups that control people's behaviours based on social processes such as approval and disapproval, e.g. peers, religion
Agencies of primary socialisation
groups that are responsible for early childhood learning and socialisation
Agencies of secondary socialisation
groups through which people's learn society's norms and values
Agencies of social control
groups that control or constr ain people's bahaviours and actions
Agency of socialisation
A social group or institution responsible for undertaking socialisation. E.g. school
Agenda setting
the ability of the media to focus public attention on particular topics and create public discussion and debate on that topic
Alienation
under capitalism, the workers feel estranged from their work because they have no control over production or the products of their labour
Anomie
a situation of normlessness where the norms that regulate behaviour break down
Anti-school subculture
group of students who resist school, teachers and their authority, and openly challenge school rules
Anti-social behaviour
behaviour that causes harassment, distress or alarm to other people
Aristocracy
privileged people with hereditary titles, like Duke or Lady. usually wealthy landowners
Arranged marriage
the families of the prospective spouses take a leading role in finding a suitable partner. the prospective spouses do not have not accept
Ascribed status
social positions are fixed at birth and unchanging over time
Assimilation
the process by which immigrants abandon their culture and adapt their behaviour to fit the norms and values of the dominant culture
Asylum seekers
people who have moved country to seek protection from persecution
Attitude survey
A social survey that measures respondents views and thoughts on particular issues
Authority
the exercise of power based pn consent or agreement
Canalisation
parents chanelling children's interests, toys, etc. into "gender approptiate"
Capitalism
an economic system that generates extreme wealth for the bourgoesie
Capitalist
can refer to capitalism as an ecomic system or members of the ruling class
Case study
a detailed study of a particular institution or a series of related events (e.g. mods and rockers moral panic)
Caste
stratification system in india. closed and ascribed
Censorship
the control of information and ideas in a society, often via government control
Census
a questionnaire survey every 10 years in the uk to collect info on the whole population
Changing social attitudes
alterations in society's opinions on social issues
Charismatic authority
obedience based on an individual's charisma or extraordinary personal qualities.
Chivalry thesis
the belief that the criminal justice system treats female offenders more leniently
Citizenship
a political and legal status linked to membership of a particular state
Class alignment
strong links between class and votes- working class=labour. middle class=conservative
Class deal
a deal that offers women material rewards such as consumer goods in return for working for a wage
Class dealignment
weakening of the links between social class and voting behaviour
Class struggle
conflict between bourgeoisie and proletariat
Classless society
no private property and no clearly structured social classes
Closed question
fixed choice answers
Cohabitation
living together without being married
Commune
a group of people who live together and share possessions, wealth and property. they may be based on political beliefs or environmental principles
Communism
a system involving communal ownership
Community
a particular area and its residents or a group of people who share a sense of identity
Community service
a sentence involving an offender having to do unpaid work in a community
Comprehensive school
a non-selective secondary school that admits all children regardless of their ability
Confidentiality
an agreement that all information will only be accessed by those with the authority to access it
Conformity
behaviour that complies with society's norms and values
Conjugal roles
the domestic roles of married ot cohabitating partners
Consensus
broad agreement on norms and values
Constituency
a specific area in which the constituents elect an MP to represent them in parliament
Content analysis
the analysis of documents and images by constructing a set of categories, coding sections of the content according to these categories, and then counting the number of times a theme appears
Continuity
lack of social change, e.g. norms and values
Control theory
an approach that focuses on why people conform. people conform when they believe a "deal" is worth it
Correspondence principle
what is learned through the hidden curriculum mirrors what is required in workplace, e.g. exertion of control from bourgoeisie
Counter-school culture
a group within a school that rejects the norms and values and replaces them with anti-school norms
Crime rate
a measure of crime: number of particular crime incidents per specified number of adults over a given period
Criminality
criminal acts or behaviour
Criminal subculture
social group whose members' values and behaviour involve breaking the law
Crisis of masculinity
the idea that men see their traditional masculine identity as under threat
Cross-cultural studies
studies that compare societies or cultures
Cultural capital
the knowledge, attitudes and values that middle class provide for their children that gives them an advantage in the education system
Cultural deprivation
working class and minority ethnic students lack the "correct values", behaviours and attitudes from socialisation to succeed in education
Culture of dependency
a way of life that is centred on reliance on welfare benefits
Cycle of deprivation
the idea that deprivation and poverty is passed on from parents to their children
Dark figure of crime
Hidden or invisible crimes (unrecorded) that are not included in official statistics on crime
Data
information collected and analysed during the research process
Data protection
research participants who are identifiable within the data held by researchers have legal protection and, for example, can ask to see this data
Deferential
behaving in a way that shows respect to someone, e.g. elder, superior
Delinquency
minor crime and deviance, usually committed by young peoplr
Deschooling
the idea that the education system as it is organised noe should be abolished
Deviancy amplification
the process whereby public and media reactions to deviance leads to an increase in deviancy
Deviant career
the process by which individuals come to see themselves as deviant and may join a deviant subculture
Direct action
a campaign to raise awareness on an issue. tactics include occupying buildings, e.g. banks
Double deviance thesis
criminal justice system treats women more harshly because their offending behaviour was unfeminine
Double standard
a rule or code of behaviour that in unfairly applied to one group and not another
Dual career family
two adults have careers
Dysfunctional family
a family where functions such as emotional support are not being carried out. characterised by social problems, e.g. domestic violence and child abuse
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