Download The Master List of Sociology Terms

Sociology: Unit 2 Terms
Spring Semester 2014
Silverman
Unit TWO: Culture & Social Structure
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Culture – all the shared products of a particular human group; include both physical objects & the beliefs, values and
behaviors shared by the group
Material culture – physical objects created by human groups; sociologists and anthropologists use the term artifacts to refer
to the physical objects of material culture
Non-material culture – abstract human creations, such as language, ideas, beliefs, rules, skills, family patterns, work
practices, and political & economic systems
Technology: knowledge and tools people use for practical purposes
Language – the organization of written or spoken symbols into a standardized system
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis – the idea that differences in language shape the way its speakers view reality
Values – shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable
Norms – shared rules of conduct that dictate how people should act in certain situations; expectations for behavior
Folkways – norms that describe socially acceptable behavior, without having great moral significance attached to them
(i.e. cover your mouth when you yawn)
Mores – norms that have great moral significance attached to them (i.e. do not rob a bank)
Sanctions - rewards or punishments used to enforce conformity to norms
Positive Sanction - an action that rewards a particular kind of behavior
Negative Sanction - a punishment or threat of punishment used to enforce conformity
Formal Sanction - reward/punishment given by a formal organization such as a school, business, or government
Informal Sanction - spontaneous expression of approval or disapproval given by an individual or a group
Cultural universals – common features that are found in all human cultures (i.e. dancing, cooking, gift-giving…)
Ethnocentrism – the tendency to view one’s own culture and group as superior to others
Culture relativism – the belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards rather than by applying the
standards of another culture
Counterculture – a group that rejects the values, norms and practices of the larger society and replaces them with a new
set of cultural patterns
Subculture – a group with its own unique values, norms and behaviors that exists within a larger culture
Culture shock – the disorientation that people feel when they encounter cultures radically different from their own
Society – a group of interdependent people who have organized in such a way as to share common culture & feelings of
unity
Folk culture – traditionally practiced by a small, homogeneous, rural group living in relative isolation
Pop culture – found in a large, heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite differences in personal
characteristics.
Globalization – a process by which regional economies, societies and cultures have become integrated through a global
network of communication, transportation and trade
Group – a set of two or more people who interact on the basis of shared expectations and who possess some degree of
common identity
Preindustrial society – a type of society in which food production – carried out through the use of human and animal labor
– is the main economic activity
Hunting & gathering society – a type of society characterized by the daily collection of wild plants and the hunting of
wild animals
Pastoral society – a type of society characterized by a reliance on domesticated herd animals as the main form of
subsistence
Horticultural society – a type of society characterized by a reliance on vegetables grown in garden plots as the main form
of subsistence
Agricultural society – a type of society characterized by the use of draft animals and plows in the tilling of friends
Industrial society – a type of society in which the mechanized production of goods is the main economic activity
Urbanization – the concentration of population in cities
Postindustrial society – a type of society in which economic activity centers on the production of information and the
provision of services
Mechanic solidarity – close-knit social relationships, common in preindustrial societies, that result when a small group of
people share the same values and perform the same tasks
Organic solidarity – impersonal social relationships, common in industrial societies, that arise with increased job
specialization
Gemeinschaft – societies in which most members know one another, relationships are close, and activities center on the
family and the community
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Gesellschaft – societies in which social relationships are based on need rather than emotion, relationships are impersonal
and temporary, and individual goals are more important than group goals
Social structure – the network of interrelated statuses and roles that guide human interaction
Status – socially defined position within a group or society
Role – the behavior expected of someone occupying a particular status
Ascribed status – a status assigned according to the standards that are beyond a person’s control (i.e. age, sex, family
heritage, race, etc.)
Achieved status – a status acquired by an individual on the basis of some special skill, knowledge or ability
Formal group – a group in which the structure, goals and activities of the group of clearly defined
Informal group – a group in which there is no official structure or established rules of conflict
Primary group – a small group of people who interact over a relatively long period of time on a direct and personal basis
Secondary group – a group in which interaction is impersonal and temporary in nature
In-group – a group that an individual belong to and identifies with
Out-group – any group that an individual does not belong to, nor identify with
Instrumental leaders – leaders who are task-oriented
Expressive leaders – leaders who are emotion-oriented