| applied sociology
|
the use of sociological research and theory in
solving real human problems |
| capitalism |
an economic system based on the pursuit of profit
and the sanctity of private property |
| conflict theory
|
a theoretical perspective that emphasizes the
role of power and coercion in producing social order |
| debunking |
the process of looking behind the facades of
everyday life |
| diversity |
the variety of group experiences resulting from
the social structure |
| dramaturgical
model |
a perspective that sees society like a stage
(that is, a drama) wherein social actors are “on stage,” projecting
and portraying social roles to others |
| empirical |
refers to something that is based on careful and
systematic observation |
| Enlightenment |
the period in seventeenth-and eighteenth-century
Europe characterized by faith in the ability of human reason to
solve society’s problems |
| functionalism |
a theoretical perspective that interprets each
part of society in terms of how it contributes to the stability of
the whole |
| humanitarianism
|
the principle that human reason can successfully
direct social change for the betterment of society |
| institution |
see social institution |
| issues |
problems that affect large numbers of people and
have their origins in the institutional arrangements and history of
a society |
| latent functions
|
indirect, nonobvious consequences (functions)
emerging from the activities of institutions |
| manifest functions
|
the stated and open goals of social behavior |
| organic metaphor
|
refers to the similarity early sociologists saw
between society and other organic systems |
| positivism |
a system of thought in which accurate observation
and description is considered the highest form of knowledge |
| postmodernism |
a theoretical perspective based on the idea that
society is not an objective thing but is found in the words and
images—or discourses—that people use to represent behavior and ideas
|
| power |
a person or group’s ability to exercise influence
and control over others |
| social action |
behavior to which people give meaning |
| Social Darwinism
|
the idea that society evolves to allow the
survival of the fittest |
| social facts |
social patterns that are external to individuals
|
| social institution
|
an established and organized system of social
behavior with a recognized purpose |
| social structure
|
the patterns of social relationships and social
institutions that comprise society |
| sociological
imagination |
the ability to see the societal patterns that
influence individual and group life |
| sociology |
the study of human behavior in society |
| symbolic
interaction theory |
a theoretical perspective claiming that people
act toward things because of the meaning things have for them |
| troubles |
privately felt problems that come from events or
feelings in one individual’s life |
| verstehen |
the process of understanding social behavior from
the point of view of those engaged in it |