Theory/Methods
the ability to see societal patterns that influence individual and group life
Sociological Imagination
a group whose values and beliefs directly oppose those of the larger culture and even reject it
Counterculture
the process by which one learns new social values, beliefs, and norms
Resocialization
the social patterns through which a society is organized
Social Structure
a group or category to which people feel they do not belong
out-group
the corners in life that people occupy (based primarily on gender, race, class, religion, etc.)
Social Location
group that shares the central values and beliefs of the larger culture but still retains its distinctiveness from the larger culture (Ex. Amish)
subculture
mass media, family, neighborhood, religion, day care, school, peer groups, and workplace—each contribute to the socialization of people as they become full-fledged members of society
Agents of Socialization
the position that someone occupies in society or a social group (ex., father, sister, president, etc.)
Status
any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own behavior
reference group
everyone in the population has the same chance of being included in the study
Random Sample
a society’s ideas of what is good or bad, right or wrong, etc.
Cultural Values
mechanisms (patterns of beliefs and behaviors) developed by a society to meet basic needs and to apportion resources (i.e., family, education, etc.)
Social Institution
occurs when the roles of our many statuses conflict with each other (ex., student vs. employee)
Role Conflict
an experiment conducted on college students that tested their likelihood to conform to group behavior even though it was obviously wrong
Ash Experiment
theoretical perspective that stresses society is a whole unit, made up of interrelated parts that work together harmoniously
Functionalism
the tendency to use our own group's ways of doing things as the yardstick for judging the behavior, values, and beliefs of others—and something functionalists believe reinforces group solidarity
Ethnocentrism
a place in which people are cut off from the rest of society and are almost entirely controlled by the officials who run the place
Total institution
A social position that a person attains largely through his or her own efforts
achieved status
all intentional actions done collectively by a group that has organized to change something about society
Social movement
theoretical perspective that views society as being composed of groups that engage in fierce competition for scarce resources
Conflict
the idea that racial/ethnic groups should be able to retain some or all of their cultural components rather than assimilate to the dominant group
Pluralism
knowledge that we share about our group (society)
Culture
Societies in which the economy is based largely on service-sector and information technology
Post-Industrial Societies
a behavior pattern when people go along with the desires and views of a group against their better judgments. To disagree is to be disloyal.
Groupthink