Key Terms
True or False
Fill In The Blank
Traditional v. Modern
Suicide & the Sacred
100

What are social facts?

All those external and collective ways in which society shapes, structures, and constrains our behavior.

beliefs, tendencies, and practices of the group taken collectively

what sociologists study

100

Social change just occurs when individuals will it.

False: it has to be accomplished collectively in tune with collective forces (e.g., public opinion, economic transformation).

100

Durkheim considered sociology to be "the science of ___"

civilization

100

What are traditional societies/communities characterized by?

sameness (similarities that exist among people)

also: lack of specialization

also: social ties and relationships are more easily maintained (due to sameness)

100

What is the sacred v. the profane?

sacred: all things a society collectively sets apart as special, and requiring reverance

profane: ordinary, mundane, nonsacred things in society

200

What is structural functionalism?

Society is a complex system whose component parts and structures are interrelated, but also independent.

200

Social facts are statistical facts.

False: Stats contribute to shaping social behavior, but social facts include all social phenomena (all the ways in which social structures, social norms, and collective experiences constrain social behavior).

200

How should we scientifically study social facts? According to Durkheim, "the first and most basic rule is to consider social facts as __."

things

things that objectively exist in society

200

What are the defining characteristics of modern societies?

mobility (a social fact)

diversity (individual difference is the norm)

collective consciousness is less controlling of the individual, less forceful/encompassing

specialization

200

What are symbols and rituals?

symbols: any signs/images whose interpretation and meaning are socially shared

rituals: collectively shared, sacred rites and practices that affirm and strengthen social ties, and maintain social order

300

What is social solidarity?

emerges because social structures (social institutions) bind individuals to each other, and the larger society

"morality consists in solidarity with the group"

as a social species we have to account for others, so we learn to cooperate with others

300

Organic solidarity is produced by specialized division of labor.

True: Social cohesion results from the interdependence of individuals, each with their own specialty. Modern society requires individualism.

300

Physical density leads to ___.

(social or) moral density

The more social interactions we have to do, the more densely constrained we are by social-moral norms of reciprocity and cooperation.

300

What is division of labor (in modern societies)?

highly specialized division of labor creates social cohesion

division of labor in the economy (e.g. factory production), government, child socialization, education (e.g. different departments in schools), etc.

300

What is altruistic suicide?

results from tightly regulated social conditions in which the loss of close comrades, or an individual's loss of honor in the community, makes suicide obligatory

400

What is social interdependence?

ties among individuals

individualism required by the specialized division of of labor creates functional and social interdependence

400

The division of labor is antisocial/alienating.

False: it isn't antisocial "because it is a product of society"

it organically connects and integrates individuals

400

Contracts have legitimacy only because they __ the expectations and customs that we in society believe are necessary to maintaining and enforcing the norms of human reciprocity necessary to social life.

institutionalize (or legalize/formalize)

400

What is a collective conscience?

a society or community's collectively shared feelings, values, and ideals

(the objective "collective feeling" can frequently exclude those who aren't part of the dominant group)

400

What is egoistic suicide?

results from modern societal conditions in which individuals are excessively self-oriented and insufficiently integrated into social groups/society

500

What is sui generis reality?

Society has its own reality, which is a collective reality that exerts its own force independent of individuals.

translates to "of the group in and of itself"

500

Social problems are sociologically "normal".

True: Social facts are seen as objective things, making them "normal".

500

Society is not simply a collection of individuals. It is a collectivity with___.

... features and characteristics of its own.

Society isn't just individuals; it's also the social relationships, patterns, and organizations that independently regulate individual, group, and institutional behavior.

500

What is mechanical solidarity (in traditional societies)?

(structural/cultural sameness --> mechanical solidarity)

The creation and maintenance of social ties are fairly mechanical because they are built into the very structure of the community. The sameness in these communities naturally lead to social cohesion. This also makes families very replaceable, so their absence doesn't disrupt the overall functioning of the community.

500

What is anomic suicide?

results when society experiences a major disruption that uproots the established norms

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