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Social Sci LibreTexts

Key Terms Chapter 01: Intro to Sociology

  • Page ID
    142974
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    Example and Directions
    Words (or words that have the same definition)The definition is case sensitive(Optional) Image to display with the definition [Not displayed in Glossary, only in pop-up on pages](Optional) Caption for Image(Optional) External or Internal Link(Optional) Source for Definition
    (Eg. "Genetic, Hereditary, DNA ...")(Eg. "Relating to genes or heredity")The infamous double helix https://bio.libretexts.org/CC-BY-SA; Delmar Larsen
    Glossary Entries
    Word(s)DefinitionImageCaptionLinkSource
    Antipositivismthe view that social researchers should strive for subjectivity as they worked to represent social processes, cultural norms, and societal values    
    Conflict Theorya theory that looks at society as a competition for limited resources    
    Constructivisman extension of symbolic interaction theory which proposes that reality is what humans cognitively construct it to be    
    Culturea group's shared practices, values, and beliefs    
    Dramaturgical Analysisa technique sociologists use in which they view society through the metaphor of theatrical performance    
    Dynamic Equilibriuma stable state in which all parts of a healthy society work together properly    
    Dysfunctionssocial patterns that have undesirable consequences for the operation of society    
    Figurationthe process of simultaneously analyzing the behavior of an individual and the society that shapes that behavior    
    Functionthe part a recurrent activity plays in the social life as a whole and the contribution it makes to structural continuity    
    Functionalisma theoretical approach that sees society as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of individuals that make up that society    
    Generalized Othersthe organized and generalized attitude of a social group    
    Grand Theoriesan attempt to explain large-scale relationships and answer fundamental questions such as why societies form and why they change    
    Hypothesisa testable proposition    
    Latent Functionsthe unrecognized or unintended consequences of a social process    
    Macro-levela wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a society    
    Manifest Functionssought consequences of a social process    
    Micro-level Theoriesthe study of specific relationships between individuals or small groups    
    Paradigmsphilosophical and theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed in support of them    
    Positivismthe scientific study of social patterns    
    Qualitative Sociologyin-depth interviews, focus groups, and/or analysis of content sources as the source of its data    
    Quantitative sociologystatistical methods such as surveys with large numbers of participants    
    Reificationan error of treating an abstract concept as though it has a real, material existence    
    Significant Othersspecific individuals that impact a person's life    
    Social Factsthe laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, customs, fashions, rituals, and all of the cultural rules that govern social life    
    Social Institutionspatterns of beliefs and behaviors focused on meeting social needs    
    Social Solidaritythe social ties that bind a group of people together such as kinship, shared location, and religion    
    Societya group of people who live in a defined geographical area who interact with one another and who share a common culture    
    Sociological Imaginationthe ability to understand how your own past relates to that of other people, as well as to history in general and societal structures in particular    
    Sociologythe systematic study of society and social interaction    
    Symbolic Interactionisma theoretical perspective through which scholars examine the relationship of individuals within their society by studying their communication (language and symbols)    
    Theorya proposed explanation about social interactions or society    
    Verstehena German word that means to understand in a deep way    
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