sociology test 2 chapters 3,4, and 6

crime

a violation of a norm that has been codified into law

status set

all the statuses a person holds at a given time

retreatists

don't accept the goals of the society or the means of achieving those goals

right

a behavior that a person assuming a role can demand or expect from another

law

a common type of formally defined norm providing an explicit statement about what is permissible and what is illegal in a given society

cultural universals

a general practice found in every culture

subculture

a group within a society that is differentiated by its distinctive values, norms, and lifestyle

countersculture

a group within a society that openly rejects and/or activley opposes values and norms

folkway

a loosley inforced norm involving common customs, practices, or procedures that ensure smooth social interaction and acceptance.

taboo

a norm ingrained so deeply that even thinking about violating it evokes strong feelings of disgust, horror, or revulsion

more

a norm that carries great moral significance, is closely related to the core values of a cultural group, and often involves severe repercussions for violators

role set

a number of roles attatched to a single status

professional crime

a person who pursues crime as a day-to-day occupation, developing skilled techniques and enjoying a certain degree of status among other criminals

multiculturalism

a policy that values diverse racial ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds and so encourages the retention of cultural differences within society rather than assimilation

status

a position in a social heirarchy that carries a particular set of expectations

positive sanction

a reward or positive reaction for following norms, ranging from a smile to a prize

norm

a rule or guideline regarding what kinds of behavior are acceptable and appropriate within a culture

embodied status

a status generated by physical characterisitcs

master status

a status that is always relevant and affects all other statuses we possess

sign

a symbol that stands for or conveys an idea

play

a voluntary and often spontaneous activity with few or no formal rules that is not subject to constraints of time or place

confromists

accept the goals of the society and the means of achieving those goals

innovators

accept the goals of the society, but the look for new of innovative ways of achieving those goals

outsiders

according to howard becker those labeled deviant and subsequently segregated from 'normal' society

positive deviance

actions considered deviant within a given context but are later reinterpreted as appropriate or even heroic

in-group orentation

among stigmatized individuals, the rejection of prevailing judgement or prejudice and the development of new standards that value their group identity

definition of the situation

an agreement with others about " what is going on" in a given circumstance. the consensus allows us to coordinate our actions with those of others and realize goals

dramaturgy

an approach pioneered by erving goffman in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance

rehabilitation

an approach to punishment that attempts to reform criminals as part of their penalty

retribution

an approach to punishment that emphasizes retaliation or revenge for the crime as the appropriate goal

deterrence

an approach to punishment that relies on the threat of harsh penalties to discourage people from committing crimes

incapacitation

an approach to punishment that seeks to protect society from criminals by imprisoning or executing them

degradation ceremony

an aspect of the resocialization process within total institustions, in which people are subjected to humiliating rituals

negative sanction

an expression of disapproval for breaking a norm, ranging from a mild, informal, reaction such as a frown to formal reaction such as a prison sentence or an execution

self- fulfilling prophecy

an inaccurate statement of belief that by altering the situation, becomes accurate; a prediction that causes itself to come ture

ascribed status

an inborn status, usually difficult or impossible to change

ritualists

aren't interested in the goals of the society but they do accept the means of achieving those goals

projective labeling

assuming future deviance in light of past/present deviance

retrospective labeling

assuming past deviance in light of some present deciance

avoidance process

avoid contacts in which threats to one's face are likely to occur acting as if it has not occurred if threatened or writing encounter off as a joke

cooling the mark out

behaviors that help others to save fave or avoid embarrassment often referred to as civility or tact

belief

belief in norms/values of society

dual nature of self

belief that we experience the self as both subject and object the "I" and the "me"

culture wars

clashes within mainstream society over the values and norms that should be upheld

thomas theorem

classic formulation of the way individuals define situations whereby "if people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences"

obedience

compliance with higher authorities in hierarchical structure

nature

comprises one's human genetic makeup or biological inheritance

white color crime

crime committed by a high status individual in the course of his occupation

violent crime

crimes in which violence is either the objective or the means to an end, including murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery

property crime

crimes that did not involve violence, including burglary, motor vehicle theft, and arson

high culture

cultural patterns indicative of society's elite

rebels

don't accept the goals of the society or the means of achieving those goals, so they create their own goals using new means

differential association theory

edwin sutherland's hypothesis that we learn to be deviant through our associations with deviant peers

stigma

erving goffman's term for any physical or social attribute that devalues a person or groups identity and that may exclude those who are devalued from normal social interaction

role

expectation within a status

collective memory

experiences shard and recalled by significant numbers of people. Such memories are revived, preserved, passed on, and recast in many forms, such as stories, holidays, rituals, and monuments

expression given

expressions that are intentional and usually verbal such as uttterances

personal front

expressive equipment we consciously or unconsciously us as we present ourselves to others including appearance and manner to help establish the definition of the situation

social control

formal and informal mechanisms used to increase conformity to values and norms and thus promote social cohesion

corrective process

give an incident that threatens one's face accredited as an incident and work to correct its effect

conformity

going along with peers- individuals of our own status who have no special right to direct our behavior

emotion manegement

how "we socially construct our emotions as part of our everyday reality"

sign-vehicles

how people use social settings appearances and manner to communicate information about the self

labeling theory

howard beckers idea that deviance is a consequence of external judgement, or labels, that modify the individual's self concept and change the way others respond to the labeled person

values

ideas about what is desirable or contemptible and right or wrong in a particular group. The articulate the essence of everything that a cultural group cherishes and honors

primary deviance

in labeling theory, the initial act or attitude that causes one to be labeled deviant

secondary deviance

in labeling theory, the subsequent deviant identity or career that develops as a result of being labeled deviant

backstage

in the dramaturgical perspective, places in which we rehearse and prepare for our performances

region

in the dramaturgical perspective, the context or setting in which the performance takes place

frontstage

in the dramaturgical perspective, the region in which we deliver our public performances

front

in the dramaturgical perspective, the setting or scene of the performance that helps establish the definition of the situation

agents of socialization

include, family, school, peers, and media

social disorganization theory

increases in crime and deviance can be attributed to the absence or breakdown of communal relationships and social insitutions such as the family, school, church, and local government

total institution

institution in which individuals are cut of from the rest of society so that their lives can be controlled and regulated fro the purpose of systematically stripping away previous roles and identities in order to create new ones

innovation

introducing a new idea or object to a culture

involvement

involvement in legitimate activities

status symbols

items used to identify a status

stereotyping

judging others based on preconceived generalizations about groups or categories of people

opporitunity

legitimate opportunity to conform

discovery

making known or sharing the existence of some aspect of reality

structural strain theory

merton's argument that in an unequal society the tension or strain between socially approved goals and an individual's ability to achieve those goals through socially approved means will lead to deviance as individuals

breaches

mistakes in roles scripts, costumes, and sets

cultural scprits

modes of behavior and understanding that are not universal or natural

expression given off

observable expressions that can be either intended or unintended and are usually nonverbal

" I "

one's sense of agency, action or power

cultural transmission

passing culture on to the next generation

line

pattern of verbal and nonverbal acts by which he expresses his view of the situation and through his evaluation of participants especially himself

generalized other

perspectives and expectations of a network of others that a child learns and then takes into account when shaping his or her own behavior

detterence theory

philosophy of criminal justice arising from the notion that crime results from a rational calculations of its costs and benefits

sanctions

positive or negative reactions to the ways that people follow or disobey norms, including rewards for conformity and punishments for violations

passing

presenting yourself as a member of a different group than the stigmatized group that you belong

social construction

process by which a concept or practice is created and maintained by participants who collectively agree that it exsits

deviance avowal

process by which individual self identifies as deviant and initiates her own labeling process

socialization

process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of society

role taking

process of mentally assuming the perspective of another in order tot respond from that imagined view point

resocialization

process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones as a part of a transition in life

tertiary deviance

redefining the stigma associated with a deviant label as a positive phenomenon

invention

results when existing cultural items are combined into a from that did not exist before

expressions of behavior

small actions such as an eye roll or head nod that serve as an interactional tool to help project our definition of the situation to others

deviance

social judgement, not moral one

feeling rules

socially constructed norms regarding the expression and display of emotions; expectations about the acceptable or desirable feelings

achieved status

status earned through individual effort or imposed by others

pilfering

stealing minor items in small amounts often again and again

attatchment

strong social attachments encourage conformity (including family and peer attachments)

games

structured, organized activities that usually involve more than one person and a number of constraints , such as established roles, rules, time, place and outcome

language

system of communication using vocal sounds, gestures or written symbols; the basis of symbolic culture and the primary means through which we communicate with one another and perpetuate our culture

hegemony

term developed by antonio gramsci to describe the cultural aspects of social control whereby the ideas of the dominant social group are accepted by all of society

normative compliance

the act of abiding by society's norms or simply following the rules of group life

poise

the capacity to suppress and conceal any tendency to become shamefaced during encounters with others

teamwork

the collaboration of two or more people to manage impressions jointly

cultural diffusion

the dissemination of beliefs and practices from one group to another

impression manegment

the effort to control the impressions we make on others so that they from a desired view of us and the situations the use of self presentation and performance tactics

culture

the entire way of life of a group of people (including both material and symbolic elements) that acts as a lens through which one views the world and is passed from one generation to another

preparatory stage

the first stage in mead's theory of the development of self where in children mimic or imitate others

symbols

the gestures, objects, and language that form the basis of human communication

sapif- whorf hypothesis

the idea that language structures thought and that ways of looking at the world are embedded in language

symbolic culture

the ideas associated with a cultural group, including ways of thinking (beliefs,values, and assumptions) and ways of behaving (norms,interactions, and communication)

cultural imperialism

the imposition of one culture's beliefs and practices on another culture through mass media and consumer products rather than by military force

self

the individuals conscious reflexive experience of a personal identity chosen from a wide range of media sources

real culture

the norms values and patterns of behavior that acutally exist within a society (which may or may not correspond to the society's ideals)

ideal culture

the norms values and patterns of behavior that members of a society believe should be observed in principle

material culture

the objects associated with a cultural group,such as tools, machines, utensils, buildings, and artwork; any physical object to which we give social meaning

culture lag

the period of maladjustment when the non material culture is still struggling to adapt to the new material conditions

particular or significant other

the perspectives and expectations of a particular role that a child learns and internalizes

face

the positive social value a person effectively claims for himself

cultural reltivism

the principle of understanding other cultures on their own terms, rather than judging or evaluating according to one's own culture - value neutrality and stresses context

ethnocentrism

the principle of using one's own culture as a means or standard by which to evaluate another group or individual, leading to the view that cultures other than one's own are abnormal or inferior

cultural leveling

the process by which cultures that were once unique and distinct become increasingly similar

anticipatory socialization

the processes of socialization in which a person 'rehearses' for future positions, occupations, and social relationships

role obligation

the relationship and behavior a person enacting a role must assume toward others occupying a particular status

play stage

the second stage in mead's theory of development of self where in children pretend to play the role of the particular or significant other

" me "

the self as one imagines others perceive one

nurture

the social environment or the interaction experiences that make up every individual's life

sociobiology

the systematic study of how biology affects human social behavior

role conflict

the tension/ incompatibility among roles between two different statuses

role strain

the tension/incompatibility among roles within a single status

game stage

the third stage in mead's theory of the development of self where in children play organized games and take on the perspective of the generalized other

nonverbal communication

the use of gestures, facial expressions, and other visual images to communicate

demeanor

the way we carry ourselves which is a clue to social power

gesture

the ways in which people use their bodies to communicate without words; actions that have symbolic meaning

role performance

the ways in which someone performs a role showing a particular style or personalitiy

victim-less crime

the willing exchange among adults of widely desired but illegal goods and services

organized crime

the work of a group that regulates relations between various criminal enterprises involved with various illegal activites

broken window theory of deviance

theory explaining how social context and social cues of disorder impact whether individuals act deviantly; specifically, whether local informal social norms allow such acts

value contradiction

values that contradict one another; to follow the one means to come into conflict with the other

dominant culture

values, norms, and practices of the group within a society that is most powerful in terms of wealth prestige, status, influence

popular culture

widespread cultural patterns indicative of the majority of a society's population