SOCI Chap. 1

Society

a large social grouping that shares the same geographical territory and is subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations

Theory

a set of logically interrelated statements that attempts to describe, explain, and (occasionally) predict social events

Positivism

a term describing Auguste Comte's belief that the world can best be understood through scientific inquiry

Macrolevel Analysis

an approach that examines whole societies, large-scale social structures, and social systems instead of looking at important social dynamics in individuals' lives

Manifest Functions

functions that are intended and/or overtly recognized by the participants in a social unit

High-Income Countries

nations with highly industrialized economies; technologically advanced industrial, administrative, and service occupations; and relatively high levels of national and personal income

Middle-Income Countries

nations with industrializing economies, particularly in urban areas, and moderate levels of national and personal income

Low-Income Countries

primarily agrarian nations with little industrialization and low levels of national and personal income

Microlevel Analysis

sociological theory and research that focus on small groups rather than on large-scale social structures

Urbanization

the process by which an increasing proportion of a population lives in cities rather than in rural areas

Indusrialization

the process by which societies are transformed from dependence on agriculture and handmade products to an emphasis on manufacturing and related industries

Postmodern Perspectives

the sociological approach that attempts to explain social life in modern societies that are characterized by post-industrialization, consumerism, and global communications

Conflict Perspectives

the sociological approach that views groups in society as engaged in a continuous power struggle for control of scarce resources

Functionalist Perspectives

the sociological approach that views society as a stable, orderly system

Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives

the sociological approach that views society as the sum of the interactions of individuals and groups

Sociology

the systematic study of human society and social interaction

Latent Functions

unintended functions that are hidden and remain unacknowledged by participants

Sociological Imagination

C. Wright Mill's term for the ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society

Anomie

Emile Durkheim's designation for a condition in which social control becomes ineffective as a result of the loss of shared values and of a sense of purpose in society

Social Facts

Emile Durkheim's term for patterned ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that exist outside any one individual but that exert social control over each person.

Social Darwinism

Herbert Spencer's belief that those species of animals, including human beings, best adapted to their environment survive and prosper, whereas those poorly adapted die out