sociology chapter 4

sociobiology

a branch of science that uses biological and evolutionary explanations for social behavior (page 98)

status

a position in a social hierarchy that carries a particular set of expectations (page 111)

achieved status

a status earned through individual effort or imposed by others (page 113)

embodied status

a status generated by physical characteristics (page 113)

master status

a status that is always relevant and affects all other statuses we possess (page 113)

ascribed status

a status that is inborn; usually difficult or impossible to change (page 113)

id ego superego

according to Freud, the three interrelated parts that make up the mind: the id consists of basic inborn drives that are the source of instinctive psychic energy; the ego is the realistic aspect of the mind that balances the forces of the id and the superego; the superego has two components (the conscience and the ego-ideal) and represents the internalized demands of society (page 101)

definition of the situation

an agreement with others about 'what is going on' in a given circumstance; this consensus allows us to coordinate our actions with others and realize goals (page 104)

dramaturgy

an approach pioneered by Erving Goffman in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance (page 105)

cooling the mark out

behaviors that help others to save face or avoid embarrassment, often referred to as civility or tact (page 105)

role strain

experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role (page 113)

role conflict

experienced when we occupy two or more roles with contradictory expectations (page 113)

expressions given

expressions that are intentional and usually verbal, such as utterances (page 104)

psychosexual stages of development

four distinct stages of the development of the self between birth and adulthood, according to Freud; personality quirks are a result of being fixated, or stuck, at any stage (page 101)

feral children

in myths and rare real-world cases, children who have had little human contact and may have lived in social isolation from a young age (page 98)

front

in the dramaturgical perspective, the setting or scene of performances that helps establish the definition of the situation (page 105)

total institutions

institutions in which individuals are cut off from the rest of society so that they can be controlled and regulated for the purpose of systematically stripping away previous roles and identities in order to create new ones (page 111)

stereotyping

judging others based on preconceived generalizations about groups or categories of people (page 113)

expressions given off

observable expressions that can be either intended or unintended and are usually nonverbal (page 104)

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 (page 104)

agents of socialization

social groups, institutions, and individuals (especially the family, schools, peers, and the mass media) that provide structured situations in which socialization takes place (page 107)

region

the context in which the performance takes place, including location, decor, and props (page 105)

impression management

the effort to control the impressions we make on others so that they form a desired view of us and the situation; the use of self-presentation and performance tactics (page 104)

preparatory stage

the first stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children mimic or imitate others (page 102)

dual nature of the self

the idea that we experience the self as both subject and object, the 'I' and the 'me' (page 103)

self

the individual's conscious, reflexive experience of a personal identity separate and distinct from others (page 100)

nature vs nurture debate

the ongoing discussion of the respective roles of genetics and socialization in determining individual behaviors and traits (page 97)

personal front

the performance tactics we use to present ourselves to others, including appearance, costume, and manner (page 105)

generalized other

the perspectives and expectations of a network of others (or of society in general) that a child learns and then takes into account when shaping his or her own behavior (page 103)

particular or significant other

the perspectives and expectations of a particular role that a child learns and internalizes (page 103)

fronstage

the places in which we deliver our performances to an audience of others (page 105)

backstage

the places in which we rehearse and prepare for our performances (page 105)

social construction

the process by which a concept or practice is created and maintained by participants who collectively agree that it exists (page 105)

socialization

the process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of society (page 97)

role exit

the process of leaving a role that we will no longer occupy (page 113)

resocialization

the process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones as a part of a transition in life (page 111)

play stage

the second stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children pretend to play the role of the particular or significant other (page 102)

role

the set of behaviors expected of someone because of his or her status (page 113)

game stage

the third stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children play organized games and take on the perspective of the generalized other (page 103)

hidden curriculum

values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling (page 108)

thomas theorem

classic formulation of the way individuals determine reality, whereby 'if people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences' (page 103)

looking-glass self

the notion that the self develops through our perception of others' evaluations and appraisals of us (page 102)