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Sociology
The systematic study of human society.
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Sociological Perspective
the special point of view of sociology that sees general patterns of society in the lives of particular people.
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Global Perspective
the study of the larger world and our society's place in it.
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High-Income Countries
Nations with the highest overall standards of living.
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Middle-Income Countries
Nations with a standard of living about average for the world as a whole.
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Low-Income Countries
Nations with a low standard of living in which most people are poor.
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Positivism
A way of understanding based on science.
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Theory
A statement of how and why specific facts are related.
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Social-Conflict Approach
A framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change.
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Gender-Conflict Approach
A point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between women and men.
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Feminism
Support of social equality for women and men.
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Race Conflict Approach
A point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between people of different racial and ethnic categories.
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Macro-Level Orientation
A broad focus on social structures that shape society as a whole.
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Micro-Level Orientation
a close-up focus on social interaction in specific situations.
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Symbolic-Interaction Approach
A framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals.
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Stereotype
a simplified description applied to every person in some category.
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Profane
Included as an ordinary element of everyday life.
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Sacred
Set apart as extraordinary, inspiring awe and reverence.
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Religion
A social institution involving beliefs and practices based on recognizing the sacred.
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Ritual
Formal, ceremonial behavior.
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Faith
Belief based on conviction rather than on scientific evidence.
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Church
A type of religious organization that is well integrated into the larger society.
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State Church
A church formally allied with the state.
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Denomination
A church, independent of the state that recognizes religious pluralism.
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Sect
A type of religious organization that stands apart from the larger society.
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Extended Family
A family consisting of parents and children as well as other kin; also known as a consanguine family.
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Nuclear Family
A family composed of one or two parents and their children; also known conjugal family.
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Monogamy
Marriage that unites two partners.
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Polygamy
Marriage that unites a person with two or more spouses.
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Polygyny
Marriage that unites one man and two or more women.
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Polyandry
Marriage that unites one woman and two or more men.
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Descent
The system by which members of a society trace kinship over generations.
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Patrilineal Descent
A system tracing kinship though men.
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Matrilineal Descent
A system tracing kinship through women.
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Bilateral Descent
A system tracing kinship through both men and women.
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Incest Taboo
A norm forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives.
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Homogamy
Marriage between people with the same social characteristics.
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Infidelity
Sexual activity outside of one's marriage.
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Family Violence
Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse of one family member by another.
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Cohabitation
The sharing of a household by an unmarried couple.
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Theoretical Approach
A basic image of society that guides thinking and research.
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Structural-Functional Approach
A framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability.
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Social Structure
Any relatively stable pattern of social behavior.
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Social Functions
The consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society as a whole.
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Manifest Functions
The recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern.
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Latent Functions
The unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern.
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Totem
An object in the natural world collectively defined as sacred.
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Liberation Theology
The combining of Christian principles with political activism, often Marxist in character.
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Charisma
Extraordinary personal qualities that can infuse people with emotion and turn them into followers.
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Cult
A religious organization that is largely outside a society's cultural traditions.
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Animism
The belief that elements of the natural world are conscious life forms that affect humanity.
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Religiousity
The importance of religion in a person's life.
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Secularization
The historical decline in the importance of the supernatural and the sacred,
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Civil Religion
A quasi-religious loyalty linking individuals in a basically secular society.
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Fundamentalism
The conservative religious doctrine that opposes intellectualism and worldly accommodation in favor of restoring traditional, otherworldly religion.
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Family
A social institution found in all societies that unites people in cooperative groups that care for one another, including any children.
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Kinship
A social bond based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption.
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Endogamy
Marriage between people of the same social category.
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Exogamy
Marriage between people of different social categories.
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Patrilocality
A residential pattern in which a married couple lives with or near the husband's family.
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Matrilocality
A residential pattern in which a married couple lives with or near the wife's family.
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Neolocality
A residential pattern in which a married couple lives apart from both sets of parents.
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