conventional wisdom
common beliefs or ideas that most people hold true
perspective
a particular point of view
social structure
the patterned interaction of people in social relationships
sociological imagination
the ability to see the relationship between events in personal life and events in society
sociological perspective
a view that looks at behavior of groups, not individuals
sociology
the scientific study of social structure ( human social behavior )
positivism
belief that knowledge should be derived from scientific observation
social statics
The study of social stability and order
social dynamics
the study of social change
bourgeoisie
class owning the means for producing wealth
capitalist
person who owns or controls the means for producing wealth
proletariat
working class; those who labor for the bourgeoisie
class conflict
the ongoing struggle between the bourgeoisie (owners) and the proletariat (working) classes
mechanical solidarity
social dependency based on a widespread consensus of values and beliefs, enforced conformity, and dependence on tradition and family
organic solidarity
social interdependency based on a high degree of specialization in roles
verstehen
understanding social behavior by putting yourself in the place of others
rationalization
the mind-set emphasizing knowledge, reason, and planning
functionalism
approach that emphasizes the contributions made by each part of society
manifest functions
intended and recognized consequences of an aspect of society
dysfunction
negative consequence of an aspect of society
conflict perspective
approach emphasizing the role of conflict, competition, and constraint within a society
symbol
anything that stands for something else and has an agreed-upon meaning attached to it
symbolic interactionism
approach that focuses on the interactions among people based on mutually understood symbols
dramaturgy
approach that depicts human interaction as theatrical performances
social Darwinism
the theory that societies evolve naturally into the fittest form
latent functions
The unrecognized and unintended consequences of an aspect of society
power
the ability to control the behavior of others
theoretical perspective
a set of assumptions accepted as true