adaptive funeral rite

funeral rite that's adjusted to the needs and wants of those directly involved; altered to suit the trends of the times.

agrarian

dealing with agriculture, farm based. the locale of the extended (joint) family system.

anonymity

situation in which a person or entity is unknown

blended family

household/family unit created by 1 male and 1 female and the children from their previous marriages and may include children from present marriage

bureaucratization

creation of a system which governs through departments and subdivisions managed by sets of officials following an inflexible routine

ceremony

instrumental action dealing with death, that's also expressional and that may be charged with symbolic content expressing attitudes of the participants and onlookers.

civil union

legal relationship between 2 people of the same sex

class

social grouping in which members possess roughly equivalent culturally valued attributes

cohabitants

2 unrelated adults of opposite sex sharing the same living quarters

contemporary

living or happening in the same period

cultural assimilation

process by which a person or group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group

cultural relativism

emotional attitude that all cultures are equal and pertinent

cultural universal

common traits or patterns found in all cultures

culture

rules, ideas and beliefs shared by members of society of and for living and dying, which are learned directly and indirectly

customs

social behavior as dictated by the tradition of the people

demographic

science of vital statistics, or of births, deaths, marriages, etc. of populations

direct learning

acquiring of the culture by a person through deliberate instruction by other members of that society

egalitarian

male and female have equal rights, duties, and governing power

enculturation

method by which the social values are internalized(learned)

ethnic

any of the basic divisions or groups of humankind distinguished by customs, characteristics and languages, rather than physical characteristics of race

ethnocentrism

emotional attitude that one's own race, nation, group, or culture is superior to all others

extended (joint) family

household/family unit consisting of FATHER and MOTHER , all their children (except married daughters) their son's wives and children (except married daughters)

folkways

behaviors which are constructed as somewhat less compulsive than mores of the same society, and do not call for a strong reaction from society if violated

funeral rites

any funeral event performed in a prescribed manner

funeral service

rites with the body present

funeral service sociology

science of social groups and its effects on funeral practices and disposition

funeralization

process involving all activities associated with the funeral rite, or the process of planning and executing a service

humanistic funeral rite

funeral rite that is in essence devoid of religious connotation

immediate disposition

completely devoid of any form of funeral rite at time of disposition

indirect learning

process by which a person learns the norms of his or her culture by observation of others in his/her society

industrialization

individual crafting of products is replaced by manufacture of goods utilizing mass production techniques

laws

rules of action prescribed or enforced by an authority able to enforce its will

matriarchal

family gov. where the mother or the oldest adult female possesses power and the right of decision making

memorial service

funeral rites with the body not present

mobility

state or quality of being mobile; the ability to move from place to place readily

modern

characteristic of the present or recent times

modified extended family

household/family unit created by related nuclear families and/or friendships

mores

must behavior; basic and important patterns of ideas and acts of a people as related to treatment of the dead, which calls for a strong reaction from society if violated (example: Necrophilia)

neo-localism

movement of families from the area in which they were born

non-traditional funeral rite

funeral rite that deviates from the normal or prescribed circumstances of est. custom

norms

group held belief about how members should behave in a given context

nuclear family

household/family unit consisting of 1 man and 1 woman married to each other and their children if any

patriarchal

father rules the family; power is passed to the oldest male child

religion

culturally entrenched pattern of behavior made up of 1)sacred beliefs 2)emotional feelings accompanying the beliefs 3)overt conduct presumably implementing the beliefs and feelings

rite

any event performed in a solemn and prescribed manner (funeral)

ritual

any single action or series of actions performed during a rite which contains symbolic meaning to the participants and observers of the rite

rules

specified methods of procedure

single parent family

family unit consisting of 1 adult, his/her children

social function

event that allows individuals to gather as a community for sharing a common purpose

social mobility

movement of a person or family within the social classes of their society

social stratification

categorization of people by money, prestige, and power; a ranking of social status (position) in groups such as upper, middle, and lower

society

group of persons forming a single community with some interests in common

sociology

science of social groups; processes that tend to maintain or change these forms of organizations and the relations between the groups and individuals

subculture

division, or smaller identifiable unit of culture, having unique traits to itself

symbols

object or act that represents a belief or idea

taboos

a social prohibition of certain actions

traditional funeral rite

funeral rite that follows a prescribed ritual or ceremony that may be dictated either by religious belief or social custom

urbanization

change from the rural to urban in character