SOC-1101 - MIDTERM EXAM (CH. 1-6) STUDY GUIDE
sociology - Answer -the systematic or scientific study of human society and social
behavior, from large-scale institutions and mass culture, to small groups and individual
interactions
society - Answer -a group of people who shape their lives in aggregated and patterned
ways that distinguish their group from others
beginner's mind - Answer -a technique for gaining sociological perspective by Bernard
McGrane that approaches the world without preconceptions in order to see things in a
new way
culture shock - Answer -a sense of disorientation that occurs when entering a radically
new social or cultural environment
sociological imagination - Answer -a quality of the mind that allows us to understand
the relationship between our individual circumstances and larger social forces
self, interaction, socialization, roles, groups, social inequality, social institutions, culture,
society - Answer -the Macro-Micro Continuum (smallest to largest)
theories - Answer -abstract propositions that explain the social world and make
predictions about the future
paradigms - Answer -a set of assumptions, theories, and perspectives that make up a
way of understanding social reality; bored theoretical models about how things work in
the social and natural worlds
Auguste Comte - Answer -the first to provide a program for the scientific study of
society; came up with the word "sociology"
positivism - Answer -a theory created by Comte that believe that sense perceptions are
the only valid source of knowledge
Harriet Martineau - Answer -a precursor to the naturalistic sociologists who would
establish the discipline in the U.S.; *translated Comte's 'Positive Philosophy' into
English*
Herbert Spencer - Answer -primarily responsible for the establishment of sociology in
Britain and the U.S.; believed that societies evolve through time by adapting to changing
conditions
social Darwinism - Answer -the application of the theory evolution and the notion of
"survival of the fittest" to the study of society
, structural functionalism - Answer -a paradigm based on the assumption that society is a
unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures
Émile Durkheim - Answer -the central figure in functionalist theory
mechanical solidarity - Answer -the type of social ponds present in the premodern,
agrarian societies in which shared traditions and beliefs created a sense of social
cohesion
organic solidarity - Answer -the type of social bonds present in modern societies, based
on differences interdependence and individual rights
anomie - Answer -"normalness;" the term used to describe the alienation and loss of
purpose that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change
solidarity - Answer -the degree of integration or unity within a particular society; the
extent to which individuals feel connected to other members of their group
collective effervescence - Answer -an intense energy in shared events where people
feel swept up in something larger than themselves
collective conscience - Answer -the shared and morals and beliefs that are common to
a group and that foster social solidarity
Robert Merton - Answer -the theorist that identified manifest and latent functions for
different social structures
manifest functions - Answer -the obvious, intended functions of a social structure for
the social system
latent functions - Answer -the less obvious, perhaps unintended functions of a social
structure
-its inclusion of all social institutions
-its ability to bring order to a potentially disorderly world - Answer -Advantages of
functionalism
-it takes the position that only dysfunction can create social change
-provides little insight into social processes because its model of society is static rather
than dynamic
- unsatisfying views and explanations of social inequality
-the mere persistence of an institution should not be seen as an adequate explanation
for its existence - Answer -Disadvantages of functionalism
sociology - Answer -the systematic or scientific study of human society and social
behavior, from large-scale institutions and mass culture, to small groups and individual
interactions
society - Answer -a group of people who shape their lives in aggregated and patterned
ways that distinguish their group from others
beginner's mind - Answer -a technique for gaining sociological perspective by Bernard
McGrane that approaches the world without preconceptions in order to see things in a
new way
culture shock - Answer -a sense of disorientation that occurs when entering a radically
new social or cultural environment
sociological imagination - Answer -a quality of the mind that allows us to understand
the relationship between our individual circumstances and larger social forces
self, interaction, socialization, roles, groups, social inequality, social institutions, culture,
society - Answer -the Macro-Micro Continuum (smallest to largest)
theories - Answer -abstract propositions that explain the social world and make
predictions about the future
paradigms - Answer -a set of assumptions, theories, and perspectives that make up a
way of understanding social reality; bored theoretical models about how things work in
the social and natural worlds
Auguste Comte - Answer -the first to provide a program for the scientific study of
society; came up with the word "sociology"
positivism - Answer -a theory created by Comte that believe that sense perceptions are
the only valid source of knowledge
Harriet Martineau - Answer -a precursor to the naturalistic sociologists who would
establish the discipline in the U.S.; *translated Comte's 'Positive Philosophy' into
English*
Herbert Spencer - Answer -primarily responsible for the establishment of sociology in
Britain and the U.S.; believed that societies evolve through time by adapting to changing
conditions
social Darwinism - Answer -the application of the theory evolution and the notion of
"survival of the fittest" to the study of society
, structural functionalism - Answer -a paradigm based on the assumption that society is a
unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures
Émile Durkheim - Answer -the central figure in functionalist theory
mechanical solidarity - Answer -the type of social ponds present in the premodern,
agrarian societies in which shared traditions and beliefs created a sense of social
cohesion
organic solidarity - Answer -the type of social bonds present in modern societies, based
on differences interdependence and individual rights
anomie - Answer -"normalness;" the term used to describe the alienation and loss of
purpose that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change
solidarity - Answer -the degree of integration or unity within a particular society; the
extent to which individuals feel connected to other members of their group
collective effervescence - Answer -an intense energy in shared events where people
feel swept up in something larger than themselves
collective conscience - Answer -the shared and morals and beliefs that are common to
a group and that foster social solidarity
Robert Merton - Answer -the theorist that identified manifest and latent functions for
different social structures
manifest functions - Answer -the obvious, intended functions of a social structure for
the social system
latent functions - Answer -the less obvious, perhaps unintended functions of a social
structure
-its inclusion of all social institutions
-its ability to bring order to a potentially disorderly world - Answer -Advantages of
functionalism
-it takes the position that only dysfunction can create social change
-provides little insight into social processes because its model of society is static rather
than dynamic
- unsatisfying views and explanations of social inequality
-the mere persistence of an institution should not be seen as an adequate explanation
for its existence - Answer -Disadvantages of functionalism
