Deviance
1. deviance- behavior that violates significant social norms
2. positive functions of deviance- clarify norms, unify the group, diffuse tension, promote social change,
provision of jobs
3. anomie- social condition in which people experience a sense of futility because social norms are weak,
absent or conflicting
4. strain theory- people feel strain when exposed to cultural goals that they are unable to obtain
because they do not have access to culturally approved means of achieving those goals
5. control theory- people conform because they have strong belief in moral codes, commitment to
traditional societal values and goals and are fully involved in nondeviant activities
6. cultural transmission theory- explains deviance as learned behavior; interaction primarily with others
engaging in deviance; norms and values are transmitted as deviant and individuals are socialized into
deviant behavior
7. differential association- frequency and closeness of association a person has with deviant and
nondeviant individuals
8. labeling theory- focuses on how those are labeled as deviant- powerful groups often label less
powerful as deviant
9. self-fulfilling prophecy- false definition of a situation evokes a new behavior which makes the original
false conception come true
10. What two categories is crime classified into- felony and misdemeanor
11. Two factors sociologists look at in order to classify crime- how the crime was committed and how
society views the offenses
12. Four categories of crime- conventional crime, white-collar crime, organized crime and political crime
Race and Ethnicity
13. race- category of people who have been singled out as inferior or superior often on the basis of real
or alleged physical characteristics, such as skin color, hair texture, eye shape or subjectively selected
attributes.
14. ethnic group- collection of people distinguished by others or by themselves, primarily on basis of
cultural or nationality characteristics.
15. majority group- (dominant) one that is advantaged and has superior resources and rights in society
16. minority group- members because of physical or cultural characteristics are disadvantaged and
subjected to unequal treatment by the dominant group and who regard themselves as objects of
collective discrimination.
17. prejudice- negative attitude based on faulty generalizations about members of selected racial and
ethnic groups
18. ethnocentrism- tendency to regard one’s own culture and group as standard and superior and other
groups as inferior
19. stereotype-overgeneralizations about the appearance, behavior or other characteristics of members
of particular categories
20. racism- set of attitudes, beliefs and practices that is used to justify the superior treatment of one
racial or ethnic group and the inferior treatment of another racial/ethnic group
21. scapegoat- person or group incapable of offering resistance to the hostility or aggression of others
22. discrimination- involves actions and practices of dominant group members having harmful impact on
members of subordinate group
23. individual discrimination- consists of one-on-one acts by members of the dominant group that harm
members of the subordinate group or their property
24. institutional discrimination- day to day practices of organizations and institutions that have harmful
impact on members of subordinate groups
25. cultural pluralism- allows each group within society to keep unique, cultural identity
26. assimilation- melting pot-blending of culturally distinct groups into single group
27. legal protection- legal steps taken to ensure rights of minorities are protected
28. segregation- policies that physically separate minority group from dominant group
29. de jure segregation- segregation based on laws
30. de facto segregation- segregation based on informal norms
31. subjugation- process when a minority group is denied equal access to the benefits of a society
32. slavery- ownership of one by another
33. population transfer- transferring of minority group to new territory
34. genocide- intentional destruction of entire targeted population
35. ethnic cleansing- combination of population transfer and extermination
36. self-fulfilling prophecy- expectation that leads to behavior that causes the expectation to become a
reality
37. underclass- people living in poverty who are either continuously unemployed or underemployed
38. hate crime- criminal act motivated by prejudice
39. hidden unemployment- unemployment that includes people who are not counted in traditional work
categories
Sex and Gender
40. Sex- refers to biological and anatomical differences between males and females
41. gender- refers to culturally and socially constructed differences between females and males found in
the meanings, beliefs and practices associated with “femininity and masculinity”
42. gender role- refers to attitudes, behavior and activities that are socially defined as appropriate for
each sex and learned through socialization.
43. sexism- subordination of one sex, usually female based on assumed superiority of the other sex
44. Where is gender-appropriate behavior learned and socialized from? – Parents, teachers, friends and
media
45. gender-segregated work- refers to the concentration of women and men in different occupations,
jobs and places of work
46. labor-market segregation- division of jobs into categories with distinct working conditions results in
women having separate and unequal jobs
47. pay gap- disparity between women and men’s earnings
48. Pay equity- (comparable worth)- belief that wages ought to reflect the worth of a job, not the gender
or race of the worker
49. ”second shift”- women having dual responsibilities of paid and unpaid work
50. Talcott Parsons- stated women’s roles as nurturers and caregivers and are even more pronounced in
contemporary industrialized societies- instrumental and expressive tasks
51.human capital- acquired by educational and job training; it is the source of a person’s productivity
and can be measured in terms of return on investment(wages) and cost (school or training)
51.feminism- belief that women and men are equal and they should be valued equally and have equal
rights
52. Four types of feminism- liberal, radical, socialist and African-American
Marriage and the Family
53. family- relationships in which people live together with commitment, form an economic unit and care
for any young and consider their identity to be significantly attached to group
54.kinship- social network of people based on common ancestry, marriage or adoption
55. family of orientation- family into which a person is born and in which early socialization takes place
56. family of procreation- family that person forms by having or adopting children
57.extended family- family unit composed of relatives in addition to parents and children who live in
same household
58. nuclear family- family composed of one or two parents and their dependent children; all of who live
apart from other relatives
59.marriage- legally recognized and or socially approved arrangement between 2 or more individuals that
carries certain rights and obligations and usually involves sexual activity
60.monogamy- marriage between two partners usually woman and man
61.polygamy- concurrent marriage of person of one sex with 2 or more members of the opposite sex
62. patrilineal descent- system of tracing descent through the father’s side of the family
63. matrilineal descent- system of tracing descent through the mother’s side of the family
64.patriarchal family- power in family held by eldest male
65.matriarchal family- power in family held by eldest female
66.egalitarian family- family structure in which both partners share power equally
67. endogamy- practice of marrying within one’s own group
68. homogamy- pattern of individuals marrying those who have similar characteristics such as
race/ethnicity, religion, age, education and social class
69.exogamy- marrying outside one’s own social group or category
70. heterogamy- marriage between people with differing social characteristics
71. blended family- family formed with children from a previous marriage
72. polyandry- marriage of one woman to two or men at the same time
73. polygyny- marriage of one man to two or more women at the same time
74. boomerang kids- young adults who live with their parents
75. dual-employed marriage- marriage in which both partners work for pay