AQA Sociology Key Terms

are the various organised social arrangements which are found in all societies

refers to the social institutions and social relationships that form the building blocks of society

the absence of bias or preconceived ideas, it implies that we can look at things as they really are without our opinions or values getting in the way

means sociologists should try not to let their prejudices and beliefs influence the way they carry out their research and interpret evidence

the process whereby people learn the attitudes, values and actions appropriate for individuals as members of a particular culture

everything learned and shared by a society or group of people and transmitted from generation to generation through socialisation

the individuals sense of self which is influenced by socialisation and interactions with others

are the patterns of behaviour which are expected from individuals in society

are peoples patterns of behaviour which others copy and model their own behaviour on

difficulties that occur when incompatible expectations arise from two or more social positions held by the same person

are beliefs about what is right or wrong in a particular society which set standards that should be maintained

are official legal rules that are formally enforced and involve legal punishment if broken

are social rules that define the correct and acceptable behaviour in a society or social group which people should conform to

are norms which have lasted from a long time and have become a part of societies tradition

the techniques and strategies for preventing deviant human behaviour in any society

is the failure to conform to social norms

penalties and rewards for conduct concerning a social norm

a group of people who share a similar economic situation which was used by max weber

is a flow of money which people obtain from work from their investments or from the state

is property in the form of assets which can be sold and turned into the cash for the benefit of the owner

are the chances of obtaining things that are classed as desirable as well as avoiding those that are defined as undesirable in society

movements of individuals or groups up or down the social hierarchy from one social class to another

consists of those who are the main owners of societies wealth

consists of those in non manual work jobs that are usually in an office

consists of those working in manual jobs like factory or labouring work

made up of those who are cut off or excluded from the rest of society

can refer to the role someone holds in society or the amount of social importance a person has in the eyes of other members in a group or society

is status given by birth or family background which usually cannot be changed by individuals

is status that is achieved by an individuals own efforts or talents

refers to the shared culture of a social group which gives its members a common identity in some ways different from that of other social groups

is a social group which shares a cultural identity which is different from that of the majority population of a society

refers to the culturally created differences between men and women which are learnt through socialisation

refers to the biological differences between men and women as opposed to culturally created gender differences

a way of looking at something

involves a set of theories which influences what is looked at when studying society

is a perspective that is concerned with the overall structure of society and sees individual behaviour being moulded by social institutions

focuses on the large scale structure of society as a whole rather than on individuals

a sociological perspective that sees society as being made up of parts which work together to maintain society as an integrated whole

are the basic needs that must be met if society is to survive

is a general agreement around the main values and norms of any society

is a structural theory of society which sees society divided by conflict between two main opposing classes due to private ownership of the means of production

the key resources necessary for producing societies goods

the forms of relationship between the people involved in production and those who control production so cooperation or private ownership and control

is a set of ideas values and beliefs that represent the outlook and justifies the interests of a social group

is the extra value added by workers to the products they produce which after allowing for wages goes to the employer as profit

the class that is made up of the owners of the means of production in industrial societies whose primary goal is to make a profit

the social class of workers who have to work for wages as they do not own the means of production

a persons capacity to work people sell their labour power to an employer and receives wages in return

is the conflict that arises between different social classes

is the social class who own the means of production and whose power over the economy gives them power over all parts of society

is the set of ideas and beliefs of the most powerful groups in society which influences the ideas of the rest of society

is a failure by members of a social class to recognise their real interests

is an awareness in members of a social class of their real interests

refers to an equal society without social classes or class conflict where the means of production belong to everyone

are the same as interpretivist theories

emphasise the creative action people can take instead of seeing themselves as passive victims of social forces outside of them

the idea that peoples behaviour is moulded by their social surroundings and that they have little free will choice or control over how they behave

focuses on small groups or individuals rather than on the structure of society as a whole

is a sociological perspective which is concerned with understanding human behaviour in face to face situations

the process of attaching a definition or meaning to an individual or group

is an approach between structuralism and social action theory that suggests that even though people are constrained by social institutions they are still able to have choice and even support or change the institutions

a sociological perspective and political movement that focuses on womens oppression and the struggle to end it

emphasises the way in which women are doubly exploited as workers and women

focuses on the problems caused by men and male domination under patriarchy

is a system in which males dominate in every area of society

focuses on measures to ensure that women have equal opportunities with men in society

stresses individual freedom, self-help and self-reliance

the reduction of the states power and spending

of a free market and allowing free competition between private companies, schools and other institutions

stresses that society is changing rapidly and constantly leading to chaos, uncertainty and risk

that society is fragmented into many different groups, interests and lifestyles

is a broad all embracing theory or explanation for how societies operate

is something that is seen as being harmful to society in some way and needs something doing to sort it out

is any social issue that needs explaining

refers to packages of plans and actions adopted by national and local government to solve social problems or achieve other goals that are seen as important