Sociology is the systematic study of society and social interaction. In order to carry out their studies, sociologists identify cultural patterns and social forces and determine how they affect individuals and groups. They also develop ways to apply their findings to the real world.
figuration the process of simultaneously analyzing the behaviour of an individual and the society
that shapes that behaviour
formal sociology a sociology that analytically separates the contents from the forms of social
interaction to study the common forms that guide human behaviour
function the part a recurrent activity plays in the social life as a whole and the contribution it
makes to structural continuity
functionalism (functionalist perspective) a theoretical approach that sees society as a structure
with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of individuals that make
up that society
historical materialism an approach to understanding society that explains social change, human
ideas, and social organization in terms of underlying changes in the economic (or material)
structure of society
idealism an approach to understanding society that emphasizes that the nature of society and
social change is determined by a society’s ideas, knowledge, and beliefs idealist one who
believes in idealism
interpretive sociology a perspective that explains human behaviour in terms of the meaning’s
individuals attribute to it
labelling a social process in which an individual’s social identity is established through the
imposition of a definition by authorities’ latent functions the unrecognized or unintended
consequences of a social process
law of three stages the three stages of evolution that societies develop through: theological,
metaphysical, and positive macro-sociology a wide-scale view of the role of social structures
within a society manifest function sought consequences of a social process
mechanical solidarity social solidarity or cohesion through a shared collective consciousness with
harsh punishment for deviation from the norms
metaphysical stage a stage of social evolution in which people explain events in terms of
abstract or speculative ideas micro-sociology the study of specific relationships between
individuals or small groups
mode of production the way human societies act upon their environment and its resources in
order to use them to meet their needs multi-perspectival science a science that is divided into
competing or diverse paradigms
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