Key Concepts in Sociology: A Comprehensive Overview

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Studies employing quantitative methods are often statistically sophisticated.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research studies prioritize interpretive observation.

Sociological Paradigms

Symbolic Interactionism

This paradigm emphasizes interaction and meaning as central to society. It assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction.

Conflict Theory

This paradigm posits social conflict as the basis of society and social change. It emphasizes a materialistic view of society, a critical view of the status quo, and a dynamic model of historical change. This perspective highlights the role of power and coercion in producing social order.

Structural Functionalism

This paradigm assumes that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures.

Dramaturgy

Erving Goffman's theoretical paradigm uses the metaphor of the theater to understand how individuals present themselves to others.

Key Sociological Concepts

Anomie

"Normlessness" describes the alienation and loss of purpose resulting from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change. It is the condition existing when social regulation (norms) in a society break down.

Material Culture

This consists of objects created in a society, such as the desk you sit at when studying.

Non-Material Culture

This consists of non-tangible things such as the norms, laws, customs, values, beliefs, and ideas of a group of people.

Norms

These are the specific cultural expectations for how to act in a given situation.

Dominant Culture

This is the culture of the most powerful group in a society.

Sociological Research Methods

Participant Observation

In this method, the sociologist becomes a part of the group being studied and observes the behavior of the group members.

Content Analysis

This method measures cultural artifacts by analyzing what people write, say, see, and hear. It involves analyzing meanings in cultural artifacts such as books, songs, and other forms of cultural communication.

Inductive Reasoning

This is the process of arriving at general conclusions from specific observations.

Deductive Reasoning

This is the process of creating specific research questions about a focused point, based on a more general or universal principle.

Levels of Sociological Analysis

Macroanalysis

This approach takes the broadest view of society by studying large patterns of social interaction that are vast, complex, and highly differentiated. It analyzes the whole of society, how it is organized, and how it changes.

Social Solidarity

Mechanical Solidarity

This refers to unity based on similarity of roles, values, and sacred beliefs. Members play similar roles within the society.

Organic Solidarity

This refers to unity based on role differentiation, not similarity. People have many different roles, and roles are highly differentiated.

Types of Societies

Postindustrial Society

This type of society is economically dependent upon the production and distribution of services, information, and knowledge.

Social Status and Roles

Status

This is an established position in a social structure that carries a degree of social rank or value (prestige).

Role

This is the expected behavior associated with a particular status.

Key Sociological Experiments

Milgram Experiment

This experiment tested whether a document could be routed via the U.S. postal system to a complete stranger more than 1000 miles away using only a chain of acquaintances.

Tuskegee Syphilis Study

This study examined men with syphilis to determine the progression of the disease. The subjects were unknowingly part of a study that withheld treatment, representing a clear ethical violation in the history of science.

Social Groups

Primary Group

This type of group is characterized by intimate, face-to-face interaction and relatively long-lasting relationships.

Groupthink

This is the tendency for group members to reach a consensus at all costs, often leading to unintended and disastrous consequences in group decision-making.