help
bbbb
sociology
Keyboard Shortcuts
💡 Pro tip: Use keyboard shortcuts for faster studying!
Study Smart Tips for help
Master these concepts using proven study techniques that actually work:
Active Recall
Test yourself before flipping each card to strengthen memory retention
Spaced Repetition
Review difficult cards more frequently than easy ones
Multiple Sessions
Break study time into shorter, focused sessions
Explain Aloud
Verbalize answers to reinforce understanding
Questions Covered in This Set
79 cards to master
What is socioeconomic status (SES)?
An individual’s position in a stratified social order (your rank in society).
What is stratification?
The hierarchical organization of society into groups with different levels of power, prestige, and resources.
What is income?
Money received from work, transfers (gifts, inheritance, government aid), or investments.
What is wealth?
Total net worth: assets minus debts.
What is an hourglass economy?
A system with a small middle class, many low- and high-income jobs, and polarized wealth distribution.
What is an estate system?
A politically based stratification system with limited mobility tied to land and legal rights.
What is a caste system?
A rigid, birth-based system with no social mobility, often tied to religion.
What is a class system?
An economically based system with some social mobility, based on income and wealth.
What is a status hierarchy system?
A system based on social prestige (e.g., priests, soldiers).
What is an elite-mass dichotomy?
A system where a small elite holds power over the masses.
What is conflict theory?
Society is driven by competition over resources; stability comes from domination, not consensus.
What is dialectical materialism?
Social change occurs through internal conflict.
What did Weber argue vs Marx?
Inequality is also shaped by factors like religion, not just economics.
What is cultural fit?
Alignment between an individual’s values and an organization’s culture.
What is deviance?
Any violation of social norms.
What is crime?
A violation of laws (formal deviance).
What is informal deviance?
Minor norm violations without formal punishment.
What is social control?
Mechanisms that enforce conformity.
What are formal sanctions?
Official punishments (laws, penalties).
What are informal sanctions?
Unwritten social rules and expectations.
What is mechanical solidarity?
Social cohesion based on similarity.
What is organic solidarity?
Cohesion based on interdependence and differences.
What is punitive justice?
Punishing offenders to reinforce norms.
What is rehabilitative justice?
Reforming offenders based on circumstances.
What is recidivism?
Returning to criminal behavior after punishment.
What is stigma?
A negative label that changes identity and treatment.
What is secondary deviance?
Continued deviance after being labeled.
What is the UCR?
Police-reported crime data since 1929; uses hierarchy rule.
What is the NCVS?
Survey of households about crime victimization (excludes homicide).
What is the NIBRS?
Detailed crime data system without hierarchy rule.
What is strain theory?
Deviance occurs when people lack means to achieve societal goals.
What is a conformist?
Accepts goals and means.
What is a ritualist?
Rejects goals, accepts means.
What is an innovator?
Accepts goals, rejects means.
What is a retreatist?
Rejects both goals and means.
What is a rebel?
Rejects and seeks to replace both goals and means.
What is egoistic suicide?
Too little social integration.
What is altruistic suicide?
Too much social integration.
What is anomic suicide?
Too little regulation (norm breakdown).
What is fatalistic suicide?
Too much regulation (oppression).
What is labeling theory?
Labels shape identity and behavior over time.
What is primary deviance?
First act of rule-breaking.
What is secondary deviance?
Deviance after labeling.
What is broken windows theory?
Disorder encourages more deviance.
What is deterrence theory?
People avoid crime based on cost-benefit analysis.
What is a total institution?
A place controlling all aspects of life (e.g., prison).
What is the panopticon?
A model of surveillance where people self-regulate behavior.
What is endogamy?
Marrying within one’s group.
What is exogamy?
Marrying outside one’s group.
What is monogamy?
One partner.
What is polygamy?
Multiple spouses.
What is polyandry?
Multiple husbands.
What is polygyny?
Multiple wives.
What is the second shift?
Women doing housework after paid work.
What is the mental load?
Cognitive effort of managing household tasks.
What is a nuclear family?
Parents and children living together.
What is a kinship network?
Extended relationships by blood/marriage.
What is the cult of domesticity?
Belief women belong in the home.
What is cohabitation?
Living together without marriage.
What is a blended family?
Family with stepparents/stepchildren.
What is an extended family?
Family beyond nuclear unit.
What is Cherlin’s marriage paradox?
Marriage is less necessary but more meaningful.
What is material deprivation hypothesis?
Lack of resources harms child development.
What is economic segregation?
Separation of rich and poor communities.
What is the Aspen effect?
Workers live far from expensive job locations.
What is absolute poverty?
Inability to afford basic needs.
What is relative poverty?
Income below societal standard.
What is racism?
Belief in inherent racial inequality.
What is ethnicity?
Cultural identity chosen or expressed.
What is institutional racism?
Systemic inequality embedded in institutions.
What is ethnocentrism?
Judging others by one’s own culture.
What is symbolic ethnicity?
Optional expression of heritage (low risk).
What is racialization?
Assigning racial identity to a group.
What is prejudice?
Negative thoughts about a group.
What is discrimination?
Harmful actions based on prejudice.
What is an active bigot?
Prejudiced and discriminatory.
What is a timid bigot?
Prejudiced but not discriminatory.
What is an all-weather liberal?
No prejudice, no discrimination.
What is a fair-weather liberal?
Discriminates but claims not prejudiced.
