Sociological Concepts
From ZuluNotes - Free Leaving Cert Notes
Sociology is the branch of knowledge that deals with the organisation and functioning of the human society. There are many words that are used to when discussing society.
- Society
- Norms
- Culture
- Status
- Values
- Socio- Economic Groupings
- Social Mobility
- Mores
- Primary Social Groups
- Secondary Social Groups
- Kinship
- Socialisation
- Social Institutions
- Primary Socialisation
- Kinship
Contents |
Society
is a group of people with a common culture or way of life
Norms
Patterns of behaviour that are regarded as "normal" eg. getting a job, going to school or college etc
Culture
The beliefs, behavioural patterns, institutions and way of life of a society passed on form one generation to the next
Status
The position that a person has relative to others in society
Values
The principles, attitudes and beliefs considered worthwhile by society
Socio-Economic Groups
The classification of people in society according to their social or economic standing
Social Mobility
Movement of people between classes in society due to social or economic reasons
Mores
The accepted standards, rules and customs of a particular group
Primary Social Groups
Small groups which include family, work colleagues, close friends and neighbours
Secondary Social Groups
- Larger groups
- More impersonal
- Not considered to be permanent groups
- Members do not see each other very often
- Eg.. Religious & Ethnic groups, pressure groups, voluntary organisations, trade union membership
Kinship
Family relationships based on blood relationships
Socialisation
Process by which a person becomes a full member of society through a series of learning activities e.g. values, language, activities
Social Institutions
- In society, certain customs or ways of life become established through time.
- Occurs to such an extent that they become expected patterns of behaviour
- Eg. marriage, religion, education ,the family
Primary Socialisation
During childhood, the family teaches the child how to fit into society, e.g activities, values, language and discipline
Roles
The expected behaviour of an individual according to his/her status or position
Kinship
Family relationships based on blood relations
