Key terms

Attruistic suicide In Durkheim's view, a suicide that results when the individual places the group's wel­fare above his or her own survival.

Anomic suicide In Durkheim's view, a suicide that re­sults from a society's lack of clear-cut rules of social behavior.

Anomie Durkheim's term for the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behav­ior has become ineffective.

Applied sociology The use of the discipline of sociology with the specific intent of yielding practical applica­tions for human behavior and organizations.

Basic sociology Sociological inquiry conducted with the objective of gaining a more profound knowledge of the fundamental aspects of social phenomena. Also known as pure sociology.

Clinical sociology The use of the discipline with the specific intent of altering social relationships and fa­cilitating change.

Conflict perspective A sociological approach which assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension among competing groups.

Dialectical process A series of clashes between con­flicting ideas and forces.

Dramaturgical approach A view of social interaction, popularized by Erving Goffman, under which peo­ple are examined as if they were theatrical perform­ers.

Dysfunction An element or process of society that may disrupt a social system or lead to a decrease in stability.

Egoistic suicide In Durkheim's view, a suicide that oc­curs when an individual feels little connection to the larger society and an absence of social constraints against self-destructive behavior.

Ethnomethodology A sociological approach which fo­cuses on how people view, describe, and explain shared meanings underlying everyday social life and social routines.

Fatalistic suicide In Durkheim's view, a suicide that occurs when the individual feels powerless owing to intolerable amounts of regulation.

Functionalist perspective A sociological approach which emphasizes the way that parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability.

Ideal type A construct or model that serves as a meas­uring rod against which actual cases can be evalu­ated.

Interactionist perspective A sociological approach which generalizes about fundamental or everyday forms of social interaction.

Latent functions Unconscious, covert, or unintended functions; hidden purposes.

Macrosociology Sociological investigation which con­centrates on large-scale phenomena or entire civili­zations.

Manifest functions Open, stated, and conscious func­tions.

Microsociology Sociological investigation which stresses study of small groups and often uses labora­tory experimental studies.

Middle-range theories Explanations of general behav­ior that are firmly rooted in research or observation and are sensibly restricted in their application.

Natural science The study of the physical features of nature and the ways in which they interact and change.

Nonverbal communication The sending of messages through the use of posture, facial expressions, and gestures.

Science The body of knowledge obtained by methods based upon systematic observation.

Social science The study of various aspects of human society.

Sociological imagination An awareness of the relation­ship between an individual and the wider society.

Sociology The systematic study of social behavior and human groups.

Theory In sociology, a statement or series of state­ments that uses concepts to explain problems, ac­tions, or behavior.

Typology A classification scheme containing two or more mutually exclusive categories (types) which is used by sociologists to better understand different forms of behavior.