Flashcards for Social Organization
Topics 1-2:  Introduction, Status, and Role
(16 cards)

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Copyright © 2004 by Dennis O'Neil. All rights reserved.

The two broad social identity criteria or factors that people around the world use to create social groups.

kinship and non-kinship factors

The social identity criteria that becomes increasingly less important as a foundation for membership in educational, business, and government organizations as societies grow in size to hundreds of thousands of people and more. (Hint: think in terms of kinship versus the non-kinship factors.)

kinship

The term for the more obvious and easily discovered functions of institutions.

manifest functions

The term for the less apparent and more difficult to uncover functions of institutions.

latent functions

The general term for your relative social position within a group.

status

The general term for the part your society expects you to play in a given status.

role

The general term for a status that is acquired by doing something. For instance, someone acquires a criminal status by committing a crime.

achieved status

The general term for a status that is the result of being born into a particular family or being born male or female. For instance, the son of a king inherits the status of prince.

ascribed status

The general term for the kind of status (achieved or ascribed) that a woman acquires by the death of her husband—i.e., widow.

ascribed status

The general term for the kind of status (achieved or ascribed) that a U.S. citizen acquires by being elected to Congress.

achieved status

The general term for the kind of status (achieved or ascribed) that is culturally most often admired and reinforced outside of the family In North America today. (Hint: think about the fact that most American parents encourage their children to be independent, self-reliant, and to “better themselves” in life.)

achieved status

The general term for the kind of status (achieved or ascribed) that has been culturally most often reinforced In India over the last 3,000 years and permeates most areas of life even today. (Hint: think about the Indian caste system.)

ascribed status

The general kind of status (achieved or ascribed) reinforced by a society in which there is very little social mobility.

ascribed status

The general term for the carefully ranked, rigidly hereditary social divisions of society in India. (Hint: these divisions are reinforced by the Hindu religion and historical traditions.)

castes (or varnas)

The highest caste in India. (Hint: this was traditionally the caste of priests and teachers.)

Brahman

The term in India used to refer to people who are below the 4 main castes in terms of status. (Hint: they are generally considered to be "polluted" laborers who do the dirtiest, poor paying jobs.)

scheduled castes (also called untouchables and Harijan)