Introduction to Sociology Basics

When a society's tasks are divided among specialized groups, leading to greater efficiency and potential for advancement.

A complex social order characterized by industrialization, urbanization, and increasingly specialized division of labor.

The sense of unity and shared values that holds a society together.

A state of normlessness or confusion where societal norms are weak or absent, leading to social problems.

Durkheim's view that suicide rates, while seemingly individual acts, are influenced by social factors.

Durkheim identified four types: egoistic (low integration), altruistic (high integration), anomic (low regulation), and fatalistic (high regulation).

The degree to which individuals feel connected and accepted by their society.

The extent to which societal norms and regulations are clear and enforced.

The shift from traditional ways of thinking and acting to a more rational, means-to-ends approach, where individuals focus on efficiency and achieving goals.

These include distinctive institutions, large organizations, specialized tasks, personal discipline, awareness of time, technical competence, and impersonality.

A type of rationality focused on efficiency and profit maximization in economic activities.

A type of organization that emphasizes rules, procedures, and hierarchy to achieve efficiency.

A metaphor describing the stifling and dehumanizing effects of excessive bureaucracy, where individuals are trapped in a system of rules and regulations.

A period of intellectual and cultural transformation in 18th-century Europe, challenging traditional beliefs and emphasizing reason, science, and human progress.

The use of reason and logic to understand the world, rather than relying on tradition, faith, or authority.

The idea that economic factors primarily shape society's structure, social relations, and even ideas and beliefs.

The belief that individuals are independent and self-reliant, with unique rights and responsibilities.

The specific way a society organizes its economy, including the tools, resources, and relationships involved in producing goods and services.

The idea that society can continuously improve through human effort and innovation, particularly through science and reason.

The difference between the value of what workers produce and the wages they are paid, which is appropriated by the capitalists.

An economic system where private individuals own and control the means of production, and workers sell their labor for wages.

The working class, who do not own the means of production and must sell their labor to survive.

The awareness of one's social class and its shared interests, leading to collective action and potential social change.

Marx's model where the 'base' (economic system) shapes and determines the 'superstructure' (society's institutions, beliefs, and culture).

A state of estrangement or separation from one's work, products, fellow workers, and human nature, a consequence of capitalism according to Marx.

The conflict between different social classes, particularly the working class and the capitalist class, driven by competing interests over resources and power.

Transformations in the structure and organization of society, often triggered by social conflicts, technological advancements, or cultural shifts.

A management system that breaks down work into simple, repetitive tasks to increase efficiency, often criticized for its dehumanizing effects on workers.

The increasing dominance of logic, efficiency, and calculability in modern society, replacing traditional values and practices.

The hierarchical arrangement of social classes in Hong Kong based on factors such as income, wealth, occupation, and social status.

A set of values emphasizing hard work, thrift, and self-discipline, believed to be a key factor in the development of modern capitalism.

A society where the means of production (factories, land etc.) are owned by a small group of people (capitalists), who employ workers to produce goods and services for profit.

The relationship between capitalists and workers in a capitalist society is unequal, with capitalists benefiting from the surplus value created by workers' labor, while workers are paid less than the value they produce.

Workers in a capitalist society are alienated from their work in four ways: from the act of working, from the products of their labor, from other workers, and from their human potential.

The process in which the capitalist system increasingly divides society into two main classes: the proletariat (workers) and the capitalists (owners of production).

Small-scale business owners who, unlike large capitalists, are unable to compete and often end up joining the working class due to economic pressures.