Social reaction theory proposes that deviant behavior is not inherent to an act itself, but rather it’s the social audience that labels certain behaviors or individuals as deviant. Once labeled deviant, a person tends to take on the ascribed role and engage insecondary deviance. Social Reaction Theory suggests that the criminal justice system and other social institutions, such as the media, play a significant role in creating and reinforcing criminal identities....

On This Page:Toggle On This Page: Key TakeawaysThe term social stratification refers to how societies categorize people based on factors such as wealth, income, education, family background, and power.Social stratification exists in all societies in some form. However, it is easier to move up socially in some than others. Societies with more vertical social mobility have open stratification systems, and those with low vertical mobility have closed stratification systems.The importance of stratification is that those at the top of the hierarchy have greater access to scarce resources than those at the bottom....

Socialization is the lifelong process of an individual or group learning the expected norms and customs of a group or society through social interaction. Socialization is a continuous process that begins at birth and continues throughout our lives. Through it, people develop a sense of self and learn to become members of their society (Cromdal, 2006). The two largest differentiations made betweentypes of socializationare primary socialization and secondary socialization, but sociologists have also conceptualized socialization along the axes of organization, distance, and development (Cromdal, 2006)....

Key Takeaways Introduction to Subcultural Theories As a result, criminologists must define the cultural codes and traits that define that subculture such as codes of speech and conduct, styles of dress, shared emotions, and common problems — and, in turn, investigate the ways in which criminality within the subculture can offer members of the subculture a solution to a shared problem. Subcultural theory emphasizes how criminals, in their own view, do not act criminally....

Key Takeaways Although deviant labels are sticky and difficult to shake, it is sometimes possible for an individual to turn what could have been a negative identity into a positive one. John Kitsuse (1980) calls this tertiary deviance. For example, someone may justify stealing a loaf of bread or a wallet, complaining that the prices of these are criminally high. Lemert (1951) was one of the first to define the concept of primary andsecondary deviance....

The first agent of socialization is the family. It’s where a child first learns norms, values, and behaviors that shape their understanding of the world.Key TakeawaysThe family is the first agent of socialization because they have the first and greatest contact with the child. A child’s socialization begins at birth and continues throughout his or her lifetime through the other agents of socialization, such as school, and mass media.Children learn norms, values, beliefs, and attitudes through both....

On This Page:ToggleTheoryExperimentStagesExamplesHow to Use On This Page:Toggle On This Page: Key Takeaways History of the Pygmalion Effect Pygmalion, in the story, was a sculptor from Cyprus who ended up falling in love with an ivory statue of a woman he had made (Ovid, 2008). Centuries later, George Bernard Shaw’s playPygmalionwould convey the point as well. In it, Liza explains: “the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she’s treated” (Shaw, 1912)....

Transnational Corporations, also known as Multinational Corporations, are large business enterprises involved in foreign investments, the production of goods or services, or asset and income management in several different countries.Key TakeawaysThese corporations often spread out their various divisions, such as Research & Development, Assembly, Production, Sales, and Administration over different parts of the globe.Examples of TNCs include Mcdonalds, Facebook, Apple, SKY News, Unilever, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Apple.Due to the consolidation of management, decreases in costs stemming from high output levels, and increases in market share, TNCs can easily gain horizontal and vertical economies of scale....

On This Page:ToggleWhat Does Meritocracy Mean In Society?Meritocracy In EducationDoes Meritocracy Fuel Social Inequality?The Myth of Meritocracy On This Page:Toggle On This Page: Meritocracy is an ideology wherein those who work hard are rewarded for their ability and efforts. From a sociological perspective, the meritocratic system believes that successful people are fully deserving of such. A meritocratic society is one where jobs and pay are allocated to individuals based on their talent and achievement rather than theirascriptive factors, like social class, gender, ethnicity, or wealth....

On This Page:ToggleDefinitionPurposeTypesStagesFAQs On This Page:Toggle On This Page: The socialization process is a semi-conscious one, in that the primary agency of socialization, the family, would not necessarily see itself in this role, while some secondary socialization agencies such as education are deliberately set up for this purpose. The socialization process is never total, as the young take on some lessons, but reject, adapt, or expand on others. In this way, societies retain some of the continuity but also progress....

The term value consensus refers to the extent to which individuals within a social structure share the same values. In Durkheim’s view, a society functions well when there is an agreement among the people within it about the structure of beliefs in a society. In other words, value consensus is a measure of the agreement within a group on what is seen as, say, virtuous, heinous, or evil. The concept of value consensus has its roots in sociology and anthropology, where it has been studied extensively....

On This Page:ToggleFeminismInterpretivismThe New RightPostmodernism On This Page:Toggle On This Page: This means that sociologists should aim to observe, describe, and explain social phenomena without letting their own biases or preconceived notions influence their findings. In other words, value-free sociologists should strive to present the facts as they are, not as they think they should be. They should aim to provide an objective, unbiased view of the social world, regardless of their own personal beliefs or values....

On This Page:ToggleTypes of ValuesFunctions of Social ValuesExample of Social ValuesSources of Values On This Page:Toggle On This Page: In sociology, values are the beliefs that we have about what is important, both to us and to society as a whole. They can be implicit or explicit (stated directly). Values help us to decide what is right or wrong, good or bad.Values comprise culturally constructed goals, presented as legitimate objects for attainment to a diverse array of individuals in a society....

The means of production are the facilities, tools, infrastructure, resources, and assets used to produce goods and services in an economy. They include factories, machinery, technology, land, raw materials, transportation, and any other equipment or infrastructure that goes into production. Key Takeaways a large factory to illustrate the means of production History and Overview The means of production of a society refers to all of the physical and abstract elements, aside from people, that go into producing goods and services....

On This Page:ToggleAcculturation TheoryAcculturative StressBehavioral ShiftsFAQs On This Page:Toggle On This Page: This can happen on an individual level, such as when someone moves to a new country and adopts the customs of their new home. Group of people in circle from diverse culture holding hands. Key Points Berry’s Acculturation Model Berry’s model of acculturation categorizes individual adaptation strategies across two dimensions. The first dimension is the degree of maintenance or change in one’s own culture....