IQRA IAS Class 11 Book 1 Society Chapter 2

Chapter 2
Terms, Concepts and their use in Sociology

INTRODUCTION
Every discipline has a certain set of terms and corresponding concepts that will helps in learning and understanding
the discipline clearly. Terms can be a word or phrase used to describe a thing or express a concept, especially in a
brand of study.
Concepts on the other hand is an abstract idea that helps to explain or conceptualize a term to gain better
understating of the subject matter of study.
Terms will be universal in nature and everyone associated with the brand of study will be familiar with it. However,
concepts can be of different kinds based on different ideas.
Sociology as a discipline is marked by different ways of understanding society and abrupt social changes brought due
to modernisation.
Sociological concepts help in defining as well as in understanding social realities.It becomes all the more important
to discuss sociological terms so as to distinguish what they mean from commonsensical usage which may have
varied meanings and connotations.
Social Group
A social group is a collection of two or more persons who continuously interact and share
common interests and a sense of loyalty within a given society. It has the following
characteristics:
Persistent A shared sense of

interaction among belonging amongst Shared interests.
its members. its members.
Acceptance of Membership of the

Common norms group may be
and values. formal or informal.
SOCIAL GROUP QUASI GROUP
• Social group, any set of human • A quasi group is an aggregate or
beings who either are, recently combination, which lacks structure
have been, or anticipate being in or organisation, and whose
some kind of interrelation. The term members may be unaware, or less
group, or social group, has been aware, of the existence of
used to designate many kinds of groupings.
aggregations of humans. • Quasi groups lack sense of
• Social groups have sense of belongingness.
belongingness. • Ex- status groups, age and gender
• Ex- family, peers etc. groups, crowds
Types of Social Groups: It is the most well known classification given by
Cooley on the basis of size and type of relationship shared among its members .
Primary Group Secondary Group
• Primary group is small of people. • Secondary group is relatively large in
• It is characterized by intimate, face to size.
face, and emotional relationships. • It is marked by formal, and
• For example, family and peer group impersonal relationships.
• For example, Club, Residents
Welfare Association
Primary groups are “primary” because they are central in our lives and they play an
important role in influencing our lives. Very often Primary groups are formed within the orbit
of secondary groups. For example, a group of friends within an office.
Difference between In-Group and Out Group: not on basis of
size but sense of belonging/attachment
In-Group Out Group
• The group with which an • A group to which an individual feels
individual identifies no sense of belonging/
himself/herself, has a sense of identification.
belonging with. • It Is a “they/them-group”.
• It is a “us/we-group”. • There is a sense of indifference and
• There is a sense of attachment at times may be even hostility
members of In-group. towards members of out-group
• E.g., Students in a school • E.g., Migrants
Peer Group: A type of Primary group composed of individuals who are either of similar
age or who share a common profession . Peer group have a strong influence on the life of an
individual.
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
According to Giddens, social stratification refers to division of members of a society into different
social categories or strata which are ranked into a hierarchy, according to their relative power,
prestige and wealth.
According to Tumin, “Social stratification refers to arrangement of society into hierarchies of

strata of social categories that command unequal amounts of property, power and honour.”
Social stratification is not an individual fact, it is rather a social fact.
It refers to the ranking of a large number of individuals into hierarchically organized strata. It has
little to do with individual merit/abilities and more to do with socially patterned inequalities.
Every aspect of the life of every individual and household is affected by stratification.
Opportunities for health, security, educational success, fulfilment in work and political influence
are all unequally distributed in systematic ways.
Caste Class
Major systems of
stratification include:
Gender Slavery
Social Mobility:
It refers to the movement of individuals and groups between different socio-economic
positions.
:
Open and closed systems of stratification
Open System of Stratification Closed system of Stratification

• Social mobility is easy. • There is limited social mobility,if at all.
• Individual position in the society • Individual position is based on
depends on achieved status. ascribed status.
• It is prominent in modem societies. • It is prominent in traditional societies.
• Example – class • Example – caste, slavery
Class as a System of Stratification:
Class refers to a group based on sharing of similar economic resources, that is, wealth, income or
property.
Members of the same class share:
Similar economic interests so that they may form organizations. For example, Trade Unions
are formed by factory workers in an industrial society.
They share similar lifestyles.
They would also share similar life chances as they have similar kinds of access to health,
education etc.
Caste as a System of Stratification:

Caste refers to inequalities in terms of social honour/prestige.
Castes are ascriptive groups, membership to which is determined by birth.
Each caste is ranked as higher or lower as compared to the others in the social hierarchy.
STATUS AND ROLE
Status: It is refers to the position an individual occupies in a group or in society. Each status has
certain defined rights and duties assigned to it. Examples of status- Doctor, mother, teacher etc.
Status is of two
types
Ascribed Status Achieved Status

Achieved Status Ascribed Status
• It is achieved by an individual on merit • It is assigned to us on the basis of
and effort. birth, biological inheritance, parents’
status etc.
• It is based on individual’s choice. • A person does not choose this status.
• It can change qualifications, income • It is difficult to change status.
etc.
• It plays an important role in modern • It plays an important role in
societies. traditional societies.
• Eg. Class • Eg. Caste
MULTIPLE STATUS AND STATUS PROGRESSION:
In a modern complex society such as ours, an individual may occupy multiple statuses during the
course of his/her life. This is sociologically termed as status set. For example, you as a school
student may be a student to your teacher, a customer to your grocer, a passenger to the bus
driver, a brother or sister to your sibling and a patient to the doctor.
Individuals also acquires different status at various stages of life. This is called a status sequence
for it refers to the status, which is attained in succession or sequence at various stages of life.
For example, a son becomes a father, a grandfather, and then great grandfather and so on.
ROLE CONFLICT:
When there is incompatibility among roles corresponding to multiple statuses, it is referred to as
role conflict. It occurs when contrary expectations arise from two or more roles to be performed.
SOCIAL CONTROL
Social control refers to the various means used by a society to bring its recalcitrant (refusing) or
unruly members back into line. It is the social process, techniques and strategies by which the
behaviours of individuals or a group are regulated.
It can be the use of force to regulate the behaviour of the individuals or enforcement of values in
the individual to maintain order in society.
MEANS OF SOCIAL CONTROL
INFORMAL MEANS
FORMAL MEANS
It is personal, unofficial and
When the codified, systematic and
uncodified. They include smiles,
other formal mechanism of control
making faces, body language,
is used, it is known as formal social
frowns, criticism, ridicule, laughter
control
etc.
Need for social control:
Social control is essential for the existence of society. Every individual has a separate personality.
No two persons are
alike in their nature, ideas, interests, habits and attitudes. There is so much difference in the
ways of living of the people
that at every moment there is a possibility of clash between them. Therefore, social control is
necessary to protect the interests of all the people living in society.
IMPACT OF SOCIAL CONTROL:
Social control can be both positive and negative through sanctions. A sanction is a mode of
reward or punishment that reinforces socially expected forms of behaviour.
Members of societies can be rewarded for good and expected behaviour. On the other hand,
negative sanctions are also used to enforce rules and to restrain deviance.
IMPORTANT TERMS
DEVIANCE: Deviance refers to modes of action, which do not conform to the norms or values held
by most of the members of a group or society.
Role Stereotyping: It refers to reinforcing of certain roles. For example, the role of breadwinner
for the husband and that of homemaker for the wife is often stereotyped in ads and films.
Socialization: A process by which we learn to become members of society, by internalizing the

norms and values of society also by learning to perform our social roles.
Sanctions: A mode of reward or punishment that reinforces socially expected forms of behavior.
Norms: Written or unwritten rules of behavior which reflects cultural values.
Identity: Distinctive characteristics of a person or character of a group which relate to why they
are and what is meaningful to them.

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Chapter 2

Terms, Concepts and their use in Sociology

Persistent A shared sense of

Acceptance of Membership of the

According to Tumin, “Social stratification refers to arrangement of society into hierarchies of

Open System of Stratification Closed system of Stratification

Caste as a System of Stratification:

Castes are ascriptive groups, membership to which is determined by birth.

Ascribed Status Achieved Status

MEANS OF SOCIAL CONTROL

IMPACT OF SOCIAL CONTROL:

Socialization: A process by which we learn to become members of society, by internalizing the

Norms: Written or unwritten rules of behavior which reflects cultural values.

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