Term

Social Stratification Theories

Definition of Social Stratification Social stratification sorts people into groups like a ladder with different rungs. Each rung represents a certain level of money, power, or respect. It’s not about one person being better than someone else. It’s about how society places some groups higher or lower than others. Imagine a school where every student is part of a club, and each club gets... »

Social Statistics

What Are Social Statistics And Demographics? Social statistics are like the tools a detective uses to solve a mystery, except the mystery is how our society is doing. These statistics are the numbers that give us clues about things like how many babies are being born, how many people go to work each day, and how healthy people are. Imagine you’re trying to figure out what kind of town you li... »

Social Research Methods

Definition of Social Research Methods Social research methods are the tools that allow us to ask questions and find answers about the way people live. Imagine being a social detective, using these tools to solve the mysteries of human behavior, relationships, and communities. It’s similar to putting together a puzzle. As you gather more pieces (information), the picture of how we interact an... »

Social Psychology and Interpersonal Relationships

Definition of Social Psychology and Interpersonal Relationships Social psychology is like a toolkit that helps us understand why people behave in certain ways when they are around others. It’s about looking deeper into how the presence, thoughts, or expectations of other people can change our own thoughts, feelings, or actions. Imagine you’re in a classroom; you might sit quietly and p... »

Social Networks and Community

Definition of Social Networks and Community Imagine you’re holding a fishing net. Each knot in that net is a person like you, and the strings that connect those knots are the relationships between them. This is what a social network looks like: a big web connecting people through school, work, hobbies, or because they live close to each other. It’s a system of human connections that sh... »

Social Movements

Definition of Social Movements Let’s start super simple: Social movements are like teams of people who come together because they want to fix something they think is wrong or make something better in the world. Think of it like when you see something unfair, like a rule that doesn’t make sense, and you join with others to make a change. These movements are usually much bigger than just... »

Social Impacts of Technology

Social Impacts Of Technology Definition of Social Impacts Of Technology The social impacts of technology are like the waves you see in water after a stone is thrown in. Every piece of technology we use sends out waves that change how we live and behave. When you’re using your phone or playing a video game, think about how different that is from what people did for fun 50 years ago. Technolog... »

Social Group Dynamics

What are Social Group Dynamics? Imagine you’re part of a sports team where everyone plays a unique role, much like individuals in a social group with diverse personalities, skills, and backgrounds. Social group dynamics are the invisible patterns and forces that shape how we interact within these groups. It’s the study of individual behaviors, interpersonal relationships, power structu... »

Social Constructivism

Definition of Social Constructivism Social constructivism is a way of looking at how people create knowledge together. Here’s one way to think about it: You know how you put together a puzzle by combining different pieces until you see the whole picture? That’s what we do with what we learn. Everyone we meet shares a little bit of what they know—like pieces of a puzzle. When we put the... »

Social Change Theories

Definition of Social Change Theories Imagine you live in a neighborhood where everyone knows each other’s names and hangs out together. Now picture a time when that same neighborhood turns into a bustling city with skyscrapers and subway trains. That’s social change – how our lives and communities transform over time. Social change theories try to explain why and how these transformati... »