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Social

Specialty Definition: Social

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Specialty Definition: Social

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The adjective "social" implies that the verb or noun to which it is applied is somehow more communicative, cooperative, and moderated by contact with human beings, than if it were omitted. That is, it implies that larger society has played some role in defining the idea or the principle. For instance terms like social realism, social justice, social constructivism, social psychology and social capital imply that there is some social process is involved or considered that is not there in regular, "non-social", realism, justice, constructivism, psychology, or capital.

It is sometimes applied in right-wing politics as a pejorative, that is, to imply that the idea or concept is inferior for having undergone this social process, which might be seen to be compromising. As if to validate this perception, in left-wing politics the adjective "social" is often taken to mean, simply, "good". What is not social is thus defined to be "bad" or at least to be investigated carefully before being accepted as truth or worthy of trust.

For these reasons, those seeking to avoid association with the left-right political debates often seek to label their work with phrases that do not include the word "social". An example is quasi-empiricism in mathematics which is sometimes labelled social constructivism by those who see it as an unwarranted intrusion of social considerations in mathematical practice, which is supposed to be "objective" and "above" social concerns.

See also: racial, global, political, international, society

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Social."

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Social capital

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Social capital "refers to the collective value of all "social networks" and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other." - Robert Putnam The term "capital" is used by analogy with other forms of economic capital.

Social capital can be thought of as being positive or negative. Horizontal networks of individual citizens and groups that enhance community productivity and cohesion are said to be positive social capital assets whereas self-serving exclusive gangs and hierarchical patronage systems that operate at cross purposes to communitarian interests can be thought of as negative social capital burdens on society.

The concept of social capital in a Chinese social context has been closely linked with the concept of guanxi.

See also:

• Reed's law
• Pierre Bourdieu, who used social capital in a similar way

External links

• http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/scapital/
• http://www.cpn.org/sections/tools/models/social_capital.html
• http://www.lho.org.uk/meth/socap.htm

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Social capital."

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Social change

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Social changes are any form of change seen in the society that has a significant meaning in history, economies and politics. Among them are revolutions and paradigm shift.

Causes of social changes are studied on the field of sociology. Conflict theories contests that the seek of conflicting interests by individuals and groups ultimately create social changes. For example, industrial revolution can be explained by this.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Social change."

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Social class

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

A social class is a group of people that have similar social and economic status.

At various times the division of society into classes has had various levels of support in law. At one extreme we find old Indian classes - castes, which one could neither enter after birth, nor leave. (Though this applied only in relatively recent history.) On the other extreme there exist classes in modern Western societies which appear very fluid and have little support in law. When sociologistss speak of "class" they usually mean economically based classes in modern or near pre-modern society.

In Marxist terms a class is a group of people with a specific relationship to the means of production (social production). Marxists explain history in terms of a war of classes between those who control social production and those who produce social goods. In the Marxist view of capitalism this is a conflict between capitalists (bourgeoisie) and workers (proletariat).

Modern usage of the word "class" generally considers only the relative wealth of individuals or social groups, and not the ownership of the means of production.

The sociologist Max Weber formulated a three-component theory of stratification, with class, status and party (or politics) as conceptually distinct elements.

• Class is based on relationship to the market (owner, rentier, employee etc.)
• Status has to do with honour and prestige
• Party refers to factors having to do with affiliations in the political domain.

All three dimensions have consequences for what Weber called "life chances".

See also:

• proletariat, bourgeoisie, working class, middle class, intelligentsia
• politics, sociology
• Class warfare

The concept of "caste" differs from that of "class", and refers to rigid status groupings, the membership of which is usually inherited. Particular caste groups include:

• the Burakumin of Japan
• the Dalits ("untouchables") of India

For other meanings of the word class, see Class.

Further reading

• Consumer's Republic, Lizabeth Cohen, Knopf, 2003, hardcover, 576 pages, ISBN 0375407502 (An analysis of the working out of class in the United States)

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Social class."

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Social history

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Social history is an area of historical study considered by some to be a social science that attempts to view historical evidence from the point of view of developing social trends. In this view, it may include areas of economic history, legal history and the analysis of other aspects of civil society that show the evolution of social norms, behaviors and mores. It is distinguished from political history, military history and the so-called history of great white men. While proponents of history from below and the French annales school of historians have considered themselves part of social history, it is seen as a much broader movement among historians in the development of historiography. Unlike other approaches, it tries to see itself as a synthetic form of history not limited to the statement of so-called historical fact but willing to analyse historical data in a more systematic manner.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Social history."

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Social justice

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Social justice (civil justice) is a concept largely based in various social contract theories. Most variations on the concept hold that as governments are instituted among populations for the benefit of members of those populations, those governments which fail to see to the welfare of their citizens are failing to uphold their part in the social contract and are, therefore, unjust. The concept usually includes, but is not limited to, upholding human rights; many variants also contain some beliefs concerning more equitable distributions of wealth and resources.

The term "social justice" is generally so phrased in order to distinguish the particular concept from concepts of justice in law—some of which, according to their critics, are decidedly unjust in a social sense—and from concepts of justice as embedded in systems of morality which may differ between cultures.

"Social Justice" is one of the Four Pillars of the Green Party upheld by the worldwide green parties. As stated by several local branches, this is the principle that all persons are entitled to "basic human needs", regardless of "superficial" differences such as economic disparity, class, gender, race, ethnicity, citizenship, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability, or health. This includes the eradication of poverty and illiteracy, the establishment of sound environmental policy, and equality of opportunity for healthy personal and social development.

External Link

http://www.europeangreens.org/info/globalgreencharter.html

See also: criminal justice

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Social justice."

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Social psychology

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The experimental study of social behavior and psychological processes associated with social cognition, social behavior, and groups. One of the most famous experiments in social psychology was the Milgram experiment.

Social Psychology bridges the gap between the sociological paradigm of symbolic interactionism and the study of psychology.

Some of the basic questions are:

• How do small group dynamics impact cognition and emotional states?
• How do social groups control or contribute to behavior, emotion, or attitudes of the individual members?
• How does the group impact the individual?
• How does the individual operate within the social group?

See also

Point of no return

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Social psychology."

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Social sciences

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The social sciences comprise the scientific study of the human aspects of the world. They are also known as social studies.

Psychology studies the human mind, sociology examines human society, political science studies the governing of groups and economics concerns itself with the allocation of wealth in society. Social sciences diverge from the humanities in that the social sciences emphasise the scientific method or other rigorous standards of evidence in the study of humanity.

The main social sciences include:

• Economics, allocation of wealth
• Political Science
• Psychology, human mind
• Linguistics
• Sociology

Anthropology and History are sometimes classified as social sciences or as humanities. Furthermore, anthropology is sometimes classified as a natural science.

Non-traditional approaches to social sciences include:

• Memetics
• Sociobiology

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Social sciences."

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Social welfare

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

In common American (US) parlance, social welfare is a synonym for the provision of financial aid in the form of social security.

However, in other parts of the world, social welfare includes the provision of a wide range of social services provided by the state that benefit individual citizens. In most these are considered natural rights, and indeed that position is borne out by the UN Convention on Social and Economic Rights and other treaty documents. Accordingly many refer to welfare within a context of social justice, making an analogy to negative rights of fair treatment or restraint in criminal justice.

Access to such services is usually on the basis of provable need, rather than simple lack of ability to pay for services. These services are often provided free of charge, or at a nominal fee, with the state, ultimately the taxpayer, picking up the majority of the cost. Typical social welfare services include:

• Government controlled or regulated, often compulsory, Superannuation savings schemes.
• Government controlled or regulated, often compulsory, social insurance schemes, often based on income, to pay for the social welfare service being provided. These are often incorporated into the taxation system and may be inseparable from income tax.
• Pensions or other financial aid, including Social Security and tax relief, to those with low incomes or inability to meet basic living costs, especially those who are raising children, elderly, unemployed, injured, sick or disabled.
• Free or low cost nursing, medical and hospital care for those who who are sick, injured or unable to care for themselves. This may also include free antenatal and postnatal care. Services may be provided in the community or a medical facility.
• Free or low cost education for all children, and financial aid, sometimes as a scholarship or pension, sometimes in the form of a suspensory loan, to students attending academic institutions or undertaking vocational training.
• The state may also fund or operate social work and community based organisations that provide services that benefit disadvantaged people in the community.

Child protection services are often considered part of the social welfare system, while the Police, legal assistance for those before the Courts, and other parts of the justice system are not. There are close links between social welfare and justice systems, often because they encounter the same people. The distinction is a matter of personal responsibility. Those involved in the social welfare system are generally unable to control or influence their own circumstances, while those in the justice system are generally responsible for the situation they find themselves in. Assistance given to those in the justice system is more about allowing an individual to receive fair treatment rather than social welfare. While being involved in the justice system often excludes an individual from social welfare assistance, those exiting the justice system, such as released prisoners, and families of those involved in the justice system are often eligible for social welfare assistance because of increased needs and increased risk of recidivism if the assistance is not provided. In some countries, improvements in social welfare services have been justified by savings being made in the justice system, as well as personal healthcare and legal costs.

States or nations that provide comprehensive social welfare programmes are often identified as having a welfare state. In such countries access to social welfare services is often considered a basic and inalienable right to those in need.

See also

• National Health Service.
• Social security.
• pauper's oath

In economics, social welfare refers to the overall utilitarian state of society. In practice, many economists use Pareto efficiency, a very conservative (in both senses) measure of social welfare, to determine which of two possible situations is preferable.

In order to reproduce utilitarian philosophy more faithfully in economic models, it is necessary to suppose the existence of a social welfare function, which specifies which situations are better than others, in terms of the resources held by everyone in society.

A crude social welfare function can be constructed by measuring the subjective dollar value of goods and services distributed to participants in the economy (see also consumer surplus). Means of actually measuring well-being have been proposed as an alternative to price indices, which are seen as promoting consumerism and productivism by many (even classical) economists.

The fields of welfare economics and human development theory explore these issues, and consider them fundamental to the development process itself.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Social welfare."

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Socialism

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Socialism can refer to a political doctrine, an economic theory, a vision of an ideal society, or a description of an actually existing society. In its broadest sense, socialism is a belief that human society can and should be organised along social lines - that is, for the benefit of all, rather than for the profit of a few, which it argued had been the case hitherto. Its key ideas are opposition to capitalism, and a belief in equality, both political and economic. The socialist view of social organisation is well encapsulated in the following saying (attributed to Marx): From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

Election poster for Eugene V. Debs, American Socialist Party candidate for President, 1904

Since the 19th century, socialist ideas have developed and separated into many streams, including anarchism, syndicalism, democratic socialism, evolutionary socialism, fabianism, Marxism, Leninism or Communism, Trotskyism, Maoism, Castroism, African socialism and Arab socialism. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, socialist thought has been in a deep crisis, and most formerly socialist parties have abandoned key socialist ideas. By the end of the 20th century, many critics of socialism were confidently predicting its demise.

The German National Socialist Party advocated Nationalsozialismus; likewise, other fascist parties have also used the word socialist in their names. However: "By majority consent of both socialists and non-socialists, National Socialism (Nazism) and kindred movements are not considered to be socialist." (Salvadori) Despite Salvadori's statement, some right-wing groups (which wish to discredit socialism) do refer to Nazism as being socialist.

This article continues at:

History of Socialism

See also:

• Socialist economics
• List of socialists

References

• (Massimo Salvadori, introduction to Modern Socialism, Harper, 1968.)

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Socialism."

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Society

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

simple:Society

An article on this topic is also available in Simple English.

A society is a group of humans that form a semi-closed system, in which most interactions are with other people belonging to the group. A society is a network of relationships between people. A society is an interdependent community.

The name was historically applied to the community formed by all the nationals of a country - a questionable idea now thanks to globalization. Some, like Margaret Thatcher, deny they exist at all. Societies are the main subject of study of social sciences.

Also, some groups apply the title "society" to themselves, as the "American Society of Mathematics". This is most common in commerce, in which a partnership between investors to start a business is usually called a "society".

See evolution of societies, Information society, social capital

Sources

1. Definition of Society (social)
2. Learning Commons - What is Culture ? - Glossary Item - Society

   Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Society."

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Sociology

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Sociology studies the social rules and processes that bind, and separate, people not only as individuals, but as members of associations, groups, and institutions.

Introduction

Sociology emerged in the 19th century as an academic response to the challenge of modernity: as the world is becoming smaller and more integrated, people's experience of the world is increasingly atomized and dispersed. Sociologists hoped not only to understand what held social groups together, but also to develop an "antidote" to social disintegration.

Today sociologists research macro-structures that organize society, such as race or ethnicity, class and gender, and institutions such as the family; social processes that represent deviation from, or the breakdown of, these structures, including crime and divorce; and micro-processes such as interpersonal interactions.

Sociologists often rely on quantitative methods of social research to describe large patterns in social relationships, and in order to develop models that can help predict social change and how people will respond to social change. Other branches of sociology believe that qualitative methods -- such as focussed interviews, group discussions and ethnographic methods -- allow for a better understanding of social processes.

History

Sociology is a relatively new study among other social science disciplines including economics, political science, anthropology, psychology

The term was coined by Auguste Comte, who hoped to unify all studies of humankind--including history, psychology and economics. His own sociological scheme was typical of the 18th century; he believed all human life had passed through the same distinct historical stages and that, if one could grasp this progress, one could prescribe the remedies for social ills.

In the end, Sociology did not replace the other social sciences, but came to be another of them, with its own particular emphases in terms of subject matter and methods. Today, Sociology studies humankind's organizations and social institutions, largely by a comparative method. It has concentrated particularly on the organization of complex industrial societies.

Major Branches

• functionalism
• structuralism
• conflict theory
• interactionism or Social Action theory and symbolic-interactionism
• sociology of knowledge (or: social constructionism)

Specialised areas

• industrial sociology
• micro-sociology
• political sociology
• rural sociology
• Urban sociology
• sociology of religion
• systems theory
• medical sociology

Key Sociological Topics:

• culture
• deviance
• justified irresponsibility
• role and role homogeneity
• work
• race
• role
• class
• gender role
• social structure
• modernity
• generations

Sociology and the internet

The internet is of interest for sociologists in three views at least: as a tool for research, for example by using online questionaires instead of paper ones, as a discussion plattform (see 'External links' section below), and as a research topic. Sociology of the internet in the last sense includes analysis of online communities (e.g. as found in newsgroups) and virtual communities, organisational change catalysed through new media like the internet as well as societal change at-large in the transformation from industrial to informational society (or to information society).

Terms and Methods

• sociological perspective
• social fact
• belonging

Methods: quantitative method, qualitative method, ethnography

Sociologists

See List of sociologists for sociologists with entries in Wikipedia.

Famous sociologists include Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, Georg Simmel, Max Weber, Albion Woodbury Small, Ferdinand Toennies, Charles Horton Cooley, Pitirim Sorokin, Robert E. Park, Karl Mannheim, Talcott Parsons, Robert K. Merton, Peter Blau, Reinhard Bendix, Norbert Elias, John Rex, David Lockwood, Erving Goffman, Harold Garfinkel, and Anthony Giddens. Karl Marx would not have called himself a sociologist, but his thought has had an immense impact on sociological theory.

Comparison to other Social Sciences

In the early 20th century, sociologists and psychologists who conducted research in non-industrial societies contributed to the development of anthropology. It should be noted, however, that anthropologists also conducted research in industrial societies. Today sociology and anthropology are better contrasted according to different theoretical concerns and methods rather than objects of study.

A distinction should be made between these and forensic studies within these disciplines, particularly where anatomy is involved. These latter studies might be better named as Forensic psychology.

Social Theory

Social theory is a distinction applied to the work considered outside of the mainstream of sociology. Among sociologists who model their work on the succesful sciences of physics or chemistry, social theory may be applied to all work produced outside of the scientific method, in contradistinction to a sociological theory which has been "correctly" tested. However, a natural science model has never completely predominated sociology, nor has their ever been much consensus, even among the adherents of that model, as to what would constitutes valid evidence or even the proper unit of analysis. Consequently, the distinction between sociology and social theory has has always been more reflective of classifier than the theory described as belonging to one or the other. Many theorists prefer to describe themselves as social theorists because they are critical of the sociological community or were not trained as sociologists.

Marxist theory, critical theory, post-colonial theory, feminist theory, structuralist theory, post-structuralist theory, queer theory, Postmodern theory, and other theories probably unmentioned have all at times been considered outside the mainstream of sociology and been referred to as social theory. However, as all these theories have been adopted to some extent by mainstream sociology, distinctions are made less often.

See also

See also: criminology, disabilities, education, Frankfurt School, gender & sexuality, Marxism, mass media, media studies, Milgram experiment, revolution, social engineering, sociologist, political economy, race & ethnicity,social change, social control, social movements, tautology, teleology, theory, sociological imagination, socioeconomic systems, racism, social order, social structure, social issue, scale (social sciences)

External links

• International Sociological Association ISA
• SocioSite at University of Amsterdam
• Social theory for fans of popular culture
• Sociology articles written by faculty of the University of California, Berkeley
• Sociological Snippets

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Sociology."

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: Social

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Synonyms within Context: Social

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Modern Usage: Social

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Commercial Usage: Social

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Image Slideshow: Social

Photos: Social More pictures...

Illustrations: Social More pictures...

Computer Images: Social More pictures...

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Photo Album: Social

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	Social life under the ice during survival training exercise. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth.		How Do You Feel In Social Situations Where Alcohol Is Not Available?. Credit: National Library of Medicine.
	Clinical Social Workers : Caring Assessing Facilitating / NIH Clinical Center Social Work Department. Credit: National Library of Medicine.		Social qualities of our candidate. Credit: Library of Congress.
	The mention of Mr. Tagg's name in the social column attracts some gentlemen of the press : Mr. Tagg gracefully submits to an interview. Credit: Library of Congress.		There is one class which feels competent to appraise social position; these are head waiters. Credit: Library of Congress.
	The social scramble. Credit: Library of Congress.		Emily Post, social arbitress, in a moment of quiet abandon chez elle] / Covarrubias. Credit: Library of Congress.
	Mrs. Nicholas Longworth and Miss Joanna Sturm escorted by a White House Social Aide arriving at the East Gate of the White House [for the wedding of Tricia Nixon and Edward Cox]. Credit: Library of Congress.		Lloyd George's garden party, at Kensington is social event. Credit: Library of Congress.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Social
 

"Social forum 2002" by Michele Migliarini Commentary: "Social forum 2002 corteo dei disubbidienti."	"Monkeys" by Tjeerd Doosje Commentary: "Today I went to a kind of Zoo with only monkeys in it. It sometimes is good to look back where you came from: that's the way I spotted this couple of monkeys, sitting in the grass, doing their social stuff and some eating. Thanks to the autumn colors I th"
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Sounds Captioned with "Social".

Play	Caption
	Laughing; good time; recreation; socializing; social.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Familiar Quotations: Social

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Historic Usage: Social

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Use in Literature: Social

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Non-Fiction Usage: Social

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Spoken Usage: Social

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Speeches: Social