651AARP New name for the American Association of Retired
Persons, the largest and most influential lobbying group for
older people in America.
achieved status Status or social position based on one’s
accomplishments or activities.
adolescence Term coined by psychologist G. Stanley Hall
(1904) to name the years coinciding with puberty as a dis-
tinct—and perilous—life stage.
Adonis complex Term coined by psychiatrist Harrison Pope
and his colleagues for the belief that men must look like Greek
gods, with perfect chins, thick hair, rippling muscles, and wash-
board abdominals.
advocacy research Scientific research pursued to support or
promote a particular position.
affirmative action Programs and policies developed to
ensure that qualified minority group members are not discrim-
inated against in the workplace, school admission, and the like.
Affirmative action policies generally apply to race, ethnicity,
and gender, among other categories.
age cohort A group of people who are born within a specific
time period and therefore assumed to share both chronologi-
cal and functional characteristics, as well as life experiences.
age norms Distinctive cultural values, pursuits, and pastimes
that are culturally prescribed for each age cohort.
ageism Term coined by a physician to refer to differential treat-
ment based on age—usually the elderly rather than the young.
agents of socialization The people, groups, or institutions that
teach people how to be functioning members of their society.
alternative medicine Any of a variety of systems of healing
or treating disease, including chiropractic, herbal treatments,
homeopathy, meditation, and yoga, that are not included in the
Western medicine curricula and may not have been scientifi-
cally tested for safety or effectiveness.
anorexia nervosa A potentially fatal syndrome characterized by
chronic and dangerous starvation dieting and obsessive exercise.
anticipatory socialization The process of learning and
adopting the beliefs, values, and behaviors of groups that one
anticipates joining in the future.
apartheid A race-based caste system that mandated segrega-
tion of different racial groups. In South Africa it was a politi-
cal system institutionalized by the White minority in 1948 and
remained in effect until 1990.
ascribed status Status that is assigned to a person and over
which he or she has no control.
asexual Having no sexual desire for anyone.
assimilation Occurs when a two groups come into contact
and the minority group abandons their traditional culture to
embrace the dominant culture.
authoritarian political system When power is vested in a sin-
gle person or small group. Sometimes that person holds power
through heredity, sometimes through force or terror.
authority Power that is perceived as legitimate, by both the
holder of power and those subject to it. For a leader to exer-
cise power, the people must believe he or she is entitled to make
commands and that they should obey; indeed, that they want
to obey.
baby boom Population bulge that occurred in Europe and
North America following World War II, creating the biggest
cohort in U.S. history.
BCEandCE Secular abbreviations for contemporary calendars.
CErefers to the “common era” and BCEto “before the common
era” instead of referring to the birth of Jesus as the marker.
bilineal descent Tracing one’s ancestry through both parents,
rather than only the mother (see Matrilineal) or only the father
(seePatrilineal).
bisexual Feeling attracted to and preferring sexual partners
of both sex.
blogs Short for “weblogs”; online opinion sites.
bourgeoisie Popularized by Karl Marx, term for the upper-
class capitalists who owned the means of production. In
Marx’s time, they owned factories instead of farms. Today the
term is also used to refer to upper-class managers who wield
a lot of power.
broken windows theory Philip Zimbardo’s proposition that
minor acts of deviance can spiral into severe crime and social
decay. Atmosphere and context are keys to whether deviance
occurs or spirals.
Buddhism Founded by Siddhartha Gantana, later called
the Buddha, it teaches that enlightenment is possible in this
lifetime, through the Tenfold Path. There are two main
branches—Hinayana and Mahayana. Today there are 376
million Buddhists, mostly in East Asia.
bulimia A potentially fatal syndrome characterized by food
“binging and purging” (eating large quantities and then either
vomiting or taking enemas to excrete it).
bureaucracy Originally derived from the French word
bureau, or office, a formal organization characterized by a
division of labor, a hierarchy of authority, formal rules