sociologist
Studies human groups
A sociologist is someone who studies human society—its structures, institutions, relationships, and patterns of behavior.
Sociologists examine how groups form, how social forces shape individual lives, and how factors like class, race, and gender operate across populations: The sociologist interviewed factory workers about their daily routines.
Founding French sociologist
Division into distinct levels
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- functionalismTheory emphasizing purposes and roles
- structuralismAnalysis through underlying systems
- classGrouping by shared traits
power · hegemony · alienation · anomie · habitus · capital · intersectionality · modernity
Expected behavioral standards
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- beliefsAccepted truths, personal
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
traditions · symbolism · subculture · counterculture · socialization · deviance · conformity · stigma
Systematic data collection
- ethnographySystematic study of peoples
- qualitativeRelating to characteristics, not quantities
- quantitativeConcerning measurable amounts
- fieldworkResearch conducted on location
interviews · longitudinal · cross-sectional · focus-groups · coding · variables · correlation · causation
All inhabitants combined
- censusOfficial population count
- migrationMovement to new territory
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- fertilityCapacity for reproduction
mortality · birthrate · household · socioeconomic · cohort · generational · aging · displacement
Related people together
- educationSystematic development of mind
- religionSystem of spiritual belief
- economySystem of trade and production
- governmentAuthority over a state
healthcare · media · marriage · kinship · schools · church · state · corporations
Durkheim
Founding French sociologist
Du Bois · Foucault · Addams · Cooley · Gramsci · Said · Butler
stratification
Division into distinct levels
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- functionalismTheory emphasizing purposes and roles
- structuralismAnalysis through underlying systems
class · power · hegemony · alienation · anomie · habitus · capital · intersectionality · modernity · postmodernism
norms
Expected behavioral standards
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- beliefsAccepted truths, personal
rituals · traditions · symbolism · subculture · counterculture · socialization · deviance · conformity · stigma · taboo
survey
Systematic data collection
- ethnographySystematic study of peoples
- qualitativeRelating to characteristics, not quantities
- quantitativeConcerning measurable amounts
fieldwork · interviews · longitudinal · cross-sectional · focus-groups · coding · variables · correlation · causation · regression
population
All inhabitants combined
- censusOfficial population count
- migrationMovement to new territory
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
fertility · mortality · birthrate · household · socioeconomic · cohort · generational · aging · displacement · diaspora
family
Related people together
- educationSystematic development of mind
- religionSystem of spiritual belief
- economySystem of trade and production
government · healthcare · media · marriage · kinship · schools · church · state · corporations · prisons
- researchersfield researcher, market researcher, ethnographer, anthropologist, psychologist
- scholarsscholar, professors, professor, researcher, researchers
- social scientistspsychologist, anthropologist, economist, political scientist, criminologist
- cultural scholarsanthropologist, ethnographer, ethnologist, folklorist, cultural critic
- reformersreformers, reformer, political reformer, reformist, activists
- writersauthor, novelist, writer, poet, journalist
sociologistpsychologist
Mental behavior specialist
cognitive psychologist · clinical psychologist · neuropsychologist · psychiatrist · neuroscientist
sociologistphilosopher
Student of fundamental questions
theologian · armchair philosopher · social critic · metaphysician · essayist
sociologistphysicist
Scientist of matter and energy
chemist · biologist · natural scientist · geologist · astronomer