Sociological Glossary

Glossary

• Degree Inflation

  Degree inflation describes the increasing need for higher qualifications for jobs that previously required fewer academic credentials.

• Dependency Theory

  Dependency theory argues that global economic disparities are maintained through exploitative relationships between wealthy and poorer nations, reinforcing underdevelopment.

• Deviance

  Deviance refers to behaviour that violates social norms, which may be formally codified in laws or informally recognised in social expectations.

• Differential Association

  Developed by Edwin Sutherland, differential association theory explains that criminal behaviour is learned through interactions with others who engage in deviance.

• Disenchantment

  Weber’s concept of disenchantment refers to the decline of magical and religious thinking in favour of rationality and scientific understanding.

• Division of Labour

  The division of labour refers to the allocation of tasks in society, often creating specialisation in jobs and reinforcing class structures. Durkheim linked it to social cohesion in modern societies.

• Docile Bodies

  Michel Foucault’s concept of docile bodies describes how institutions discipline individuals to behave in ways that reinforce societal control and order.

• Double Consciousness

  W.E.B. Du Bois’ concept of double consciousness describes the internal conflict African Americans experience between their identity and how they are perceived by dominant society.

• Doxa

  Bourdieu’s concept of doxa refers to the taken-for-granted beliefs and assumptions in a given social field that go unquestioned by its members.

• Dramaturgy

  Goffman’s theory that social interaction is like a theatrical performance, where individuals manage their self-presentation.

• Dual Labour Market

  The dual labour market theory distinguishes between a primary labour market with stable, well-paid jobs and a secondary labour market with insecure, low-wage employment.