Socio-cultural constructs: Working definitions

Construct Definition
Ability Degree of function for participation in
particular physical, intellectual, or
psychological activities
Actor One who can influence others or produce
change or effects
American Dream A pervasive ideology that many Americans
hold in which individualism, merit, equality,
and abundance of opportunity offers unlimited
possibilities for success
Assimilation The social process of absorbing one cultural
group into another, more dominant cultural
group
Assumption Statement that has embedded ideas about
“truth” and from which conclusions can be
drawn
Audience Person or people to whom a text is directed;
private or public group toward which a
message is geared with the likely intent to
persuade
Capitalism Economy based on market systems and
institutions that are controlled by small and
large business owner and, sometimes,
government
Characters Persons, animals, ideas, or abstractions
around which a narrative is constructed;
actors within a text
Class A category of financial status relative to the
entire population; a division according to
social and/ or economic status; classism is a
set of attitudes, actions, or institutional
practices that subordinate people because of
their economic condition.
Cliché Overused term that has evolved so that it no
longer reflects its original denotative meaning
Communication A means of passing and maintaining social
contact of ideas, information, and culture
Culture Shared ways of knowing and thinking about
the world; reculturing occurs when members
reject a paradigm of sameness; monoculture
refers to one culture, or a dominant culture
Discourse Representations of language, written and oral,
that contribute to shared meanings and power
relations
Economic An adjective that describes production and
management of goods and services; financial
underpinnings of wealth

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Epistemology Theories about ways of knowing the world
Ethnicity Categorization and identification with a
particular culturally developed group
commonly descended from a set of ancestors;
members of a group who share common traits
such as language, religion, dress, foods
Existential As contrasted with essence, the belief that
actual life is consciously created by actors
Gender An individual's male or female status; issues
related to female or male status

Hegemony Forces that seek to protect and dominate

certain cultural, political, and economic
institutions and practices
Homogeneity When group members share similar
characteristics such as cultural beliefs, values,
and attitudes.
Ideology Sets of ideas of given material interests that
benefit a definite class or social group; a
dominant ideology is a subset in which
prevailing views of a powerful segment control
systems, institutions, and/ or structures
(Marxist theory)
Identity Traits of an individual that create unique
personal meanings and answer the question,
“Who am I?”
Institution Structures and mechanisms of social order
governing behavior of people
Jargon Specialized vocabulary of a particular field or
discipline
Knowledge The broad range of information held by a
person; the study of knowledge is called
epistemology
Majority The greater percentage of two parts; the
dominant ideological power in a society,
generally in terms of political or economic
status
Media Messages embedded in material forms and
sign systems with underlying persuasive
intentions
Mental models Images, assumptions, and stories people carry
in their minds about others, institutions, and
most parts of the world
Message The object of communication
Minority The lesser percentage of two parts; the minor
ideological power in a society, generally in
terms of political or economic status

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Misogyny Hatred of women; manifestations of
subjugation of women through institutional
practices
Myth A version of reality based on supernaturalism
as opposed to a scientific explanation
Nature A biological/ organic/ carbon-based life without
societal or cultural influences
Normal A socially and culturally accepted way of
living, doing, and knowing that members of a
majority group assume all persons share
Obstacles Negative factors that can keep humans from
becoming safe, healthy, happy, and/or self-
actualized
Othering A dynamic in which a division of reality occurs:
Good and Evil is correlated with Us versus
Them
Paradigm Patterns or models at comprise a collection of
assumptions, concepts, practices, and values
that constitutes a way of viewing reality
Passive Conscious or subconscious inactivity in which
no move is made to fight for the initiative

People of color People who are non-Caucasian, often minority

group members
People who are A person who is emotionally, physically,
heterosexual and/or sexually attracted or committed to
members of the other gender
People who are A person who is emotionally, physically,
homosexual and/or sexually attracted or committed to
members of the same gender
People with Lack of degree of function for participation in
disabilities particular physical, intellectual, or
psychological activities
People without A special advantage, immunity, or benefit not
privilege accorded to particular groups of people
Perpetuate To cause to continue or prevail
Persuasion Communication intended to induce belief or
action
Power Possession and ability to enforce controlling
influence
Privilege A special advantage, immunity, or benefit
accorded to a particular group of people

Race People who are believed to belong to the

same genetic pool; racism is stereotyping an
individual based on his or her genetic pool

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Reason Capacity for rational thought, inference,
and/or discrimination
Sexual orientation A term used to refer to a person's emotional,
romantic, and sexual attraction to individuals
of a particular gender (male or female).
Sexism Prejudice or discrimination based on gender
Silence the absence of sound; a refusal to speak when
expected; keep from expression, for example
by dominance, threats, or pressure
Society An extended network of people having a
distinctive cultural and economic organization
Theory A systematic explanation of concrete practices
Truth Assumption that an objective reality is shared
by others; objective reality is interpreted by
persons through frames of thoughts, words,
and symbols