eating disorder an intense form of dieting or other kind of weight control in order to become very thin

ecclesia (plural ecclesias) a religious group so integrated into the dominant culture that it is difficult to tell where the one begins and the other leaves off; also referred to as state religion

ecologically sustainable culture a way of life that meets the needs of the present generation without threatening the environmental legacy of future generations

ecology the study of the interaction of living organisms and the natural environment

economy the social institution that organizes a society’s production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

ecosystem a system composed of the interaction of all living organisms and their natural environment

education the social institution guiding a society’s transmission of knowledge — including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values — to its members

egalitarian authority more or less equally divided between people or groups, for example, between husband and wife in a family

ego Freud’s term for a person’s conscious attempts to balance the pleasure‑seeking drives of the human organism and the demands of society

electronic community individuals who more or less regularly interact with one another on the Internet

electronic primary group individuals who regularly interact with one another on the Internet, who see themselves as a group, and who develop close ties with one another

emergent norms Ralph Turner’s and Lewis Killian’s term for the development of new norms to cope with a new situation, especially among crowds

empirical evidence information we can verify with our senses

endogamy marriage between people of the same social category

environmental deficit profound and negative long-term harm to the natural environment caused by humanity’s focus on short-term material affluence

environmental racism the pattern by which environmental hazards are greatest for poor people, especially minorities

environmental sociology a subdiscipline of sociology that examines how human activities affect the physical environment and how the physical environment affects human activities

epidemiology the study of disease and disability patterns in a population

ethnicity a shared cultural heritage

ethnocentrism the use of one’s own culture as a yardstick for judging the ways of other individuals or societies, generally leading to a negative evaluation of their values, norms, and behaviours

ethnomethodology the study of how people use background assumptions to make sense out of life

Eurocentrism the dominance of European cultural patterns

euthanasia (mercy killing) assisting in the death of a person suffering from an incurable disease

evangelism an attempt to win converts

exchange mobility about the same numbers of people moving up and down the social class ladder, such that, on balance, the social class system shows little change

exogamy marriage between people of different social categories

experiment a research method used to investigate cause-and-effect relationships under highly controlled conditions

experimental group the group of subjects exposed to the independent variable

exponential growth curve a pattern of growth in which numbers double during approximately equal intervals, thus accelerating in the latter stages

expressive leader an individual who increases harmony and minimizes conflict in a group; also known as a socioemotional leader

extended family a nuclear family plus other relatives, such as grandparents, uncles, and aunts, who live together