taboo a norm so strong that it brings revulsion if violated

taking the role of the other putting oneself in someone else’s shoes; understanding how someone else feels and thinks and thus anticipating how that person will act

teamwork the collaboration of two or more persons interested in the success of a performance to manage impressions jointly

techniques of neutralization ways of thinking or rationalizing that help people deflect society’s norms

technological determinism the view that technology determines culture, that technology takes on a life of its own and forces human behaviour to follow

technology often defined as the applications of science, but can be conceptualized as tools (items used to accomplish tasks) and the skills or procedures necessary to make and use those tools

terrorism random acts of violence or the threat of such violence employed by an individual or group as a political strategy

tertiary sector that part of the economy which consists of service-oriented occupations

tertiary social deviance the normalizing of behaviour considered socially deviant by mainstream society; relabelling the behaviour as non-deviant

theoretical paradigm a set of fundamental assumptions that guides thinking and research

theory a general statement about how some parts of the world fit together and how they work; an explanation of how two or more facts are related to one another

Thomas theorem William I. Thomas’s classic formulation of the definition of the situation: “If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.”

timetables the signals societies use to inform their members that they are old; these timetables vary around the world

tool an object created or modified for a specific purpose

total institution a place in which people are cut off from the rest of society and are almost totally controlled by the officials who run the place

totalitarianism a highly centralized political system that extensively regulates people’s lives

totem an object in the natural world collectively defined as sacred

tracking the sorting of students into different educational programs on the basis of real or perceived abilities

tradition sentiments and beliefs about the world that are passed from generation to generation

traditional authority power legitimized through respect for long-established cultural patterns

traditional orientation the idea — characteristic of tribal, peasant, and feudal societies — that the past is the best guide for the present

tradition‑directedness rigid conformity to time‑honoured ways of living

transformative social movement a social movement that seeks to change society totally

transsexuals people who feel they are one sex even though biologically they are the other

triad a social group with three members