This glossary was created to help me better understand important vocabulary related to Social Sciences. Since my program focuses on topics such as psychology, sociology, and human behaviour, these terms are useful for my studies and for improving my English. This glossary will also help me learn how to use academic vocabulary correctly in sentences.
Career guidance
noun
Career guidance is a comprehensive, lifelong process that assists individuals of all ages in managing their careers, making informed education, training, and occupational choices. It involves personalized support—including assessments, counseling, and information—to help people align their skills, interests, and values with career opportunities.
Example: Career guidance can help students choose the right university program.
en: Orientation professionnelle
Community
noun
A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
Example: Residents worked together to organize a neighbourhood festival.
en: Communauté
Conflict
noun
Serious disagreement and argument about something important. If two people or groups are in conflict, they have had a serious disagreement or argument and have not yet reached agreement.
Example: Two groups argued because they had different opinions about the decision.
en: Conflit
Culture
noun
Culture is the shared system of beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that members of a society use to interact with their world and each other. It is a learned, dynamic, and collective way of life that encompasses language, religion, traditions, arts, and social habits. It defines identity and guides behavior.
Example: Culture plays an important in shaping identity.
en: Culture
Diversity
noun
The practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.
Example: A school with students from many countries helps everyone learn about the diversity.
en: Diversité
Education
noun
Education is a systematic process through which a child or an adult acquires knowledge, experience, skill and sound attitude. It makes an individual civilized, refined, cultured and educated. For a civilized and socialized society, education is the only means. Its goal is to make an individual perfect.
Example: Education is important for personal and professional development.
en: Éducation
Empathy
noun
The ability to sense other people's emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.
Example: She tried to understand her friend's sadness by imagining how she would feel in the same situation.
en: Empathie
Human behaviour
noun
Human behavior is the range of actions, reactions, thoughts, and emotions people display in response to internal and external stimuli, shaped by complex interactions between biology, psychology, environment, and culture, encompassing both observable actions (like walking) and internal processes (like thinking) across life stages. It's studied across many fields to understand why individuals and groups act as they do, influencing everything from personal growth to societal issues.
Example: Human behaviour can be influenced by emotions, culture and personal experiences.
en: Comportement humain
Identity
noun
Self-identity is how we see, understand and define ourselves. Our identity is made up of the traits we believe we possess (whether true or not), personal beliefs, interests and life experiences.
Example: A person's identity can be influenced by family, friends and society.
en: identité
Inequality
noun
Inequality is the state of not being equal, representing disparities in rights, opportunities, or resources within societies, such as income, wealth, gender, or education.
Example: Some families have fewer opportunities because they do not have the same economic resources as others.
en: inégalité
Mental health
noun
Mental health is a state of psychological, emotional, and social well-being that enables individuals to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn, work well, and contribute to their community. It is not merely the absence of illness, but a positive state of functioning that affects how people think, feel, and act.
Example: Mental health is just as important as physical health.
en: Santé mentale
Norms
noun
A standard or pattern, especially of social behavior, that is typical or expected of a group.
Example: People usually wait in line when they want to buy something.
en: Norme
Psychology
noun
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior, encompassing conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings, thoughts, and motives. It serves as an academic and applied discipline that analyzes human and animal behavior, brain functions, and social interactions to understand, explain, and predict actions.
Example: Psychology helps us understand how people manage stress and emotions.
en: Psychologie
Social class
noun
Social class refers to a hierarchical grouping of individuals in society based on shared socioeconomic status, primarily determined by wealth, income, education, occupation, and social prestige. These categories—commonly divided into upper, middle, and working classes—influence access to resources, opportunities, power, and lifestyle.
Example: Social class can affect access to education and healthcare.
en: Classe sociale
Social interaction
noun
Social interaction is the process of reciprocal, dynamic exchange between individuals or groups, where actions, verbal, and non-verbal behaviors influence one another.
Example: Talking with classmates during group projects helps build friendships.
en: Interaction sociale
Socialization
noun
Socialization is the lifelong process through which individuals internalize the values, beliefs, norms, and customs of their society, learning to function as members of their culture.
Example: Children learn socialization through interactions with their family, school, and friends.
en: Socialisation
Society
noun
A society is a large, organized group of people who live together in a shared territory, interacting with one another, and sharing a common culture, institutions, and laws. It is characterized by structured, persistent relationships that provide security, identity, and social order for its members.
Example: Society affects the way individuals think and behave.
en: Société
Sociology
noun
Sociology is the scientific and systematic study of human society, social relationships, interaction, and culture. It examines how social structures—such as institutions, communities, and organizations—influence behavior and shape everyday life, ranging from intimate family dynamics to global social processes.
Example: Sociology explores how social class can influence opportunities in life.
en: Sociologie
Stereotype
noun
A stereotype is a widely held, simplified, and often inaccurate belief or overgeneralized image about a particular group of people, gender, or race.
Example: Assuming someone is good at math because of their background is an unfair assumption.
en: Stéréotype
Values
noun
Individual beliefs that motivate people to act one way or another, they serve as a guide for human behavior.
Example: Many parents teach their children the importance of honesty and respect.