Table of Contents
Definition of Social Determinism
(noun) A theory stating that all social phenomena are determined by external factors such as institutions or norms.
Social Determinism Pronunciation
Syllabification: so·cial de·ter·min·ism
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /sOH-shuhl di-tUHR-muh-niz-uhm/
- British English – /sOH-shuhl di-tUHR-mi-ni-zuhm/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈsoʊʃəl dɪˈtɜrməˌnɪzəm/
- British English – /ˈsəʊʃəl dɪˈtɜːmɪnɪzm/
Usage Notes
- Plural: social determinisms
- Not to be confused with social reductionism.
- A type of determinism.
- Social determinism is the opposite of biological determinism, but both theories imply a lack of individual control.
- A (noun) social determinist views society (adverb) social deterministically from a (adjective) social deterministic perspective.
Additional Information
Related Terms
Cite the Definition of Social Determinism
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “social determinism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 15, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/social-determinism/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
social determinism. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/social-determinism/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “social determinism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed October 15, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/social-determinism/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“social determinism.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/social-determinism/>.