Glossary

a death that is free from avoidable death and suffering for patients, families and caregivers in general accordance with the patients' and families' wishes.

any significant and persistent disparity in academic performance or educational attainment between different groups of students, such as White students and students of color, for example, or students from higher-income and lower-income households.

a family of research methodologies that pursue action (or change) and research (or understanding) at the same time.

a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences.

potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years)

a group of individuals who are regarded by society as holding a similar position based on their age

discrimination based on age

a person who is supporting an antiracist policy through their actions or expressing an antiracist idea.

the concept of education in which “knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing”.

an acronym that stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. It is used to refer to people whose communities have been historically under-resourced, over-policed, disproportionately impacted by social problems, and underrepresented in terms of institutional power in the United States because of their assigned race category.

the concept that a child born in a country becomes a citizen, regardless of the citizenship of their parents

a hashtag that first went viral in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. In the decade following its introduction, #BlackLivesMatter became a popular organizing tool on social media.

families consisting of two or more adult partners and their children together with children from previous relationship

real estate that is considered high risk due to low elevation, and flooding due to climate change, may not qualify for loans.

the idea that a person has the power to decide what happens to their own body

brain death, or what became known as the “whole-brain” definition of death, involved the following criteria: the absence of spontaneous muscle movement (including breathing), lack of brain-stem reflexes, the absence of brain activity, and the lack of response to external stimuli.

proposed legislation that offers a radical reimagining of public safety, community care, and how we spend money as a society.

an economic system based on private ownership and the production of profit.

a change in one variable causes a change in another variable

a deliberately chosen group of people that satisfies the typical role of family as a support system. These people may or may not be related to the person who chose them.

an argument that a particular troubling condition needs to be addressed.

a person who seeks to convince others that there is a troubling condition about which something needs to be done

a group who shares a common social status based on factors like wealth, income, education, and occupation

the long-term shift in global and regional temperatures, humidity and rainfall patterns, and other atmospheric characteristics

the actions taken by a collection or group of people, acting based on a collective decision

a society that focuses on meeting the needs and goals of all members of a group rather than focusing on individual successes.

the domination of a people or area by a foreign state or nation.

the action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area.

the interdependent, overlapping forms of knowledge, skills, abilities, and networks possessed and utilized by Communities of Color to survive and resist racism and other forms of subordination.

a local group of community organizations that coordinates emergency human services, while working in concert with partner agencies, including the local emergency management agency and social service agencies, during all stages of a disaster.

a sociological approach that views society as characterized by pervasive inequality based on social class, race, gender, and other factors

freely given agreement to do something. This term is often applied to sexual activity but can be used in other situations.

the purchase of expensive luxury goods or services as a display of one's wealth and status.

an illness that is questioned or considered questionable by some medical professionals

when a change in one variable coincides with a change in another variable but does not necessarily indicate causation

a household in which 30% or more of a household’s monthly gross income is dedicated to housing, making it difficult to pay for necessities

an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

a system that relies on legal codes, criminalization, policing, and punishment to mediate conflict, protect property, and maintain social order.

the act of making something illegal.

a theory that considers how all forms of structural inequality put targeted communities at risk of environmental harm and how all forms of inequality essentially violate the human right to live in a healthy, safe, and thriving environment.

the theory that systemic racism is embedded in US institutions, not just the behavior of individuals.

the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture

the process of members in a subordinate group adopting cultural aspects of a dominant group.

the ability to remain open to learning about other cultures while acknowledging one’s lack of competence and recognizing power dynamics that impact the relationship

patterns or traits that are globally common to all societies

When a person’s body ceases to function

a concept that means we are open to honest conversations about death and dying, and is the foundation of a social movement that challenges us to reimaging all things tied to death and dying

the act of reducing penalties for possession/use of small amounts from criminal sanctions to fines or civil penalties

the effect of a change in another variable

the handbook used by healthcare professionals in the United States and much of the world as the authoritative guide to the diagnosis of mental disorders. DSM contains descriptions, symptoms and other criteria for diagnosing mental disorders.

uneven access to technology due to inequalities between different social, cultural, and economic groups, often caused by location.

a disability is a condition of the body or mind which makes it more difficult for a person to participate fully in everyday life

the phase of the emergency management cycle that begins with the stabilization of the incident and ends when the community has recovered from the disaster's impacts

a community’s ability to withstand a diaster, recover from it, and thrive after it

he activities that address the short-term, direct effects of an incident. Response includes immediate actions to save lives, protect property, and meet basic human needs.

the breakdown of connections among and between people.

the unequal treatment of an individual or group based on their statuses (e.g., age, beliefs, ethnicity, sex)

grief that is unacknowledged and unsupported both within their sub-culture and within the larger society

the unequal outcomes of one group compared with outcomes for another group. Disparity can be used to compare any groups with different social locations.

The overrepresentation or underrepresentation of a racial or ethnic group compared with its percentage in the total population.

the imbibing of substances, which can happen without addiction or physical dependence but may lead to those outcomes.

a theory that argues that the domination of women and the degradation of the environment are consequences of patriarchy and capitalism.

a social institution through which a society’s children are taught basic academic knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms

the cumulative impact of fewer resources and other harm directed at students of color.

the process of learning culture

the period preceding an individual’s natural death from a process that is unlikely to be arrested by medical care

an intersectional social movement pioneered by African Americans, Indigenous peoples, Latinx, lower-income, and other historically oppressed populations fighting against environmental discrimination within their communities and across the world

any environmental policy or practice that disadvantages people or communities based on race.

the study of disease and health, and their causes and distribution

the state of everyone having what they need, even if it means that some need to be given more to get there.

a group of people who share a cultural background, including language, location, or religion.

the difference between the observed numbers of deaths in a particular time period and the expected deaths for that same time period.

a couple and their children and close relatives living in the same household or in proximity to each other, often spanning several generations.

An extreme weather event is defined by the severity of its effects or any weather event uncommon for a particular location.

a strong commitment to family life that stresses the importance of the family group over the interest of an individual.

the ability of a family to make their own decisions about their future or about the treatment of their members

the family into which one is born

a theoretical perspective stating women are uniquely and systematically oppressed and that challenges ideas of gender and sex roles.

five ways to understand drug use that are dominant in U.S. society—the moral view, the disease model, the public health perspective, a sociological approach, and an intersectional approach

a social expression of a person’s sexual identity that influences the status, roles, and norms of their behavior.

the external appearance of one’s gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, body characteristics, or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.

one’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.

the systematic and widespread extermination of a cultural, ethnic, political, racial, or religious group.

a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and or preservation of habitat

imbalance between the energy entering and leaving the earth’s atmosphere, resulting in a rise in global temperature

a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use. Harm Reduction is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs.

a person’s drug use negatively impacts their health, their livelihood, their family, their freedom, or any other aspect of their life that they deem important

the act of building up public support via social media for a cause

a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

the assumption that heterosexuality is the standard for defining normal sexual behavior and that male–female differences and gender roles are the natural and immutable essentials in normal human relations.

a system of oppression designed to reproduce and reinforce the dominance of heterosexual, cisgender men and oppress women and LBBTQIA+ people.

multigenerational trauma experienced by a specific cultural, racial or ethnic group. It is related to major events that oppressed a particular group of people because of their status as oppressed, such as slavery, the Holocaust, forced migration, and the violent colonization of Native Americans.

being unsheltered, having inadequate shelter, not having a permanent fixed residence, and/or lacking the resources to secure stable housing

the irrational fear of or prejudice against individuals who are or are perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, and other non-heterosexual people.

interaction between groups of similar size and levels

specialized healthcare for those approaching end-of-life. Focuses on quality of life, comfort care, and medical, psychological, and social needs; treats the person and the symptoms of disease and illness rather than the disease itself; supports the patient and family

lacking a place to live

a broad set of challenges, such as the inability to pay rent or utilities or the need to move frequently

a testable educated guess about predicted outcomes between two or more variables

Identity first language focuses on an inherent part of someone’s identity, such as deafness or neurodiversity

The immigration industrial complex is the confluence of public and private sector interests in the criminalization of undocumented migration, immigration law enforcement, and the promotion of “anti-illegal” rhetoric.

the hidden or unconscious beliefs that a person holds about other social groups.

the laws and practices that require that disabled students be included in mainstream classes - not separate rooms or schools

the money a person earns from work or investments

the cause of the change in another variable

Indigenous peoples have in common a historical continuity with a given region prior to colonization and a strong link to their lands.

the scientific approach of Indigenous cultures worldwide, a time-tested approach that sustains the community and the environment.

the capacity of an individual to actively and independently choose and to affect change, free will, or self-determination.

a society that emphasizes the needs and success of the individual over the needs of the whole community.

A large-scale social arrangement that is stable and predictable, created and maintained to serve the needs of society.

the concept that people rely on each other to survive and thrive

an approach that involves a detailed understanding of a particular subject through observation or listening to people’s stories, not through hypothesis testing

overlapping social identities produce unique inequities that influence the lives of people and groups.

to make the possesstion and use of a drug legal

an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and more.

the period from birth to death, including a sequence of predictable life events such as physical maturation.

the number of years a person can expect to live, based on an estimate of the average age that members of a particular population group will be when they die.

a unification of area groups brought together to oversee the recovery of an area after a disaster to ensure seamless communication and coordination of all the parties involved in recovery.

extra-judical killings in which an individual or a mob kidnaps, tortures, and kills persons suspected of crime or social transgressions

a theory that examines larger social systems and structures, such as the capitalist economy, bureaucracies, and religion.

a process of social exclusion in which individuals or groups are pushed to the outside of society by denying them economic and political power.

The recognition of same-sex marriage as a human and civil right, as well as recognition by law and support of societal institutions.

the overwhelming size and scale of the U.S. prison population.

a concept that says that society has multiple interlocking levels of domination that stem from the societal configuration of race, class, and gender.

a model which says that people are disabled because they have impairments or differences.

the systematic study of how humans manage issues of health and illness, disease and disorders, and healthcare for both the sick and the healthy.

the process by which aspects of life that were considered bad or deviant are redefined as sickness and needing medical attention to remedy

a state of mind characterized by emotional well-being, good behavioral adjustment, relative freedom from anxiety and disabling symptoms, and a capacity to establish constructive relationships and cope with the ordinary demands and stresses of life.

a wide range of mental health conditions, disorders that affect your mood, thinking, and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors.

an internal resource that helps us think, feel, connect, and function; it is an active process that helps us to build resilience, grow, and flourish.

a theory that examines the social world in finer detail by discussing social interactions and the understandings individuals make of the social world.

a term used for brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative prejudicial slights and insults toward any group

a family whose members include people with different citizenship or immigration statuses

biological model: understands mental health and illness to be a combination of genetics and neurochemicals. It understands mental illness to be a defect of brain chemistry.
biopsychosocial model: an interdisciplinary model that looks at the interconnection between biology, psychology, and socio-environmental factors
medical model a theory that states that psychiatric conditions are caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain.
psychological model: an approach to mental illness that assumes mental health and mental illness lie within mental processes, such as beliefs, attitudes, thinking patterns, and life experiences.
sociological model: an approach that emphasizes that a society’s culture shapes its understanding of health and illness and practice of medicine

the incidence of disease

the number of deaths in a given time or place

a family with two or more adult generations and families that have grandchildren under age 25 and grandparents living together.

an intense opposition to an internal minority that is seen as a threat to the nation on the grounds of its foreignness

unexpected natural events that cause significant loss of human life or disruption of essential services like food, water, or shelter.

an axis of human diversity describing how brain differences are naturally occurring variations in humans

the network of laws and practices that disproportionately funnel Black Americans into the criminal justice system, stripping them of their constitutional rights as a punishment for their offenses in the same way that Jim Crow laws did in previous eras

the rules or expectations that determine and regulate appropriate behavior within a culture, group, or society

a family group that consists of two parents and their children living together in one household.

the unrealistic idea of conducting research with no interference by aspects of the researcher’s identity or personal beliefs

a surge of drug overdoses and suicides, both linked to the use of opioid drugs

the geographical location where a person was born and grew up

medical care focusing on relief of pain and symptoms. Meant to enhance a person's current care by focusing on quality of life and addressing what matters most to the patient.

a law that provides numerous rights and protections that make health coverage more fair and easy to understand, along with subsidies (through “premium tax credits” and “cost-sharing reductions”) to make it more affordable.

a form of mental, social, spiritual, economic and political organization/structuring of society produced by the gradual institutionalization of sexbased political relations created, maintained and reinforced by different institutions linked closely together to achieve consensus on the lesser value of women and their roles.

the art, science, or profession of teaching

a way to emphasize the person and view the disorder, disease, condition, or disability as only one part of the whole person.

a civil force in charge of regulating laws and public order at a federal, state, or community level

the state of lacking the material and social resources an individual requires to live a healthy life.

the ability of an actor to sway the actions of another actor or actors, even against resistance

prejudice is an unfavorable preconceived feeling or opinion formed without knowledge or reason that prevents objective consideration of an individual or group.

the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social and political problems.

health insurance that a person buys from a private company; private healthcare can either be employer-sponsored or direct-purchase

for-profit incarceration facilities run by private companies that contract with local, state, and federal governments.

an advantage that is unearned, exclusive to a particular group or social category, and socially conferred by others

a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.

health insurance that is funded or provided by the government

non-numerical, descriptive data that is often subjective and based on what is experienced in a natural setting

data collected in numerical form that can be counted and analyzed using statistics

a person who does not conform to norms about sexuality and gender (particularly the ones that say that being straight is the human default and that gender and sexuality are hardwired, binary, and fixed rather than socially constructed, infinite, and fluid).

an interdisciplinary approach to sexuality and gender studies that identifies Western society’s rigid splitting of gender into male and female roles and questions the manner in which we have been taught to think about sexual orientation and gender.

a socially constructed category with political, social, and cultural consequences, based on incorrect distinctions of physical difference

the unequal outcomes of one racial or ethnic group compared with outcomes for another racial or ethnic group.

a response to racism that changes social systems to reduce racial inequities and address the social and interpersonal conditions caused by racial inequities.

a term used to describe the physical and psychological symptoms that People of Color often experience after being exposed to stressful experiences of racism.

a marriage of racist policies and racist ideas that produces and normalizes racial inequities

the discriminatory practice of refusing loans to creditworthy applicants in neighborhoods that banks deem undesirable or racially occupied

a personal or institutional system of beliefs, practices, and values relating to the cosmos and supernatural.

a framework that centers the human right to have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and healthy environments.

the ways in which social scientists collect, analyze, and understand research information

an established scholarly research process that involves asking a question, researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing a data collection method, gathering data, and drawing conclusions

the physical separation of two or more groups into different neighborhoods.

the process in which only the wealthy can pay the increased costs of building climate resistant structures, resulting in displacing poorer people.

laws that allow a person who suffers from a terminal disease and meets the required criteria to choose to end their life on their terms.

the space—whether social or physical—in which a variety of factors interact to increase the chances of drug-related harm.

the behaviors and patterns utilized by an individual, such as a parent, partner, sibling, employee, employer, etc., which may change over time.

a situation caused by higher-than-expected demands placed on an individual performing a specific role that leads to difficulty or stress.

areas are sparsely populated, have low housing density, and are far from urban centers.

the use of pseudo-scientific methods to justify racial inequality.

the physical separation of two groups, particularly in residence, but also in workplace and social functions.

an individual’s level of wealth, power, and prestige

a biological categorization based on characteristics that distinguish between female and male based on primary sex characteristics present at birth.

discrimination or prejudice against an individual or group based on the idea that one sex or gender is better than the others

a person’s emotional, romantic, erotic, and spiritual attractions toward another person

patterns of expectations that define appropriate behavior for the sick and for those who take care of them.

the social networks or connections an individual has available to them due to group membership.

shared understandings that are jointly accepted by large numbers of people in a society or social group

the loss of social identity, loss of social connectedness, and loss associated with the disintegration of the body.

the circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live, work, and age and the systems put in place to deal with illness

the sum total of who we think we are in relation to other people and social systems

full and equal participation of of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs

the combination of factors including gender, race, social class, age, ability, religion, sexual orientation, and geographic location that define an individual or group in relationship to power and privilege

an individual’s or group’s (e.g., family) movement through the class hierarchy due to changes in income, occupation, or wealth.

a model of disability which says that disability is caused by the way that society is organized.

purposeful, organized groups that strive to work toward a common social goal

a social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world

The complex and stable framework of society that influences all individuals or groups through the relationship between institutions (e.g., economy, politics, religion) and social practices (e.g., behaviors, norms, and values).

when the government owns and runs the entire healthcare system

a group of people who live in a defined geographic area, who interact with one another, and who share a common culture

a quality of mind that connects individual experience and wider social forces

the systematic study of society and social interactions to understand individuals, groups, and institutions through data collection and analysis.

a theory which argues that where you stand, or your point of view, influences what you notice.

the social process whereby individuals that are taken to be different in some way are rejected by the greater society in with they live based on that difference

when stigma is aimed at a person with a physical or mental illness or condition

a socioeconomic system that divides society’s members into categories ranking from high to low, based on things like wealth, power, and prestige. Also called inequality.

a sociological approach which maintains that social stability is necessary for a strong society, and adequate socialization and social integration are necessary for social stability. Society’s social institutions (such as the family or the economy) perform important functions to help ensure social stability.

a condition where one category of people is attributed an unequal status in relation to other categories of people.

a shift in hierarchical position of an entire class of individuals over time in society.

the totality of ways in which societies foster racial discrimination through mutually reinforcing systems of housing, education, employment, earnings, benefits, credit, media, health care and criminal justice

the condition in which there is uncontrolled use of a substance despite harmful consequences. People with SUD have an intense focus on using a certain substance(s), such as alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs, to the point where the person's ability to function in day-to-day life becomes impaired.

a sociological approach that focuses on the study of one-on-one social interactions and the meanings that emerges from them.

the scientific study of death, the dying process, and bereavement

a statement that describes and explains why social phenomena are related to each other.

the ongoing accumulation of knowledge, practice, and belief about relationships between living beings in a specific ecosystem that is acquired by indigenous people over hundreds or thousands of years through direct contact with the environment, handed down through generations, and used for life-sustaining ways.

a person (or group) response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms one's ability to cope, causes feelings of helplessness, diminishes self esteem and the ability to feel a full range of emotions and experiences.

areas with relatively high poverty rates that lack robust economic infrastructure. While the term often refers to cities and suburbs with populations of over 250,000 people, many rural communities are also under-resourced (adapted from Eberhardt, Wial, and Yee 2020:5).

people who pay at least 10 percent of their income on healthcare costs not covered by insurance

groups that have limited or no access to resources or that are otherwise disenfranchised

anyone residing in any given country without legal documentation. It includes people who entered the U.S. without inspection and proper permission from the government, and those who entered with a legal visa that is no longer valid.

a system that guarantees healthcare coverage for everyone

an ideal or principle that determines what is correct, desirable, or morally proper.

those communications which cross up and down between organizational levels and groups of different sizes and authority

an effort in the United States since the 1970s to combat illegal drug use by greatly increasing penalties, enforcement, and incarceration for drug offenders.

the total amount of money and assets an individual or group owns

the concept that chronic exposure to social and economic disadvantage leads to an accelerated decline in physical health outcomes

the unquestioned and unearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits, and choices bestowed upon people solely because they are white

the collection of interconnected beliefs, values, attitudes, images, stories, and memories from which a sense of reality is constructed and maintained in a social system and in the minds of individuals who participate in it.