Final answer:
Sociologists use the term counterculture to refer to groups that oppose and seek to change the dominant culture's values and norms, often creating alternative communities with their own rules.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sociologists use the term counterculture to describe a group whose values and norms are in opposition to the dominant culture. Unlike subcultures, which are smaller groups within a society that still operate within the broader norms, countercultures actively defy mainstream society and often develop their own set of rules and norms. Members of a counterculture are 'against' the dominant ruling culture and seek to establish their own values and way of life, and may even form separate communities that operate outside the larger society. For instance, a counterculture movement might address an issue such as the growing economic disparity between different economic classes. This could include promoting alternative lifestyle choices or challenging established social hierarchies. Cultural imperialism, in contrast, refers to the imposition of one's cultural values onto another culture, which is different from the countercultural approach of creating alternative norms and values within or in opposition to a dominant culture.