1: socialisation & culture Flashcards
what are agents of socialisation?
institutions in society that teach us through socialisation
what are the 6 agents of socialisation?
- peer groups
- education
- media
- religion
- family (primary)
what is primary socialisation?
The first stage of a life long learning process.
- during this period we learn basic norms and ways of behaving.
- it is necessary because human infants require the assistance of other members in society to develop as humans and as members of a culture.
ONLY FAMILY!!!!
what is secondary socialisation?
when we learn other ways of behaving from ‘agents’ or ‘institutions’ outside the family
what are formal agents of socialisation?
rules enforced that could change the rest of your life- the rules apply to everyone.
e.g. police, systems, courts, government, military.
what are informal agents of socialisation?
rules that effect us in the short term.
implied rules- may vary from group to group.
e.g. family, peers, media, religion, education
what is the process of social control? & examples
HOW the agents control our behaviour
e.g. imitation, official rules, peer pressure, praise, criticism, deliberate instruction & coercion.
what is nature? (6 marker)
- idea that social behaviour is biological or innate which biologically determined by genetics or biological make up.
- An example of behaviour which is a result of nature could be sleeping, for
example there are case studies of feral children, who, despite lacking nurture
still naturally required sleep in order to survive. Another example of a
behaviour which is due to nature could be blinking. We need to do this
order to keep our eyes moist in order to protect our eyes and our sight.
what is nurture? (6 marker)
- Refers to the idea that social behaviour is socially constructed. social influencers encourage behaviour behaviour to be imitated as almost a social normality; it is expected.
- an example of behaviour which is a result of nurture is the way in which someone builds relationships or learn to love from the types of relationships they are exposed to- assuming it is the norm.
What are norms? (6 marker)
- Norms are unwritten rules which guide our behaviour in society. They are
based on values. Norms are socially constructed - they are relative meaning
they are not fixed and are therefore different in different societies and they
change over time. They taught through the agents of socialisation. - One example of a norm is eating with a knife and fork. This is a norm in the UK
but not in all countries and cultures. Another example of norms could be those
which relate to your gender. It is a norm for a girl to wear a skirt but if a boy
did this they would be seen as deviant. This is discussed by Oakley who
discusses how the family socialises us into gender norms and behaviour.
what is primary socialisation? (6 marker)
- socialisation is the process by which we learn norms, values and behaviour appropriate for our society. primary socialisation is the way this behaviour is learnt through the agent family. its our first exposure to examples of behaviour.
- an example of behaviour learnt through primary socialisation is walking or speaking which is taught from exposure around them & influence of family members. another example is learning to use cutlery and eat politely; this is a social norm, expected to be followed.
what is secondary socialisation? (6 marker)
- Socialisation is the process by which we learn norms, values and behaviour appropriate to our society. Secondary socialisation is the way this behaviour is learned through agents other than the family such as the media, education, peer group, work and religion.
- An example of behaviour learned through secondary socialisation could be norms and values such as punctuality, hard work and obedience. These are transmitted through education and the hidden curriculum as discussed by Bourdieu. Another example of behaviours learned through socialisation is smoking and drinking. These behaviours may be learnt through the peer group and processes of social control such as peer pressure.
what is formal socialisation? (6 marker)
what is informal socialisation? (6 marker)
- informal social control is used to reinforce societies norms & values to individuals via the agents of socialisation. Informal social control refers to reinforcing mechanisms that are associated with the more informal agents of socialisation such as the media and peer groups.
- an example of informal social control would be peer pressure. The peer group may put pressure on an individual to behave in a way that ma go against societies norms & values; this is normally associated with youth culture.
what are values? (6 marker)
- values are the reasons behind human behaviour, the beliefs that underpin a community or society- providing general principles for human behaviour. they are beliefs of what you should or shouldn’t do
- for example, a value of Britain is fairness and honesty. people in the community are expected to follow these values because it is what what people believe will make the community a better place.
