1.1 Agencies Of Socialisation

Question 1

What is the family the main agency of?

Answer 1

Primary socialisation

Question 2

Why is a sense of security during early childhood essential?

Answer 2

• to develop a stable personality and learn norms and values

Question 3

How does the family transmit culture?

Answer 3

Through:
• manipulation
• language
• activities 
• role models
• social control

Question 4

How does the family transmit culture through manipulation?

Answer 4

Parents encourage certain behaviours and discourage others

e.g encourage daughters to pay attention to their appearance and boys to support football (gender roles)

Question 5

How does the family transmit culture through language?

Answer 5

• through verbal appellations (Oakley) for example girls are called princess and boys called little soldiers
• labels teach children of societies expectations

Question 6

How does family transmit culture through activities?

Answer 6

• children are provided with toys through which they learn about wider culture

Question 7

How does family transmit culture through role models?

Answer 7

• children imitate their parents, they learn from their parents and other adults what social roles are expected of them

Question 8

How does the family transmit the culture of society through social control?

Answer 8

• Parents use positive sanctions (e.g pocket money) as rewards for appropriate behaviour
• they use negative sanctions (e.g. Grounded) to discourage inappropriate behaviour

Question 9

How do functionalist a view children and what is the family’s responsibly?

Answer 9

• children are empty vessels

* a parents role is to mould and train the child to become an acceptable member of society

Question 10

What did parsons (functionalist) say about gender roles in the family?

Answer 10

• it is functional for women to take responsibility for childcare, and for men to be the breadwinners
• socialisation involves learning gender roles - women are expressive, men are instrumental

Question 11

What are the new right concerned about with regard to the family and why?

Answer 11

• functions lists are concerned about the increase of one parent families
• if the family breaks down it can’t provide adequate socialisation
• without a male role model children may underachieve and behave antisocially

Question 12

Within education what do children learn to do?

Answer 12

Adapt to a new set of norms and values

Question 13

In education, through what does socialisation take place?

Answer 13

Through the formal and hidden curriculum

Question 14

What is the formal curriculum? And how does it pass on culture?

Answer 14

• the written curriculum

* subjects such as English literature and history pass on aspects of culture and contain wider values

Question 15

What is the hidden curriculum and how does it socialise pupils?

Answer 15

• unwritten curriculum
• consists of rules, regulations and routines and interactions in school life that socialise pupils into aspects of culture

Question 16

What values do the hidden curriculums teach?

Answer 16

• rules, detentions and awards teach conformity to societies laws
• value of competition taught through competitive sports
• grading ability teaches the value of meritocracy

Question 17

What are the agencies of socialisation?

Answer 17

• family
• education
• the peer group
• religion
• the workplace
• the media

Question 18

How does education transmit culture?

Answer 18

• manipulation
• canalisation
• role models
• imitation
• social control

Question 19

How does education transmit culture through manipulation?

Answer 19

Teachers encourage appropriate behaviour (completing homework)

Question 20

How does education transmit culture through canalisation?

Answer 20

Through activities, for example boys are encouraged to play football at break times

Question 21

How does education transmit culture through role models?

Answer 21

• Teachers act as role models, as well as head boys/girls and prefects
• lessons teach of historical role models (e.g. Churchill and nightingale)

Question 22

How does education transmit culture through social control?

Answer 22

Positive sanctions (awards, praise)
Negative sanctions (detentions, reports)

Question 23

How does education transmit culture through imitation?

Answer 23

Children are keen to fit in so they copy this behaviour of their peers

Question 24

What is the functionalist view of education as a agency of socialisation?

Answer 24

Education functions to transmit shared values that lead to conformity and consensus

Question 25

What was parsons (functionalist) view of education?

Answer 25

Education is a bridge between family and society

Question 26

What did Durkheim (functionalist) say about education with regard to social beings?

Answer 26

Education teaches children that they are social beings, that is, part of a wider society through subjects such as history and English

Question 27

What is the Marxist view of education as an agency of socialisation?

Answer 27

- education is dominated by the hidden curriculum | - encourages children to accept inequality and conformity, preparing them for working class jobs

Question 28

What did bowles and Gintis say about education as an agency of socialisation?

Answer 28

Through education children learn to accept authority and are taught to be submissive and obedient, preparing them for the exploitation of the working world

Question 29

functionalists believe education is meritocratic what does this mean?

Answer 29

achievement is based on ability and effort, everyone has an equal chance of success

Question 30

do Marxists believe in meritocracy?

Answer 30

no they believe meritocracy is a myth chances are largely shaped by your class background

Question 31

what did Willis show to criticise Marxism?

Answer 31

pupils can successfully resist the hidden curriculum | not all pupils become model students demonstrated by exclusions and disruption

Question 32

what is a peer group?

Answer 32

a friendship group formed by people of roughly the same age and social position seen as the most important agency during adolescence

Question 33

what did Gerald Handel (interactionist) say the peer group helps children to do?

Answer 33

``` function more independently acquire skills and beliefs of their generation ```

Question 34

peer group socialisation can lead to socialisation conflict what does this mean?

Answer 34

the demands of the peer group contradicting the rules of parents

Question 35

how does the peer group transmit culture through activities? how does this impact gender socialisation?

Answer 35

children learn rules of games from peer groups | skelton - playground space dominated by boys playing football, girls are found on the side skipping or talking

Question 36

how does the peer group transmit culture through resistance and rebellion?

Answer 36

youths question and test rules | youth subcultures e.g. punks based on rebellion and resistance

Question 37

how does the peer group transmit culture of society through peer group pressure?

Answer 37

peers pressure individuals to imitate group behaviour | people want to be accepted so they conform

Question 38

is peer group pressure a good or bad thing?

Answer 38

both good - clever, hard working friends pressure to be a good student bad - criminal friends who smoke/do drugs

Question 39

how does the peer group transmit the culture of society through hierarchy?

Answer 39

peer groups can have a mix of individuals, some act as leaders with higher status who become role models to everyone else

Question 40

what are peer groups usually based around?

Answer 40

similar interests and social group

Question 41

what did sewell mean by the term cultural comfort zones?

Answer 41

peer groups tend to consist of people from similar backgrounds e.g. ethnicity

Question 42

do interactionists believe socialisation is a passive process? explain.

Answer 42

no there are multiple agencies of socialisation in the peer group children socialise each other

Question 43

in the workplace what do people have to be socialised into?

Answer 43

the skills, norms and values attached to their job e.g. obeying the boss

Question 44

through what processes are individuals socialised in the workplace?

Answer 44

imitation, role models, peer pressure, social control

Question 45

what is anticipatory socialisation?

Answer 45

rehearsing a job role before taking it on e.g. imagining, reading about it, observing others in that role

Question 46

what is re socialisation?

Answer 46

learning new norms and values as our jobs change because organisations vary in styles and traditions

Question 47

what are some agencies of socialisation in the workplace?

Answer 47

bosses colleagues customers

Question 48

what is formal socialisation?

Answer 48

management socialising employees: | workplace training, uniform, rules

Question 49

what is informal socialisation?

Answer 49

peer groups at work - introduce workers to informal culture of the workplace, learned through imitation and observation

Question 50

what did Waddington find when studying informal socialisation in the police?

Answer 50

canteen culture | off duty time spent telling stories, picking up tips

Question 51

how does the canteen culture in the police help deal with their stressful job?

Answer 51

boosts occupational self esteem - heroic identity reinforces sense of mission celebrates values in police work

Question 52

Marxists argue workers are socialised in a way that contributes to their...

Answer 52

...continued exploitation at work

Question 53

what did Ritzer (Marxist) argue about Mcjobs?

Answer 53

unskilled, low paid, part time jobs turn workers into robots, everything they do and say is controlled by management

Question 54

what did Berger argue about religion in traditional societies?

Answer 54

provides a universe of meaning provides explanation for their experiences sense of unity - everyone socialised into same beliefs

Question 55

what did Berger say about religion in modern industrial multicultural societies?

Answer 55

no longer a single religious belief system | religion is less convincing and uniting

Question 56

religion can influence people by socialising people into what?

Answer 56

a set of moral values e.g. the 10 commandments form the basis of many laws in the UK

Question 57

give an example of how religion influences people through rituals and ceremonies?

Answer 57

marriages and christenings bring people together and remind them of shared values

Question 58

what do most religions have?

Answer 58

a figure of authority to act as a role model e.g the pope

Question 59

what sort of group is religion especially important to?

Answer 59

ethnic minority groups as a source of identity

Question 60

what percentage of young Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, did Modood find agreed that religion is very important to how they lived their life?

Answer 60

67%

Question 61

What did Ghuman say mosque's are the centre of and how do they exert pressure on Muslims?

Answer 61

centre of religious, educational and political activities | exert pressure on the way Muslim parents raise their children

Question 62

how did Ghuman say religion (Islam) influences gender identity?

Answer 62

some Muslim women socialised into wearing the Hijab

Question 63

what did Durkheim argue the main role of religion was? (functionalism)

Answer 63

socialising societies members into value consensus by making key values sacred to bring people together in shared rituals

Question 64

what do these key values Durkheim says religion socialises us into become? (functionalism)

Answer 64

strong moral codes e.g. 10 commandments, part of formal social control (laws - do not kill), and informal social control (disapproval of adultery)

Question 65

what percentage of young whites did Modood find agreed religion is very important to how they lived their life?

Answer 65

5%

Question 66

What ideology do Marxist say religion is part of? what does this ideology do?

Answer 66

``` ruling class ideology disguises exploitation ```

Question 67

Marx claimed 'religion is the opium of the masses' what did he mean by this?

Answer 67

dulls the pain of oppression by promising eternal life to those who accept suffering now

Question 68

why is religion declining as a source of socialisation?

Answer 68

increasingly secular society

Question 69

rather than being a source of unity what is religion becoming in multicultural society?

Answer 69

a source of conflict