4 - Socialisation Flashcards
1
Q
Socialisation
A
- Lifelong learning process that involves figuring out or being taught how to be a social person in each society
- Brings changes in an individual’s sense of self
2
Q
Types of socialisation
A
- Primary socialisation
- Secondary socialisation
3
Q
Primary socialisation
A
The socialisation that occurs during childhood
4
Q
Secondary socialisation
A
The socialisation that occurs later in life
5
Q
Two contentious topics that are central to any discussion of socialization
A
- Determinism versus free will and
- Biological determinism versus social determinism
6
Q
Determinism
A
Refers to the degree to which an individual’s behaviour, attitudes, and other personal characteristics are determined or caused by something specific (e.g., genetic makeup)
7
Q
Types of determinism
A
- Biological determinism (nature)
- Social or cultural determinism (nurture)
8
Q
Biological determinism
A
- States that the greater part of who we are is determined by genes
- E.g. if we are good at sports, music or art it is because of genetics
9
Q
Sigmund Freud
A
- 1856 -1939
- Argued that both biological and social factors shape human personality
10
Q
Three parts of the human mind
A
- Id
- Superego
- Ego
11
Q
Id
A
- Represents our unconscious instinctive drives
- Eros and Thanatos
12
Q
Eros
A
Life drive dedicated to pleasure seeking
13
Q
Thanatos
A
Death wish the instinct for aggression and violence
14
Q
Superego
A
- Part of the mind that polices the id (your conscience)
- Internalized moral messages provided by socializing agent
15
Q
Ego
A
The main agent of personality, driven by the id and its demands but restrained by the superego
16
Q
Erik Erikson
A
- Recognized the influence that society has on ego development well into old age.
- Each stage of life, from infancy to maturity, is defined by a central crisis (trust versus mistrust, intimacy versus isolation, etc.) that significantly impact individual development.
17
Q
Behaviourism
A
- Takes strong cultural determinist position
- ‘nature’ in the nature vs nurture debate)
- Behaviourists emphasizes the power of learning in the development of behaviour
- Much of who we are and what we do is a consequence of how previous behaviour was responded to
18
Q
Behaviour modification
A
- Shaping someone’s behaviours through rewards and punishment
- Edward Thorndike calls this the law of effect
- Desired behaviours rewarded thus reinforced, undesired behaviours ignored or punished thus abandoned
19
Q
Canadian sociologist Dennis H. Wrong
A
- Argued behaviourists work with an
oversocialized representation of
human beings - Individuals are not passive recipients of the messages that our socializing agents give us, but have the agency to resist.
20
Q
Agents of socialisation
A
- Groups that have a
significant impact on one’s socialization (e.g. family, school, peers) - The impact of different socializing agents is contested
21
Q
Who distinguished between two categories of agents of socialisation
A
George Herbert Mead
22
Q
Two categories of agents of socialisation
A
- Significant others (parents, siblings, friends)
- Generalised others (the attitudes, viewpoints, and general expectations of the society into which the child is socialized)
23
Q
Three stages that the socialisation of a child unfolds as
A
- Preparatory stage
- Play stage
- Game stage
24
Q
Preparatory stage
A
Involves the imitation on the part of the child
25
Play stage
The child engages in role-taking and assumes the perspective of significant others (e.g., parents, grandparents, siblings)
26
Game stage
The child can consider several roles and viewpoints simultaneously
27
Charles Cooley explanation as to how the self develops
- Looking glass self
- The individual’s self-image is based on how a person thinks they are viewed by others
28
Three components of the looking glass self
1. How you imagine you appear to others
2. How you imagine others judge your appearance
3. How you feel as a result (proud, self confident, etc)
29
First and most powerful agent of socialisation
Family
30
Family
- Socialization of the child is consistently seen as a key function of the family
- However, the approach to socialization varies from family to family and culture to culture
- Some researchers have questioned the role of family socialization and instead have linked personalities to national character
31
Peer group
Defined as a social group sharing
key characteristics such as age, social position, and interests
32
Peer pressure
- Refers to the social force exerted on
individuals by their peers to conform in behaviour, appearance, or externally demonstrated values
- Peer pressure is socialization in action
33
Community and neighbourhood
- Depending on where they live, children are more or less likely to engage in risk behaviours, that is lifestyle activities that place a person at increased probability of suffering negative consequences
- (e.g., dangerous speeds, drinking to excess)
34
Mass media
This is one of the most powerful agent of socialization in contemporary sense
35
Rowell Huesmann's longitudinal studies
Found there is a connection between violent TV watching and violent behaviour
36
Two theories of Huesmann to explain increase in violent behavior
- Observational learning
-Desensitisation
37
Habitus
Wide ranging set of socially acquired characteristics (manners, good taste)
38
Reproduction
How classes (e.g. upper or dominant class) preserve status differences among classes
39
Jib Fowles argument
Argues that condemnation of TV violence is aimed at reproducing the habitus of the dominant class by condemning the habitus of the dominated class
40
How are students socialised at school
Through teachers (most critical), curriculums, textbooks, and social environment of the classroom
41
Teachers social location
e.g. their gender, age, ethnicity can have powerful effect on educational socialisation of student
42
Gender differences in educational performance that are result of differential socialisation
- Boys = STEM
- Girls = language
- Much has been done to increase girls’ representation and performance in male-dominated disciplines, but boys are still not encouraged to enter female-dominated fields
43
Issues of socialisation
- Children have lost free play and instead have rigid program of scheduled activities
- Due to over-programming many children now feel adult- like stress levels and guilt
- Digital communication also creates generational gaps
44
Secondary socialisation
Usually occurs during adolescence and early adulthood and takes place outside the family and involve a group smaller than society (e.g. new school)
45
Resocialisation
- Process of unlearning old behaviours, attitudes and values and learning new ones upon moving into a significantly different social environment
- Resocialization can be either voluntary or involuntary
- Both types of resocialization can occur together
46
Voluntary resocialisation
- Occurs when someone starts school, changes schools, starts a new job, retires, undergoes a religious conversion
- Often marked by a rite of passage / ceremony (e.g. bar mitzvah)
47
Involuntary resocialisation
- Occurs when someone is forced
to change
- Total institutions re-socialize by regulating all aspects of an individual’s life
48
Hazing as resocialisation
- Entails re-socializing new members of a group or organization such as a university fraternity or sports team
- Often entails enduring demeaning or
uncomfortable experiences
- Involves ritual humiliation of
rookie members by veterans
- Can at times cross over into abuse
- Has been more of a male
than a female activity
