Acquiring Culture Flashcards
What are the two forms of socialisation.
Formal socialisation.
Informal socialisation.
What is formal socialisation
This is the process where people deliberately and consciously manipulated to ensure they learn to follow the rules. Eg: school, taught to respect authority
What is informal socialisation.
Informal socialisation is more haphazard as it’s the process of people learning to fit into their culture by watching those around them. People learn what is seen acceptable in their society.
What is meant by the term agents of socialisation.
Any social group or organisation that passes on culture norms and values to others are known as agency of socialisation
What do we learn through agents of socialisation
We learn the expected rules of our society E:G. School, peer groups, religion, work
What is the aim of family socialisation
Created by bourdieu, the aim is ‘habitus’ this is the social situation in which we feel comfortable at home in.
How can family’s be agents of socialisation
Through: Imitation, Role models, Sanctions, Expectations.
How can imitation be apart of family socialisation
Imitation is considered family socialisation as Children learn social skills by watching and copying parents. They learn when and what to eat, how to control their bodily functions and what to say and do
How can role models be apart of family socialisation
Role models are apart of family socialisation as the people children copy become their role models. Children are often encouraged to act like the same-sex parent, thus girls may be given domestic tasks and learn to act like their mother.
How is sanctions apart of family socialisation
Sanctions are apart of family socialisation as children may be punished for incorrect behaviour and praised for acceptable behaviour. A boy who is seen as unacceptably feminine may be pushed into more typical male behaviour in British culture and teased if he rejects more traditionally masculine behaviours.
How is expectations apart of family socialisation
Expectations are apart of family socialisation as boys may develop better spatial awareness than girls because parents may expect them to be better at sport and spend more time playing games with boys.
How do agencies of socialisation pass on culture
Social control
Formal control
Informal control
What is meant by the term social control
Social control refers to the idea that people’s behaviour and thoughts are regulated by society. Agencies of socialisation are therefore also agents of social control because they are concerned with training people to fit into their culture.
What is meant by the term formal control
Formal control this is the deliberate training of people to follow rules. Many social organisations and even society itself have strict rules. These are generally codified (written down) so everyone is aware of them. If rules are broken then people can expect punishment. For example, a murderer can expect to go to prison.
What is meant by the term informal control
This form of control is not so obvious, but it is just as important. It consists of people following unwritten rules such as norms, morals and values. Breaking an unwritten rule is just as dangerous for an individual, but informal sanctions may be less obvious. For example, someone who fails to wash has not broken a written rule but can expect to be ignored and rejected by others.
Functionalism view on gaining identity and culture
We learn to participate in society through socialisation
Marxism view on gaining identity and culture
Socialisation is a way of controlling people to accept an unequal society
Feminism view on gaining identity and culture
Societies train children to accept gender roles, women are subordinate
Postmodernism view on gaining identity and culture
We each of us construct an identity for ourselves and pick and mix ideas
New right view on gaining identity and culture
Poor socialisation results in social problems such as crime and deviance
Interactionism view on gaining identity and culture
People act out roles in their own lives, so they act as others expect them
Functionalism view on gaining identity and culture
We learn participate in society through socialisation
What is the term socialisation
Socialisation is a life long process whereby people learn the rules for their own culture, all sociologists agree that people learn to be apart of society through the process of socialisation. Parsons 1996 agreed that people shared cultural norms and values through socialisation. There are two forms of socialisation primary and secondary socialisation,
What are the agents of secondary socialisation
Peer groups Education Work Religion Media
How are peer groups agencies of secondary socialisation
Peer groups are made up of people of the same age and status eg: classroom, friendships at a young age develop childrens group norms and behaviours that’s different to the family’s norms.
Iona and Peter opie they stated that children have a different street culture that adults were excluded from and is developed from play.
However, this can end up with peer pressure and can help children gain independence from parents but can have a. Negative impact as children fear social reject
How is education a form of secondary socialisation
Education allows children to gain cultural formally and informally. All sociologists argue that schools socialise children into work, this is good for functionalists but bad for Marxists.
