Ch. 4: Socialization and the Life Course Flashcards
What is socialization?
The process by which human beings learn the social expectations of society
Why is socialization significant for society?
Because not only does it allow people to conform to society, but it also gives people a basis for identity.
When does socialization most often occur?
During our interactions with each other
Describe the nature-nurture debate.
What makes us who we are? Is it inborn or learned behavior?
Define social control.
How groups and individuals are brought into conformity with expectations of the dominant culture
What are the consequences of socialization?
Establishes self-concepts, creates capactity for role-taking, creates tendency for people to act in socially acceptable ways, and makes people bearers of culture
Where does our uniqueness come from?
Different experiences, choices we make, resistence to some of society’s expectations
Name all the agents of socialization.
Family, media, peers, religion, sports, and schools
What are peers?
People with whom we interact on equal terms (ex. friends and fellow students)
What do sports tend to teach people?
They teach concepts of self that stay with them in their later lives
Sociologically, what do schools tend to teach children?
Roles and differences among people and gender differences/stereotypes
How does Freud’s psychoanalytic theory explain socialization?
The self is driven by unconcious drives and forces that interact with the expectations of society.
How does social learning theory explain socialization?
Identity is a learned response to social stimuli such as reward-punishment and role models
How does functionalism explain socialization?
It interprets socialization as key to social stability since it establishes shared roles and values.
How does conflict theory explain socialization?
Identity is shaped by patterns of inequality in society
How does symbolic interaction theory explain socialization?
It sees people as “constructing” the self as they interact with the environment and give meaning to their experience.
Describe Cooley’s looking-glass self.
A person’s self concept arises through considering their relationship to others
Does socialization mean that everyone grows up the same?
No; everyone grows up to different expectations or agents of socialization
Does socialization end during childhood?
No; it happens throughout the entirety of your lifespan.
What does resocialization mean?
It’s the process by which existing social roles are radically altered or replaced.
What does family teach children?
The norms and values of their culture
What are roles?
The expected behavior associated with a given status in society
What is personality?
A person’s relatively consistent pattern of behavior, feelings, predispositions, and beliefs.
What is self-concept?
A person’s image and evaluation of important aspects of oneself
What are socialization agents?
People, sources, or structures who pass on social expectations
What does the id focus on?
Impulses
What does the superego focus on?
Standards of society and morality
What does the ego focus on?
Reason and common sense
How does Mead explain childhood socialization?
Through imitation, play, and the game stages, children take on roles
Define the generalized other
The abstract composite of social roles and social expectations
What does socialization do during childhood?
It establishes initial identity and values
What does socialization do during adolescence?
It causes a person to attempt to separate from their family; causes confusion
What does socialization do during adulthood?
Resocialization; learns behaviors and attitudes for specific situations/roles
What is a possible cause for people’s fear of old age?
The media; it downplays old age often
What is anticipatory socialization?
When one learns the expeactations associated with a role a person expects to enter in the future.
Describe Stockholm syndrome.
A process where a captured person identifies with the captor as a result of becoming dependent on the captor.
