Chapter 4 - Socialization Flashcards
Socialization
the process by which people learn to function in social life and become aware of themselves as they interact with others
Role
the behaviour expected of a person occupying a particular position in society
Self (definition and who)
- consists of your ideas and attitudes about who you are as an independent being
- Sigmund Freud
The I (definition and who)
- the subjective and impulsive aspect of the self that is present from birth
- who: Mead
The Me (definition and who)
- the objective component of the self that emerges as people communicate symbolically and learn to take the role of the other
- who: Mead
Significant Others
people who play important roles in the early socialization experiences of children
Generalized Other (definition and who)
- a person’s image of cultural standards, and how they apply to him or her
- who: Mead
The Life Course
the distinct phases of life through which people pass. these stages vary from one society and historical period to another
Rites of Passage
cultural ceremonies that mark the transition from one stage of life to another
Age Cohort
a category of people born in the same range of years
Age Roles
norms and expectations about the behaviour of people in different age cohorts
Generation
an age cohort that shares unique formative experiences during the first few decades of life, which help to shape a collective identity and set of values
The Social Environment
composed of others to whom individuals must adapt to satisfy their own needs and interests
Adaptation
the process of changing one’s actions to maximize the degree to which an environment satisfies one’s needs and interests
Primary Socialization
the process of acquiring the basic skills needed to function in society during childhood; usually takes place in a family
Secondary Socialization
socialization outside the family after childhood
Hidden Curriculum
in school involves teaching obedience to authority and conformity to cultural norms
Thomas Theorem
states “situations we define as real become real in their consequences
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
an expectation that helps bring about what it predicts
Peer Group
consists of individuals who are about the same age and similar status. acts as an agent of socialization
Status
a recognized social position an individual can occupy
Cyber-Bullying
the use of electronic communications technology to threaten, harass, embarrass, or socially exclude others
Gender Roles
the set of behaviours associated with widely shared expectations about how males and females are supposed to act
Virtual Communities
associations of people scattered across the country or the planet who communicate via computer about subjects of common interest
Resocialization
occurs when powerful socializing agents deliberately cause rapid change in a person’s values, roles, and self-conception, sometimes against a person’s will
Initiation Rights
rituals that signify transition from one group to another and ensure loyalty to the new group
Total Institutions (definition and who)
- settings in which people are isolated from the larger society and under the strict control and constant supervision of a specialized staff
- Erving Goffman
Anticipatory Socialization
involves taking on the norms and behaviours of a role to which we aspire
Digital Technologies
social media, the internet, and other electronic tools that generate, store, or process data as a series of 1s and 0s
Looking-Glass Self (definition and who)
- we imagine how we must appear to others, the judgment of that appearance, and then we develop our ‘self’ through the judgments of others
- Charles Horton Cooley
Meads Theory of Self
- Imitation of Significant Others
- Pretending (playing doctor, house, school, etc)
- Playing Complex Games (take roles of several others)
- Developing a sense of cultural standards through the generalized other
Canada’s 5 Identifiable Generations (name, years, key traits, values)
1. The Greatest Generation (1901-1928) - great depression - WWII - rules, discipline, thriftiness, conformity, hard work, trust in government
- The Silent Generation
(1929-1945)
- traditionalist or lucky generation
- rules, discipline, thriftiness, conformity, hard work, trust in government - Baby Boomers
(1946-1965)
- trudeaumania, rock music
- civil rights, Vietnam war, sexual revolution, feminism
- anti-war, anti-government, equal rights, involvement, personal gratification
4. Generation X (1966-1981) - latchkey kids - increase in divorce rates - slow economic growth, mcjobs - skeptical, individualistic, lack of loyalty to an organization, conservative with money
5. Millennials (1982-2000) - technology - school shootings, terrorist attacks - self esteem movement in education - achievement, fun, civic duty, sociability, take technological advances for granted
3 Stage Ceremony of Rites of Passage (names and definitions)
- ritual rejection = the new member separates from the old status and identity
- ritual death = the new member experiences degradation, disorientation, and stress
- ritual rebirth = the new members accepts the new group culture and status
Functionalist Theory of Socialization
socialization helps to maintain orderly social relations while minimizing individual freedom
Feminist and Conflict Theories of Socialization
emphasize the discord that occurs during socialization based on class, gender, and other divisions
Symbolic Interactionist Theory of Socialization
individual creativity allows individuals to attach meaning to their social surroundings, thus highlighting how individuals often step outside of, and modify, values and roles that authorities try to teach them
Which theory defines the perspectives of George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley?
Symbolic Interactionist
3 Parts of Self
Id, Superego, Ego
Id (definition and who)
- part of self that demands immediate gratification (primary process thinking – operates on the ‘pleasure principle’)
- Sigmund Freud
Superego (definition and who)
- personal conscience
- part of self that acts as repository of cultural standards, morals and values
- operates based on ‘moral’ / cultural imperatives
- Sigmund Freud
Ego (definition and who)
- psychological mechanism that attempts to exact a maintain an equilibrium between the conflicting needs of pleasure-seeking id and restraining superego
- Sigmund Freud
Rational Ego
part of the psyche that is (usually) reflected most directly in a person’s actions
