CULTURE & IDENTITY - SOCIALISATION & CULTURE

Question 1

socialisation

Answer 1

socialisation is a process whereby humans learn their behaviour, it starts as soon as a child is born and continues through their whole life. There is primary and secondary socialisation

Question 2

primary socialisation

Answer 2

occurs between the individual and those in their life with whom they have their primary (first) relationships, eg. family.
-values of love, loyalty, sharing, and justice through personal experiences w/ family

Question 3

secondary socialisation

Answer 3

occurs outside of initial relationships and represents the way we start to learn about our culture and identity beyond primary socialisation, eg. education, media, peers, work.
-less personal, more formal, exist for specific purposes such as school

Question 4

norms

Answer 4

a norm defines appropriate and acceptable behaviour in a given situation (shared expectations of behaviour in a society) eg. gender norms defining what counts as “masculine” and “feminine”.

Question 5

values

Answer 5

values form an essential part of the culture of any society, a value is something that is thought to be worthwhile by members of a society (often values vary from one society to another).

Question 6

customs

Answer 6

customs are traditional and regular norms of behaviour associated with specific social situations, events and anniversaries which are often accompanied by rituals and ceremonies (eg. Guy Fawkes burnings at bonfire night on Britain)

Question 7

culture

Answer 7

the way of life of a group of people (determines how members of a society think and feel)

Question 8

agents of socialisation

Answer 8

impress social norms upon an individual (eg. family, religion, peer groups, economic systems, legal systems, language, and media

Question 9

social institutions

Answer 9

is an interrelated system of social roles and social norms organised around the satisfaction of an important social need or social function

Question 10

role

Answer 10

each status has accompanying roles - the expected behaviour (norms) associated with a particular social status
->a role is a set of norms which define appropriate and expected behaviour for those who occupy a particular status (eg. doctors must know how to diagnose illnesses and prescribe the correct medication)

Question 11

role models

Answer 11

a person whose behaviour, example, or success is or can be emulated by others

Question 12

role conflict

Answer 12

occurs when there are incompatible demands placed upon a person relating to their job or position

Question 13

subculture

Answer 13

a group that has values that are different from mainstream culture

Question 14

social control

Answer 14

there are 4 types of social control: (physical violence, economic pressure, social acceptance, socialisation) with the purpose of bringing compliance to societies norms and values

Question 15

formal control

Answer 15

this is where institutions exist in society to force people to behave/conform (eg. the police, legal systems, schools, army).
->formal sanctions are imposed by institutions or organisations upon other institutions, or upon individuals (eg. arrest, expulsion, economic sanctions)

Question 16

informal control

Answer 16

people are taught what their culture believes is correct (socialisation) so are less likely to challenge them
->informal sanctions are imposed by individuals or groups upon other individuals or groups without the use of a formal, institutional system (eg. shunning, boycotts, being “left out”)

Question 17

deviance

Answer 17

a failure to conform to social norms

Question 18

sanctions

Answer 18

the means whereby a social norm is enforced, either by a positive or negative device, and either formally or informally

Question 19

social status

Answer 19

refers to prestige or importance, or also age, gender, or ethnicity. An individuals status defines their relationship with other people. There is ascribed status and achieved status

Question 20

ascribed status

Answer 20

status that is assigned to a person at birth or involuntarily later in life, eg. male/female

Question 21

achieved status

Answer 21

involves some degree of choice and is either earned, achieved, or accomplished as a result of at least some effort on the person’s part

Question 22

social construction

Answer 22

this is a theory of knowledge in sociology and communication theory that examines the development of jointly constructed understandings of the world that form the basis for shared assumptions about reality