interactionalist theories to socialisation Flashcards
what is meant by symbolic interactionism?
they emphasise the ways in which society is actively shaped by individuals and meanings
it is a social action theory who see individuals as active pts in their socialisation with free will.
what does Mead say about symbolic interactionism?
humans interact through the use of symbols.
a shared use of these symbols and response and understanding is how we form the basis of communication.
our behaviour we choose is influenced by the social context of that beh.
what is Mead’s idea of the concept of ‘I’ and the ‘Me’?
our awareness of others is key to our socialisation
- ‘I’ is the spontaneous side. it is selfish and greedy aiming to meet own demands. as we grow we become aware of generalised others.
- ‘me’ is the more empathetic side. it is more inhibiting as we think about how others see us.
socialisation is a negotiated process which allows changing and developing identities
what is an evaluation of Mead?
mead states we as individuals shape society (social action) but for the majority to abide to these symbols he suggests there must be some collective conscience and shared norms/values (structural idea)
it over-emphasises the significance of the individual with little conception of social structures.
conflict theories argue it can’t explain power relationships in society .
structural theorists say it focuses too much on small-scale ignoring bigger picture
what is meant by the term looking glass self as suggested by Cooley 1927?
self identity is based on what you think others think of you
what 3 elements does it involve?
- we have an idea of how we appear to others
- we imagine the judgement that others may be making about us
- we take our self image from the imagined evals of others
what is a result of these elements?
we may modify our behaviour to receive praise and avoid disapproval.
this means our individual identity is a social construction
what is the dramaturgical approach as suggested by Goffman?
the social world as being rather like a drama or performance.
individuals put on a performance for others to convince them about who they are . in this process they may internalise this image they are trying to project.
what does Goffman suggest about the idea that we have different ‘selves’ in different situations?
in the presence of other we are ‘on stage’, impression managing, controlling our image.
in the private areas of our lives ‘backstage’, we shed our stage identity.
he admits the roles available for us to adopt aren’t unlimited and :- we are constrained by range of social skills available. = some ppl may not manage their impressions leading to a ‘spoiled identity’
what is the labelling theory as suggest by Howard Becker?
we all label people and objects - those with power are able to label someone and make others accept that label.
can lead to a SFP and it can become a master status - identity that overrides all other aspects of that persons identity.
