Introduction To Sociology Flashcards
What do sociologists do?
-identify an issue
-research the issue (gather evidence)
-explain and debate the issue (come up with theories)
What is nature?
- It is biological and within us
- we are all born with certain characteristics which are ‘fixed’ e.g. our sex or physical appearance like height
- these are considered to be a result of ‘nature’ and cannot be changed
What is nurture?
- it is social and learnt/taught from others and our experiences
- sociologists are interested in finding out about the parts of our identity and behaviour which are ‘learned’ and which come about through nurture instead
- things that may not be present when we are born
What are examples of nature?
- blinking
- being a male or female
- mental illness (from parents)
- eating (biological need to eat)
- love
- sleeping
- fear
What are examples of nurture?
- speaking
- walking
- mental illness
- eating
- love (romantic)
- fear
- kissing
What example can you use to debate nature versus nurture?
Horst - the 3 year old boy who was always left with his pet dog
What ways in which did Horst differ from a ‘normal’ three year old child?
- he growled and whimpered instead of talked
- he preferred crawling to walking
- he slept curled up like a puppy with his head between his ‘paws’
- he was sharing a raw chicken with his dog
- Horst didn’t know how to use a toilet and clocked up his leg like a dog against a bush
What is socialisation?
The process by which we learn social behaviour (not to do with socialising with your friends)
What two parts can socialisation be split into?
1)Primary socialisation
2)Secondary socialisation
What is primary socialisation?
The behaviour we learn in our first five years of life from the family
What is secondary socialisation?
The behaviour we learn from other institutions
What are the six agents of socialisation?
- family
- education
- peer group
- workplace
- religion
- media
What is social control?
The use of strategies or processes to encourage people to learn
What are the two forms social control can take?
1) formal social control
2) informal social control
What is formal social control?
- Official rewards or punishments which are explicitly written down
- used in education, workplace and police
What is informal social control?
- more subtle ways of controlling behaviour which are usually used by the family and the peer group
- hidden/unofficial rules
What are norms?
- unwritten rules which governs our behaviour
- actions we should follow e.g. eating with a knife and fork rather than our hands
What are values?
- the belief upon which the norm is based e.g. believing it is dirty or unhygienic to eat with your hands
- value behind the norm
