Modernist approaches

Question 1

List the approaches which agree that culture and socialisation form the integrating link between the individual and society and have a powerful influence.

Answer 1

Functionalist, Marxist, Feminist, Interactionist

Question 2

List the approaches which agree that culture and socialisation form the integrating link between the individual and society and have a less powerful influence.

Answer 2

Postmodernist

Question 3

Comment on the Modernist view of the importance of Socialisation in creating culture and individuals’ identities.

Answer 3

Modernist views of the importance of socialisation in creating culture and individuals’ identities are outdated.

Question 4

What do Postmodernists believe about the Structural Theories on Socialisation?

Answer 4

Postmodernists believe that the structural theories, such as Marxism and Functionalism are ‘meta-narratives’, or grand theories which state that ‘this is the truth’ and do not accept that their theory can be wrong or challenged. Postmodernists reject these ‘meta-narrative’ theories

Question 5

What do Postmodernists believe Socialisation in our society is characterised by?

Answer 5

1. Freedom of choice
2. Consumer society so we can buy an identity and can change it whenever we want.
3. Pick and Mix identity whereby we choose aspects of norms, customs and values that we want to adopt from society.
4. Growth of globalisation which influence socialisation from across different cultures.

Question 6

What are the views of Postmodernism on the effects on Socialisation of mass media, new technology and globalisation?

Answer 6

Mass media, new technology and globalisation have changed social life, leading to rapid social change, diversity and fragmentation.

As a result, social institutions are no longer as powerful as they once were, and do not socialise individuals into a shared culture.

Instead, we have cultural diversity, and individuals who create constantly changing, fluid identities through consumption and leisure.

Question 7

Two items from an Evaluation of Postmodernism on Socialisation

Answer 7

1. The structural theories would argue against Postmodernism arguing that there are not a set of ‘competing theories’, but each one of them argue that they have the ‘truth.
2. Postmodernists fail to recognise that choice in a consumer society is governed by social inequalities such as wealth, ethnicity and gender.

Question 8

What do Postmodernists fail to recognise as governing choice in a consumer society?

Answer 8

Postmodernists fail to recognise that choice in a consumer society is governed by social inequalities such as wealth, ethnicity and gender.