Module 11 - Culture and Socialization

Question 1

What are Social Systems? What are they made up of?

Answer 1

Social Systems as a term refers to all systems where humans are the primary components.

Made up of Actors (Agents) and relationships (interdependencies) between them.

Question 2

Ideal Types

Answer 2

• a concept employed by Max Weber to exaggerate certain characteristics of people
• not meant to represent real ppl, but rather ‘extremes’ with a recognition that ‘real’ people are made of a complex of characteristics

Question 3

Homo Economicus

Answer 3

• Refers to the part of each of us that considers our self-interest when making decisions
• We each act in a way that MAXIMIZES our own SATISFACTION
• We do a ‘Cost-Benefit’ Analysis for every decision we make in life

Question 4

Concept of ‘Preference’

Answer 4

Homo Economicus thinks of their own preferences in doing a cost-benefit analysis
- i.e. is self interested

Does this mean they look selfish?
- someone can be very generous but still be self interested
- ex. Mother Teresa; could argue she is self-interested and still a homo economicus bc anything else she would be insane. Her reason may be that her actions make her feel better than doing anything else = greatest possible utility.

Question 5

Where do Preferences Come From?

Answer 5

An economists explains an individual’s preferences as being FIXED and NOT EXPLAINABLE- meaning that the standard theory of neoclassical economics simply assumes that preferences come from somewhere and this is not relevant in their models.

Question 6

Homo Sociologicus

Answer 6

People are not limited to being logical calculating machines, but are also SOCIAL CREATIONS who are at least PARTIALLY PROGRAMMED BY SOCIETY.

Our tendency towards this ‘programming’ is both part of our physical make up and a necessity of our bounded rationality (i.e. emulating and learning from others is necessary).

Our beliefs, attitudes, and preferences are thus partially the result off the SOCIETY/CULTURE that we are part of as well as partially the result of our inherent genetic makeup and our experiences.

Question 7

Groups and Culture

Answer 7

Culture can be described as the sum of attitudes, beliefs, and preferences (including norms) that distinguishes one group of people from another.

Question 8

Individual Beliefs

Answer 8

• What we believe to be TRUE
• Largely rooted in culture(s) including religion and other knowledge systems (including science)

Question 9

Individual Attitude

Answer 9

• Your overall generalized disposition to a topic. Broad term capturing an individuals thoughts on an issue
• E.g. Environmentalists attitude, Pacifist attitude, belligerent attitude, etc.

Question 10

Individual Preferences

Answer 10

• A ranking system of our preferences for different outcomes
• Our personal NORMS are our preferences for the behaviour of others

Question 11

Individual and Shared

Answer 11

Each individual has their own personal set of individual beliefs, attitudes, preferences and norms.

At the same time, there are collectively shared group/societal beliefs, attitudes, preferences and norms.

Question 12

Group Norms

Answer 12

• Norms tend to define what behaviour is acceptable, unacceptable and ideal in any set of situations
• Norms exist amongst groups
• There are norms about what we should believe, should prefer as well as about how we should behave
• Failure to adhere to these norms is DEVIANCE; deviance is usually punished by group memebers

Question 13

What is failure to adhere to group norms?

Answer 13

Deviance

Question 14

Socialization

Answer 14

The ongoing process through which individuals learn culture and through which culture is enforced

Question 15

What are 3 types of socialization?

Answer 15

1. Emulation
2. Formalized Processes
3. Persuasion

Question 16

Socialization: Emulation (copying of others)
- What is an example?

Answer 16

Clapping at the end of a performance
- we never formally learned to “clap” but what happened was you learned from a young age to join in when ppl clap

Question 17

Socialization: Formalized Processes
- What is an example?

Answer 17

Public education
- learn certain forms of behaviour, preferences, norms etc.
- one of the reasons why public education has been treasured bc it brings ppl from diverse backgrounds together

Question 18

Socialization: Persuasion
- What is persuasion?
- What is an example?

Answer 18

Persuasion: a process aimed at changing a person’s (or a group’s) attitude or behaviour toward some event, idea, object, or other person(s), by using written or spoken words to convey info, feelings, or reasoning, or a combination thereof

Ex. commercials

Question 19

What is the difference between Persuasion and Incentivising?

Answer 19

Incentivizing (Homo Economicus)
- Preferences are not changing but the package IS

Persuasion (Homo Sociologicus)
- Preferences ARE changing, but the package is not
- Changing something internal

Question 20

Socialization: Behavioural Rewards and Punishments

Answer 20

If you follow or deviate from a norm others in society may apply costs or benefits (rewards) to you for doing so.
- Punishments for norms are not always obvious and may include things like social exclusion, loss of social status, ‘challenging’ comments, physical punishment, being yelled at, etx.
- Rewards are incentives for individuals to continue or repeat their behaviour. Again, they might not always be so obvious, but things like popularity, friendly responses, respect of others, thank you cards, etc.

*These are not always supporting things that are good for society

Question 21

Norm Enforcement

Answer 21

1. Once you adopt a norm we SELF-MONITOR ourselves and behaviour inline with our norms. If we fail to do so we will often feel shame and a sense of loss. In essence we self-punish.
2. Once you adopt a norm you tend to MONITOR others and punish or reward them based upon their behaviour. The socialized becomes the socializer!

Question 22

Because of the nature of norm enforcement, norms are thus…

Answer 22

Self Sustaining
- Once established, norms tend to be self sustaining, they self-propagate because enforcement and promotion of the norm tends to be built into the norm itself
- They may evolve over time and may even be made extinct as new norms come about
- Change in norms can occur with the die off and replacement of the norm’s hosts (i.e. Older Generations)

Question 23

Do norms change?

Answer 23

YES

Question 24

Linking Homo Sociologicus and Homo Economicus

Answer 24

• We are not just Homo Economicus; we have beliefs, attitudes, and preferences that are significantly affected by the cultural groups we are part of
• Homo sociologicus in our brain is a ranking system and homo economicus is influenced by the underlying preferences
• On a day to day basis we are calculating machines and over the long run, we typically behaviour like homo economicus = why economists can predict things accurately
• 2 factors: preferences and cost-benefit; if you want to change behaviour you must change both

Question 25

What does our model of our social system consists of?

Answer 25

Transactional processes (exchanges rooted in rationality) and sociocultural transmission of our underlying beliefs, attitudes and preferences