Self-Identity & Group Identity Flashcards
self-concept/self-identity
the sum of an individual’s knowledge and understanding of his or herself, includes physical/psychological/social attributes, which can be influenced by the individual’s attitudes, habits, beliefs, and ideas
self-consciousness
awareness of one’s self
self-schemas
beliefs a person has about themselves
personal identity
consists of one’s own sense of personal attributes
social identity
consists of social definitions of who you are
self-reference effect
tendency to better remember information relevant to ourselves
ideal self
constructed out of your life experiences, societal expectations, and the things you admire about role models
incongruity
the result when the real self falls short of the ideal self
what are 3 powerful influences on an individual’s development of self concept?
self-efficacy, locus of control, self esteem
self-efficacy
belief in one’s own competence and effectiveness
locus of control
internal locus of control (belief that they are able to influence outcomes through effort and action) and external locus of control (perceive outcomes as controlled by outside forces)
self esteem
one’s overall self-evaluation of one’s self-worth
looking-glass self
idea developed by Charles Cooley that a person’s sense of self develops from interpersonal interactions with others in society and the perception of others. people shape their self-concepts based on their understanding of how others perceive them
social behaviourism
idea developed by George Mead where the mind and self emerge through the process of communicating with others. where “me” is how the generalized other perceives the individual, i.e. the social self, and “I” is the response of the individual to the attitudes of others, i.e. the self as subject
symbolic interactionism
school of sociology that believes use of symbols/communication leads to emergence of the self
socialization
the process through which people learn to be proficient and functional members of society, a process that relies on socializing and interacting with members of society
norms
spoken or unspoken rules and expectations for the behaviours of members
normative behaviour
social behaviours that follow expectations and meet the ideal social standard
sanctions
rewards and punishments for behaviours that are in accord with or against norms
formal norms
generally written down, precisely defined, publicly presented, and often accompanied by strict penalties for those who violate them (ex. laws)
informal norms
generally understood but are less precise and often carry no specific punishments
mores
norms that are highly important for the benefit of society and so are often strictly enforced
folkways
norms that are less important but shape everyday behaviour
taboo
behaviours that customs forbid, endorsement of the norm is so strong that its violation is considered forbidden and oftentimes punishable through formal or non-formal methods. a social construct, there is no universal taboo
anomie
a concept that describes the social condition in which individuals are not provided with firm guidelines in relation to norms and values and there is minimal moral guidance or social ethic. characteristic of societies in which social cohesion is less pronounced, suggests the disintegration of social bonds between individuals and their communities
non-normative behaviour
viewed as incorrect because it challenges shared values and institutions, thus threatening social structure and cohesion
deviance
actions that violate dominant social norms, whether formal or informal, a social construct and is situational and contextual
Edwin Sutherland’s differential association
perspective argues that deviance is a learned behaviour resulting from interactions between individuals and their communities, individuals become deviant when their contacts with favourable attitudes toward deviance outweigh their contacts with unfavourable attitudes. suggests individual behaviour is determined by environment
Howard Becker’s labeling theory
perspective suggests that deviance is the result of society’s response to a person rather than something inherent in the person’s actions, behaviours become deviant through social processes (self-fulfilling prophecies)
agents of social control
dominant power groups that are able to enforce the boundaries of normal behaviour and thus define the difference between non-deviant and deviant behaviours, i.e. able to attach stigmas to certain behaviours
Robert Merton’s structural strain theory
perspective purports that deviance is the result of experienced strain, either individual or structural, anomie is the state in which there is a mismatch between the common social goals and the structural/institutionalized means obtaining these goals
collective behaviour
a third form of social behaviour (normative/non-normative) in which social norms for the situation are absent or unclear, describes the actions of people operating as a collective group, usually reflect spontaneous situations and a loss of independent moral judgement in exchange for a sense of the group
what are four main forms of collective behaviour?
crowds, publics, masses, social movements
crowd
a group that shares a purpose, ex. herd behaviour, mob (emotion is heightened and behaviour is directed toward a specific and violent cause), panic (situation in which fear escalates to the point that it dominates thinking and thus affects entire groups)
public
a group of individuals discussing a single issue, which conflicts with the common usage of the term
mass
a group whose formation is prompted through the efforts of mass media, share common interests
social movements
collective behaviour with the intention of promoting change, can be active movements (attempts to foster social change) or expressive movements (attempts to foster individual change)
fad/craze
example of a collective behaviour in which something experiences a rapid and dramatic incline in reputation and remains popular among a large population for a brief period before experiencing a rapid and dramatic decline in reputation
trends
longer-lived than fads and often leads to permanent social changes
mass hysteria
diagnostic label that refers to the collective delusion of some threat that spreads through emotions and escalates until it spirals out of control, the result of public reactions to stressful situations
outbreaks/epidemics/pandemics
collective behaviour that involves an unexpected increase in the incidence of an infectious disease in a given region (outbreak are the most limited, pandemics are the most widespread)
moral panic
a specific form of panic as a result of a perceived threat to social order
riots
example of collective behaviour, a form of crowd behaviour with no specific end, usually occur as a result of general dissatisfaction with social conditions
what are 6 agents of socialization
family, school, peer groups, workplace, religion/government, mass media/technology
what are two possible outcomes of interactions between multiple cultures in the same space?
assimilation and amalgamation
assimilation
the process in which an individual forsakes aspects of his or her own cultural tradition to adopt those of a different culture
amalgamation
occurs when majority and minority groups combine to form a new group
multiculturalism/pluralism
perspective that endorses equal standing for all cultural traditions
subculture
a segment of society that shares a distinct pattern of traditions and values that differ from that of the larger society
Kohlberg’s stages of moral development
includes six identifiable developmental stages of moral reasoning, which form the basis of ethical behaviour
Kohlberg’s stages of moral development consists of 3 levels with 2 stages each
Level 1 (Pre-conventional level of moral reasoning: morality judged by direct consequences to the self): 1. obedience and punishment orientation, 2. self-interest orientation Level 2 (conventional level of moral reasoning: morality judged by comparing actions to society's views and expectations): 3. interpersonal accord and conformity, 4. authority and social-order maintaining orientation Level 3 (post-conventional level of moral reasoning: morality judged by internal ethical guidelines): 5. social contract orientation, 6. universal ethical principles
stage 1 obedience and punishment orientation
individuals focus on the direct consequences to themselves of their actions
stage 2 self-interest orientation
individuals focus on the behaviour that will be their best interest, with limited interest in the needs of others
stage 3 interpersonal accord and conformity
individuals focus on the approval and disapproval of others, and try to be “good” by living up to expectations
stage 4 authority and social-order maintaining orientation
beyond a need for individual approval, individuals feel a duty to uphold laws, rules, and social conventions
stage 5 social contract orientation
individuals see laws as social contracts to be changed when they do not promote general welfare
stage 6 universal ethical principles
morality is based on abstract reasoning using universal ethical principles; laws are only valid if they are grounded in justice
attribution theory
rooted in social psychology, attempts to explain how individuals view behaviour, both our own behaviour and the behaviour of others
dispositional attribution
internal causes
situational attribution
external causes
given a set of circumstances, how to individuals attribute behaviour?
to internal causes or external causes
what are 3 influences that determine whether behaviour is attributed to internal or external causes?
consistency, distinctiveness, consensus
fundamental attribution error
tendency to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the impact of a person’s character or personality
