Social Psychology Flashcards
What is self concept or self identity?
The sum of an individual’s knowledge and understanding of themself
What is self-consciousness?
The awareness of one’s self
What are self-schemas?
How an individual defines themself
What is self-verification?
The theory that individuals want to be understood in terms of their deeply held core beliefs
What is self-efficacy?
The belief of one’s own competence and effectiveness
What are internal and external locus of control
Internal Locus of Control: The belief that you are able ti influence outcomes through your own efforts and actions
External Locus of Control: The perception that outcomes are the result of outside forces
What is self-esteem?
One’s overall self-evaluation of one’s self worth
What is the looking-glass self?
- 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
What is social behaviourism?
The mind and the self emerge through a process of communicating with others
Who developed social behaviourism?
George Herbert Mead
What is the generalized other?
The common behavioural expectations of general society
What is socialisation?
The process through which people learn to be proficient and functional members of society
What are sanctions?
Rewards and punishments for behaviours that are in accord with or against norms
What are formal and informal norms?
Formal: Generally are written down (e.g., Laws)
Informal: Generally understood but are less precise and typically carry no punishment for breaking them
What are Mores?
Norms that are highly important for the benefit of society and often strictly enforced
What are folkways?
Norms that are less important but shape everyday behaviour
What is anomie?
A concept that describes the social conditions in which individuals are not provided with firm guidelines in relation to norms and values and there is minimal moral guidance or social ethics
Why is non-normative behaviour viewed as incorrect?
It challenges the shared values and institutions, thus threatening social structure and cohesion
What is Edwin Sutherland’s Differential Association?
- Deviance is a learned behaviour
- The source of exposure is an individuals closest personal groups (whether formal or informal)
- Individuals become deviant when their contacts with favourable attitudes toward deviance outweigh their contacts with unfavourable attitudes
- Criticism: individuals are reduced to their environments
What is Howard Becker’s Labelling theory?
- Deviance is the result of society’s response to a person rather than something inherent in the person’s actions
- Views deviance as contextual
- Criticism: The use of negative labels can have serious consequences, both for our perception of the deviant person and the person’s self-perception
What is Robert Merton’s Structural Strain Theory?
- Deviance is the result of experienced strain, either individual or structural
- Views anomie as the state in which there is a mismatch between the common social goals and the structural or institutionalised means of obtaining these goals
What are the four main forms of collective behaviour by Herbert Blumer?
- Crowds: A group that shares a purpose
- Publics: A group of individuals discussing a single issue
- Masses: A group whose formation is promoted through the efforts of mass media
- Social Movements: Collective behaviour with the intention of promoting change
What are the three characteristics of a fad or craze?
- A rapid and dramatic incline in reputation
- Remains popular among a large population for a brief period
- Experiences a rapid and dramatic decline in reputation
What are trends?
- Longer lived than fads and often lead to social changes
What is mass hysteria?
A diagnostic label that refers to the collective delusion of some threat that spreads through emotions and escalates until it spirals out of control. It is the result of public reactions to stressful situations
What is moral panic?
A specific form of panic as a result of perceived threat to social order
What are the agents of socialisation?
- Family
- School
- Peer Group
- Workplace
- Religion/Government
- Mass Media/Technology