Socialisation Flashcards
What is Primary socialisation?
Learning from the immediate family at home. A child adopts the beliefs and values of the family
What is secondary socialisation?
Learning what wider society expects of its members. This is acquired through agencies of socialisation eg friendship groups, education, the media and religious organisations
What is Tertiary socialisation?
This is adult socialisation and helps us adapt to new situations eg changing jobs, parenthood, disability or retirement
What’s a concept
An idea - concepts are used to create a theory
What is social policy?
A plan or action that the government puts into place to change or improve things
What is a theory?
A set of ideas used to explain how or why things are as they are
What are feral children?
Examples of how socialisation has NOT taken place
Genie - not had the opportunity to experience the learning from family or education as she had been in a room for 13 years completely isolated
Oxana Malaya
Raised by animals, no human affection or love. She acts like an animal rather than a child
Have not learnt norms and values of a culture
What is socialisation?
The process by which we learn acceptable cultural beliefs and behaviour. Learning norms and values of society
Factors that could impact on cultural diversity
Time
Globalisation
Immigration
Media
What is a subculture
A group who’s attitudes and values differ from those of the mainstream culture eg goths/emos, heavy metal, hippies - peace
give examples of how the family provide primary socialisation
Desire to achieve ambitions
eg. Do well at school
Ability to do things
eg. Cook/speak/walk
Learn social roles
eg. How to behave
Learn about interacting with others
eg.being polite
Ability to survive the outside world
eg. Cook
Pierre Bourdieu - Marxist
He calls these things HABITUS in the family
Claimed that because families share social backgrounds, ethnicity, values, accents, manners, patterns of thinking etc, this sets them apart from others
HABITUS
Deeply ingrained habits skills and dispositions or tastes that we possess due to our life experiences
Education is more of a middle class habitus, working class backgrounds may struggle if they aren’t surrounded by education - it is not familiar
Agencies of socialisation
FAMILY
Ann Oakley - Feminist perspective
Family socialisation - learning gender roles / sense of identity
Imitation
Eg makeup on girls
Role models
Eg girls get barbie dolls and boys get cars
Sanctions
Eg boys shouldn’t wear pink and girls shouldn’t wrestle
Expectations
Eg boys cry less than girls, men go to work, women look after the children
what does Talcott parsons -say about the Family
Claims socialisation is the process by which humans learn and internalise their cultures norms and values
Parsons believed marriage performed a vital function for society and the individual. He claimed the most important functions of the family was stability of the adult personality
Males have an instrumental role - earn money
Females have an expressive role - look after emotional well-being of the family and take care of the children
Peer groups Iona and Peter Opie
Early friendships - responsive to other children - the couple demonstrated children has street culture that excluded adults and is developed through play
What is Peer pressure?
Adolescent peer groups can be very supportive of eachother. Young people gain independence from families by belonging to friendship groups
Peer pressure is the process whereby people modify their behaviour in order to fit in
What is organic analogy?
Seeing society as a system.
Society works like a human body.
Institutions are like organs, parts fit together and depend on each other
If one or more of these institutions starts to malfunction the society becomes dysfunctional
What is social solidarity?
The idea of a well-integrated functioning society where all members have been socialised into its shared norms and values
What is value consensus?
A society functions well when there is agreement about values and this is achieved through socialisation
What is anomie?
Instability resulting from a breakdown of standards and values or lack of purpose
What is meritocracy?
Social system based on jobs and pay allocated based on an individuals talent and achievements rather than social status.
What is the difference between achieve and ascribed status?
Achieved status is where we work hard to climb the social ladder - functionalists
Ascribed status is where we are born into a position in society which is fixed. For example, the royal family
Functionalism is a consensus theory, what does this mean?
Society is made up of interdependent institutions performing different roles and functions
Functionalism is a structural theory, what does this mean?
Society is a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the needs of individuals
Functionalism is a positivist theory, what does this mean?
Methods of natural science in society
Macro theory, what does this mean?
Large scale theories / issues and large groups of theories
Briefly summarise the findings of Durkheim.
Theories founded on the concept of social facts or societal norms, values, structures, functionalism, division of labour and anomie.
Summarise the findings of parsons
Theory of social action. Social solidarity connected to each-other and parts of society
What is a critique of functionalism?
Downplaying the role of individual action and being unable to account for social change
Agencies of socialisation
EDUCATION
Formal curriculum - Althusser
Hidden curriculum feminists
Agencies of socialisation
RELIGION
Parental faith
Collective conscience
Agencies of socialisation
MEDIA
Hypodermic syring model
Copy cat behaviour
Agencies of socialisation
WORK
Canteen culture
Mcdonaldization of work
What are the 6 agents of socialisation?
Family Peer groups Religion Media Work Education
What is identity?
A sense of who we are our relationships to other people and our place in the social world
Examples of sense of self
Class Age More or less significant Religion depending on our Gender social situation Ethnicity Status
Two elements of identity?
Primary identity
Our sense of self
Eg loving yourself
Secondary identity
The role we play in society
Eg student
How do we develop a sense of identity
We are told who we are by other people
Where we are
Identity gives us meaning maybe through a uniform or symbol
Achieved status - teacher
Ascribed status - female
What is ‘generalised other’
George Herbert Mead (interactionism)
Recognising the expectations and attitudes of those around us
What is ‘significant other’
Sullivan said this may be a person or group of people who has an influence on our identity
Agencies of socialisation can be seen as significant others - eg family members
What is ‘other’ in terms of identity
Asin what we are NOT
Men may define themselves in the terms of rejecting things that are seen as feminine
What is Marxism?
Conflict from class in society
Status is based on where you are positioned in the heirarchy of society.
Marxist say status is not meritocratic - it is not based on achievement.
What is capitalism?
A system of production in which the economic institutions eg. Banks and factories are privately owned. The aim is to make profit
What is bourgeoisie?
Small elite group
Control society because they have access to the infrastructure and use it to manipulate other institutions for their own benefit
What is proletariat?
Working class According to Marxists they are controlled and manipulated by bourgeoisie. To which they are unaware of.
False class consciousness Lower class think their position is fair
How do we develop a sense of class identity
Education Family norms and values Leisure activities Employment / wealth Peer groups
What is manipulation - gender socialisation
Parents encourage behaviour that is ‘normal’ for that gender and discourage inappropriate behaviour eg “boys don’t cry”
What is canalisation
Boys and girls are channelled into appropriate activities eg giving boys ‘male toys’ to encourage physical activity and girls dolls to encourage caring
Verbal appellations
Girls are given names that focus on looks and perfect behaviour “angel” “princess” and boys on aggression “little monster”
What’s cultural capital
Capital is usually used to refer to money; having capital gives the wealthy power.
Pierre Bourdieu argued that it is not only money that gives the wealthy power, but cultural assets too.
children of middle-class or wealthier parents are likely to have knowledge and cultural experiences that ensures that they succeed in education (and society).
sometimes schools assess cultural capital rather than what has been learnt in school and also teachers will perceive cultural capital as intelligence, and this in turn leads to them applying a positive label to the pupils.
What is collective conscience
Durkheim - shared values and moral beliefs reinforced in society
Extreme nationalism VS Civic nationalism
Extreme nationalism is having extreme pride for your country and is often distrusted because it can give rise to extreme forms of behaviour one of its key features is intolerance to others
Civic nationalism is more positively seen, it can unite it’s different groups of people together so they feel pride in their country. Governments often encourage it
What is hidden curriculum
Hidden curriculum feminists
Subject of debate
Set of assumptions and beliefs that are implicit in text books, rules and uniforms.
Feminists in 1970 and 1980s pointed out school textbooks ignored presence of women or places them in domestic roles.
What is formal curriculum
Formal curriculum - Althusser
Schools deliver knowledge of culture to children. ‘Althusser’ a french Marxist says education exists to teach children that an unfair society is perfectly acceptable. If children fail it is their own fault and not the failing of unjust society
What is parental faith
Parental faith
Children affected by the beliefs of their parents. Erkison pointed out children have no choice but to take on beliefs of their parents eg celebrate Christmas.
What is collective conscience
Collective conscience
Durkheim-
Shared beliefs, values and norms. Durkheim said it is not possible to have a social life without these shared beliefs.
What is hypodermic syringe model
Marxist theories - media acts like a drug. Effects beliefs of children as they are more vulnerable - less likely to see between fiction and reality - violence is seen as heroic.
What is copy cat behaviour
Copy car behaviour
Children copy what they see on TV. Eg murder is glamorised in films. The level of concern in some countries is that bad they have strict laws on what can be shown on games and children’s TV
What is canteen culture
Workers need to understand practices of other employees. Their beliefs, how to deal with certain problems and attitudes, be punctual and work hard.
What’s mcdonaldization of work
Ritzer (1993) workers in fast food restaurants were trained not to show initiative. All workers should act the same. Food and staff should be predictable work becomes boring and repetitive
