SOCIALIZATION

Question 1

what is socialisation

Answer 1

The process through which we become aware of and come to understand societal norms, expectations, beliefs and values
- centered on the impact of culture and learning on individuals and how these processes shape individuals and groups

Question 2

are social scientists interested in nature or nurture

Answer 2

NURTURE - cultural and social learning
(not nature - biology)

Question 3

what is the target of socialisation

Answer 3

The person being socialized

Question 4

what are the agents of socalization

Answer 4

The people, groups, and institutions who are doing the socializing

Question 5

what is social reproduction

Answer 5

The process of persurving norms, values, and social practices

Question 6

what is primary socialisation

Answer 6

• transmitted through the primary groups in infancy and childhood
• The initial process of learning the ways of a society or group

Question 7

what are primary groups

Answer 7

intimate relationships among small groups who generally spend a great deal of time together e.g. families, primary schools
- the main agents of primary socialization

Question 8

what is secondary socialization / resocialization

Answer 8

the learning process that takes place each time we join a new secondary group
- occurs when an individual is socialized into the institutional norms of the secondary group

Question 9

what are secondary groups

Answer 9

tend to be larger, more temporary, more impersonal, and more specialized than primary groups e.g. Work, Club, University Class

Question 10

what is Our sociological understanding of the process of socialization shaped by

Answer 10

symbolic interactionism - Classic Theorist Link: Mead

Question 11

what is self-consciousness

Answer 11

An individual’s awareness of how others see them - developed through the reactions and attitudes of others in social interactions

Question 12

how does the social self develop

Answer 12

• Children develop into social beings through imitating those around them
• Children begin to see themselves the way others see them
• Children begin to understand that they are separate individuals distinct from those around them

Question 13

difference from Development of “me” and “I”

Answer 13

• The “I” is self’s unsocialized impulses and attitudes
• But the “me” has internalized the generalized reactions and attitudes of other members of society - it’s the side of our self that follows the norms and expectations of society and works to control our behavior accordingly

Question 14

what is the generalised other

Answer 14

The emergence of a self that responds to individual reactions and norms and expectations of society

Question 15

what are the 4 Agents of socialization

Answer 15

family
schools
peers
media

Question 16

explain family as an agent of socialzation

Answer 16

• Considered the most influential agent of socialization - has a lifetime influence
• Families teach foundational skills (how to eat, dress, bathe) but also values, norms, and beliefs e.g. We learn about gender through observing how our family
  members interact with one another
• Intersections of race, class, and gender, also shape how children are socialized
• link back to SF, Conflict Theory, SI

Question 17

explain schools as an agent of socialzation

Answer 17

• Most children begin school by the age of 5 and then spend the next 13 years (if not more) in educational institutions
• Students learn academic content (writing, reading, etc.) as well as important norms and values (e.g. Pledge of Allegiance, sharing, respecting others, listening)
• HIDDEN CURRICULUM - Different experiences in schools based on race, class, gender
• Link back to SF, Conflict Theory, SI

Question 18

explain peers as an agent of socialzation

Answer 18

• Extremely powerful agents of socialization - children spend more time with peers than family members (especially as children age)
• Peers (like schools) can reinforce OR challenge what children have learned from their family
• Peers can expose us to new cultures, norms, values, and beliefs
• PEER PRESSURE: Pressure to conform to the norms of one’s social group
• Research has shown children engage in gender segregated and gender integrated play and that children actively shape their gender socialization experiences
• Link back to SF, Conflict Theory, SI

Question 19

explain media as an agent of socialzation

Answer 19

• Increasingly influential agent of socialization - easy access to media sources (Social media, smart phones, multiple televisions and computers in homes)
• Impact of recent increase in media consumption - Positive and negative health benefits

Question 20

what is role strain

Answer 20

Competing demands within a particular social role and status e.g. student has multiple exams on same day

Question 21

what is role conflict

Answer 21

When one’s different social roles conflict with each other e.g. a college student misses classes to take care of her sister, who is ill - role of student conflicts with her role as sister

Question 22

what is identity

Answer 22

• The characteristics by which we are known - constantly shaped, reshaped, and negotiated through our interactions with others
• How others might describe you; the expectations that go along with that specific identity

Question 23

what is self-identity

Answer 23

Shaped by our interactions with others

Question 24

what is a group

Answer 24

set of two or more people with whom you share a sense of belonging, purpose, and identity

Question 25

what is social interactions

Answer 25

• The way individuals behave and react in the presence of other people - helps us develop a sense of self and undergo the socialization experiences that allows us to live in society
• Erving Goffman (link back to SI!) theorized about social interactions and the self

Question 26

what is impression management

Answer 26

• The verbal and nonverbal practices we employ to present an acceptable image of our self to others
• During encounters the self is a managed impression that is fabricated with others during an encounter (the setting) based on cultural and individual expectations of interactions in specific social settings

Question 27

what is key to the ways in which individuals interact with one another

Answer 27

defining the situation beforehand - allows individuals to practice effective impression management

Question 28

what is the self as a character

Answer 28

The self as a product of interaction; that may be fabricated with others during an encounter

Question 29

what is the self as a performer

Answer 29

The core of an individual’s personality that lies behind and manages their performances