Socialization

Question 1

Socialization

Answer 1

• describes the process of developing, inheriting, and spreading norms, customs, and beliefs
• views of society become the accepted viewpoint and are adopted by the individuals within it
• the process by which a person becomes a member of a group, and learning the moral standards of the group is important to retaining group membership

Question 2

Cultural Transmission/Cultural Learning

Answer 2

• the manner in which society socializes its members

- leads to individuals gaining the knowledge, skills, habits, and behaviors that are necessary for inclusion in society

Question 3

Cultural Diffusion

Answer 3

the spread of norms, customs, and beliefs (especially new ones) throughout the culture

Question 4

Primary Socialization

Answer 4

-occurs during childhood when we initially learn acceptable actions and attitudes in our society, primarily through observation of our parents and other adults in close proximity

Question 5

Secondary Socialization

Answer 5

• process of learning appropriate behavior within smaller sections of the larger society
• occurs outside of the home and is based on learning the rules of specific social environments
• can occur when moving to a new region or changing schools/professions

Question 6

Anticipatory Socialization

Answer 6

• process by which a person prepares for future changes in occupations, living situations, or relationships
• Ex. couple living together in preparation for married life

Question 7

Resocialization

Answer 7

• another process by which one discards old behaviors in favor of new ones to make a life change
• can have negative or positive connotations
• Ex. method by which members of army are trained to obey orders and commands without hesitation

Question 8

Norms

Answer 8

societal rules that define the boundaries of acceptable behavior

Question 9

Mores

Answer 9

have to do if something is ethically good or bad

Question 10

Sanctions

Answer 10

• penalties for misconduct or rewards for appropriate behavior
• can be used to maintain social control

Question 11

Taboo

Answer 11

socially unacceptable, disgusting or reprehensible behaviors/actions

Question 12

Folkways

Answer 12

norms that refer to behavior that is considered polite in particular social interactions, such as shaking hands after a sports match

Question 13

What are the 9 different agents of socialization?

Answer 13

• Family: language acquisition, relationships, rules, initial social interactions, morals, role models, behavior
• Peers: activities, trends
• Religion: values, love for others, meaning of life, guidelines on how to live
• Government: laws, sanctions, punishment
• Media: stereotypes, trends
• Work: employment, money, rules, roles
• Ethnic Background: beliefs, values, customs
• Social Groups: social interaction, rules governing activities
• School: grammar, rules, social setting values

Question 14

Deviance

Answer 14

• any violation of norms, rules, or expectations within a society
• any act that goes against societal norms – not necessarily a negative thing
• Ex. jay walking, committing murder, promiscuous sexual behavior

Question 15

Social Stigma

Answer 15

-the extreme disapproval or dislike of a person or group based on perceived differences from the rest of society

Question 16

Labeling Theory

Answer 16

• theory that the labels given to people affect not only how others respond to that person but also the person’s self-image
• can lead to channeling of behavior into deviance or conformity
• Ex. if members of society label a woman as promiscuous this could lead to further promiscuity or a change in behavior toward something more acceptable in society

Question 17

Differential Association Theory

Answer 17

• deviance can be learned through interactions with others
• intimate exposure to others who engage in deviant behavior lays the groundwork for one to engage in deviant behavior themself

Question 18

Strain Theory

Answer 18

• attempts to explain deviance as a natural reaction to the disconnect between social goals and social structure
• Ex. American Dream - desirable social goal but the structure of society is unable to guarantee the education and opportunity needed to achieve this goal to all people

Question 19

Conformity

Answer 19

• matching one’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to societal norms
• also known as majority influence
• two distinct types: internalization and identification

Question 20

Normative Conformity/Influence

Answer 20

• desire to fit into a group because of fear of rejection
• ex. body image (view of ourselves is based on what others view as the ideal body so follow this because want to fit into society)

Question 21

Internalization

Answer 21

• involves changing ones behavior to fit with a group while also privately agreeing with the ideas of the group
• reflects a change in internal thoughts to agree with the idea

Question 22

Identification

Answer 22

• the outward acceptance of others’ ideas without personally taking on these ideas
• acceptance of idea on surface level without internalizing it

Question 23

Compliance

Answer 23

• change in behavior based on a direct response from someone without actual authority over an individual
• involves going along with what others in a group think is right, but it does not imply that the person who is compliant actually agrees with the actions of the group
• variety of different techniques to obtain this: foot in the door technique, door in the face technique, lowball technique, that’s-not-all-technique

Question 24

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

Answer 24

-a small request is made and after gaining compliance, a larger request is made

Question 25

Door-in-the-Face Technique

Answer 25

• a large request is made at first and then, if refused, a second smaller request is made
• often the smaller request is the actual goal of the requester

Question 26

Lowball Technique

Answer 26

• requestor will get an initial commitment from an individual and then raise the cost of the commitment
• Ex. boss asks you to head a committee with a time commitment of 5hr/month of meetings so you agree but later discover that the committee also includes written reports from each meeting and a quarterly report

Question 27

That’s-Not-All-Technique

Answer 27

• individual is made an offer but before making a decision is told the deal is even better than expected
• commonly used in infomercials

Question 28

Obedience

Answer 28

changing one’s behavior in response to a direct order from an authority figure

Question 29

Morality

Answer 29

• set of standards of conduct that are specific to the social group in which one is embedded
• cannot develop in isolation since it is a group-level concept
• particular moral standards one holds are learned from the social group they belong to; it does not develop through genetics

Question 30

Informational Influence

Answer 30

• conform so you can get info you need to get the expected result
• ex. reviewing job applications and see an application that had a lot of high paying jobs, so you then believe that this person is a good hire; if see applicant that doesn’t have a lot of experience then less likely to hire them because other companies did not hire them

Question 31

Solomon and Asch Experiment

Answer 31

• study where participants were in a room full of confederates and asked which line clearly matches another
• showed that individuals are more likely to conform when all accomplices agreed on a wrong answer, even when they know that the answer is wrong and they don’t agree with it
• more likely to comply when more people give the wrong answer

Question 32

Milgram’s Obedience Experiment

Answer 32

• tested obedience by making a participant be a teacher where they administer shocks to a “student”
• found that teachers are more likely to obey if: commands to shock were given by an authority figure vs another volunteer, took place at a prestigious institution, the authority figure was watching them, “student” was in a different room, “teachers” didn’t see another teach disobeying the command