unit 1 Flashcards
theory of mind
recognition that other minds exist, followed by the realization that we can try to imagine others’ mental states
looking-glass self
self that emerges as a consequence of seeing ourselves as we think other people see us
self-fulfilling prophecy
a phenomenon in which what people believe is true becomes true, even it if wasn’t originally true
self-narrative
a story we tell about the origin and likely future of ourselves
culture
used to describe differences in groups’ shared ideas as well as objects, practices, and bodies that reflect those ideas
socialization
lifelong learning process by which we become members of our cultures
culturally competent
able to understand and navigate our cultures with ease
social construct
an influential and shared interpretation of reality that will vary across time and space
social construction
process by which we layer objects with ideas, fold concepts into one another, and build connections between them
signifiers
things that stand for other things
categories
subsets of things that we believe are sufficiently similar
binaries
categories we see as opposites
associations
ideas that have nothing in common except that they are connected by a third idea
sequences
ideas arranged into a specific chronological order
hierarchies
ideas placed into ranked relationships
symbolic structure
constellation of social constructs connected and opposed to one another in overlapping networks of meaning
dual inheritance theory
humans are products of the interaction of genetic and cultural evolution
cultural beliefs
true and false
cultural values
right and wrong
cultural norms
shared expectations of behavior
resocialization
unlearning old beliefs, values and norms
interpersonal socialization
active efforts by others to help us become culturally competent
self-socialization
actives efforts we make to ensure we’re cultural competent members of our cultures
social ties
the connections between us and other people
social networks
webs of ties that link us to each other
social media
social networds mediated by the internet
homophily
our tendency to connect with others who are similar to us
embodied
physically present and detectable in the body itself
culturally conditioned
taught to respond physiologically to a socially constructed reality
culture-as-value thesis
the idea that we’re socialized into culturally specific moralities that guide our feelings about right and wrong
culture-as-rationale thesis
the idea that we’re socialized to know a set of culturally specific arguments with which we can justify why we feel something is right or wrong
ethnocentrism
assuming one’s own culture is superior to other cultures
cultural relativism
practice of noting the differences between cultures without passing judgement
social identities
socially constructed categories and subcategories of people in which we place ourselves or are placed by others
distinction
actives efforts to affirm identity categories and place ourselves and others into their subcategories
positive distinction
the claim that members of our own group are superior to members of other groups
in-group bias
preferential treatment of members of our own group and mistreatment of others
minimal group paradigm
the tendency of people to form groups and actively distinguish themselves from others for the most trivial of reasons
steps to socially construct an identity
invent, divide, stereotype, perform, rank
social identity theory
people are inclined to form social groups, incorporate group membership into their identity, take steps to enforce group boundaries, and maximize positive distinction and in-group success
doing identity
active performance of social identities
conspicuous consumption
spending elaborately on items and services with the sole purpose of displaying wealth
stigma
personal attitude that is widely devalued by members of one’s society
controlling images
pervasive negative stereotypes that serve to justify or uphold inequality
status beliefs
collectively shared ideas about which social groups are more or less deserving of esteem
implicit attitudes
beliefs we have absorbed involuntarily and of which we’re mostly unaware
social rules
culturally specific norms, policies, and laws that guide our behavior
folkways
loosely enforced norms
mores
tightly enforced norms that carry moral significance
account
excuse that explains our rule breaking but also affirms that the rule is good and right
symbolic interactionism
social interaction depends on the social construction of reality
impression management
efforts to control how we’re perceived by others
interpersonal discrimination
prejudicial behavior displayed by individuals
breaching
breaking a social rule in order to test how others respond
deviance
behaviors that violate social expectations and attract negative sanctions
stigtimazation
process by which physical traits or social conditions become widely devalued
criminalization
involves collectively defining a trait or condition as criminal
medicalization
defining physical traits or social conditions as an illness
strain theory
deviance is caused by a tension between widely valued goals and people’s ability to attain them
social disorganization theory
deviance is more common in dysfunctional neighborhoods
neutralization theory
deviance is facilitated by the development of culturally resonant rationales for rule breaking
labeling
process of assigning a deviance identity to an individual
collective conscience
society’s shared understanding of right and wrong
anomie
widespread normlessness or weaking of or alienation from social rules
conflict theory
idea that societies aren’t characterized by shared interests by competing ones
