Unit 1 Key concepts and processes of cultural transmission Flashcards
What is sociology?
Sociology is about understanding and explaining what is going on in society and between people. Sociologists try to support their ideas with evidence.
What is culture, what are norms?
Culture refers to the shared way of life of a society or a group within society. It
includes norms, values, language, religion and arts and fashions.
Norms are the learned and shared guidelines of behaviour that is acceptable
within a culture or a wider society.
What are values, status and roles?
Values are what is considered worth working for in society.
Status is the amount of respect or the position within a society that a person has.
Roles are the identifiable parts within society that we play in our lives.
What is the nature/nurture debate?
The ‘nature versus nurture’ debate refers to whether human behaviour is natural or learned, and to how much our identities are ‘innate’ and how much they are developed by our interactions with other people and the wider world. Supporters of the ‘nature’ side stress the significance of what we are born with and inherit in our genetic make-up. The ‘nurture’ side stresses that it is how we are brought up that influences our behaviour.
What is the difference between primary and secondary socialisation?
Individuals learn the culture of their society through agents of socialisation. The family and peer group are the most important agents of socialisation in the early years of life.
The use of sanctions is a method of social control employed by both families and
peer groups.
What agents of socialisation exist?
The process of socialisation continues throughout life. Schools, the media, religionand the workplace are all important agents of socialisation.
What happens to unsocialised children?
There have been several cases of feral children that have interested scientists and sociologists. These incidences demonstrate how children who have not been socialised from a young age can find it very difficult later on to identify with people and fit into society.
Why is there cultural diversity?
There are variations in cultures over time and within societies. Consider the different
cultures and subcultures within Britain today and how ‘British’ culture has changed over the years.
There are variations in cultures between countries. Something that is the norm in
one country might be offensive in another.
How does the family and education shape gender roles?
Sociologists show how gender roles are socially constructed. Agents of socialisation influence gender roles. The family constructs gender roles by passing on different messages to girls and
boys, about how they dress, what activities they do, what they play with, how
they play and how they behave.
Schools influence gender roles too by treating girls and boys differently and
through the messages put across in the hidden curriculum.
How does the media and peer group shape gender roles?
Some of the ways the media socialises boys and girls into gender roles are by
presenting men and women in stereotypical ways and by using men most often in leading roles.
Peer groups can also influence gender roles by encouraging different activities for
boys and girls, by applying sanctions to those who do not follow the gender-specific ‘rules’ and by promoting double standards of morality.
How do agents of socialisation influence, class, ethnic and national identities?
The agents of socialisation, such as families, schools, peer groups and the media, build up people’s ethnic identities, class identities and national identities.
What is social control?
Social control is the process used to make people conform to society’s norms and
values. This is done through socialisation and the use of sanctions. Social control can be informal, such as the rewards and punishments within a family, or formal, such as that in law enforcement by the police and courts.
