Unit 2: Self and Society Flashcards
individual behaviour, social indentity, nature-nuture
What are social indentities?
Social identities are how we percieve ourselves and how we are percived by others. It is based partly on ideas about how others see them
What are roles?
Everyone has different statuses and roles and most people have multiple roles, they are based on our relationship with others. For example, one of the authors of this book is a husband, father, a lecturer and a author and customer to his business and a patient to his doctor and each roles is part of his identity.
What is role conflict?
People experience role conflict when norms are attatched to two or more roles that are incompatable with each other. For example a parent may experience conflict between their work role (the need to be at office) and their role as a mother/father (to take care of children)
What are stereotypes?
These are called stereotypes, which are oversimplified sets of ideas about a perticular type of person or social group. They are usually misleading but often contain the truth, and can be psoitive or negative.
Identifying our indentity
Identifying ourselves as male or female is our gender identity, we laso develop identites in particular groups or situations such as in our family, at work, at school. We see ourselves having certain charasteristics like being a good friend or being a tough boss
Why are identities important?
Identities connect individuals to society in the sense that, through our identity, we can see ourselves in the context of our culture. This allows us to link our inner selves with the roles we occupy.
What is the nature-nuture debate?
about the extent to which our personality ,attitudes, and behaviours are determined by our genes (our nature) or by your social enviroment (our nuture)
Which one do sociologists concentrate on/.
Sociologists tend to concentrate on nuture, since they are interested in the impact of sicety and culture rather than biology on individuals
What is determinism
The two extreme positions in the debate is called determinism. Biological determinism argues that nature is the most important influence on our behaviour. Social determinism argues that society is the most important.
What are feral children
“wild” children who have not been socialised
