AICE Sociology: Socialization

Socialisation

the process of social learning that occurs in the period from birth to death in which individuals acquire and absorb the cultural values and norms of the society in which they live

Society

a community of people who share a common territory and culture and consequently interact with one another daily

Identity

the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that constitute both how you see yourself and how other people may see or judge you

Beliefs

Ideas that members of society hold to be true

Artefacts

Material objects such as flags or monuments and buildings or cultural products such as sport, music and national dishes which have symbolic meaning for members of particular societies.

High Culture

cultural products, such as art and literature, that are regarded as rare, unique, and the product of exceptional talent

Mass or popular culture

Cultural artefacts such as pop music or Hollywood blockbusters that are mass produced for mass consumption.

Folk Culture

a type of culture which stems from the experiences, customs, traditions and beliefs of rural communities such as the peasantry or tribes that make up part of a wider culture, and which is passed down by word of mouth

Values

General guidelines about how members of society should behave.

Value System

a collection of values, norms, traditions and customs agreed upon and shared by a social group or society.

Relativity of culture

The idea that what constitutes culture differs across time periods, societies and even between social groups living in the same society

Norms

The rules that govern what behaviour is normal in any given social situation

Secular

Not subject to religious routines or rules

Role

The behaviour that is expected from those who occupy a particular status

Gender role socialisation

the process of learning behaviour that is culturally expected from males and females

Custom

a regular pattern of behaviour that is accepted as a routine norm in a particular society; for example, shaking hands when greeting someone

Social Mores

values, often influenced by religion which set out the moral principles and rules of societies; for example, that sexual relationships should only be conducted in the moral context of a marriage

Deviance

Behaviour that is regarded as either offensive or odd to a social group or society and is therefore regarded as requiring some form of formal or informal regulation

Law

a rule of system of rules which a society agrees to follow and which regulate the behaviour of all. The role of the police and the courts is to enforce those rules by arresting those who break them and to impose punishments if found guilty of doing so

Primary Socialisation

The process of learning that occurs in the family when parents teach children the language, attitudes, values, norms and ethics of the culture in which they live so that they grow up to be citizens and workers who conform to what society expects of them

Conscience

Refers to the moral sense of right and wrong introduced to children from a very young age during the socialisation process which aims to deter deviant behaviour by setting off feelings of guilty if the child thinks about doing wrong

Imitation

Children copying the actions of significant role models in their lives, especially their parents

Role Models

Significant others who are respected by those with less status (such as children) and whose behaviour sets an example to be imitated

Gender Roles

The social expectations that underpin what is expected of a boy/man and a girl/woman in any given society

Feral Children

children who have been deprived of interaction which other humans because they have been abandoned into the wild (and in some cases, allegedly raised by animals) or kept in isolation

Secondary Socialisation

The process of social learning that is in addition to that which occurs in the family. Agents of secondary socialisation include formal education systems, religion, the workplace and the media

Hidden Curriculum

The unwritten, unofficial and often unintended lessons, values, and attitudes that encourage conformity that students allegedly learn in classrooms and schools

Peer Group

a group of people of approximately the same age, status and interests

Cultural Amnesia

the collective loss of memory

Nature vs Nurture debate

The debate as to whether human behaviour is the product of innate biological influences such as instinct or genetics or whether it is the product of environmental influences such as social upbringing or the quality of socialisation

Social construct/construction

a belief, characteristic or set of behaviours and assumptions that is produced or manufactured by the actions of those who constitute society or powerful social groups

Social Structure

the social organisation of society

Social construction

an interactionist concept that refers to behaviour that is thought to be natural but is actually the product of cultural expectations and processes

Agency

Free will or the ability to choose particular courses of action

Structuralist theories

theories such as functionalism, conflict theory, and feminism which claim people's actions are the product of the ways their societies are organised or structured

Macro approaches

a top-down approach which is mainly interested in how society or aspects of it influence individual actions

Positivist

a scientific approach which aims to document the impact of social forces on human behaviour by collecting large-scale data using sociological methods which are regarded as highly reliable and objective

Consensus Theory

a type of structuralist approach which sees society as characterised by agreement and order; for example, functionalism

Conflict Theories

Theories such as marxism and feminism which see societies as characterised by conflict between social classes or between men and women

Humanist approach

a micro or bottom-up approach which is interested in how social reality is interpreted by individuals during their everyday interaction with others

Voluntarism

The idea that human action is voluntary rather than imposed externally by social forces beyond the individual's control. Voluntarists as represented by social action theories believe that social behaviour is the result of people having free will and the ability to choose how to act

Free will

The power to make decisions or choices that are not shaped by social forces beyond the control of the individual

Self

This is composed of two parts, the I is how people see themselves, while the me is how we present ourselves when interacting with others

Social controls

regulations and rules which aim to reinforce ideal behaviour and to ensure conformity. Failure to abide by social controls may result in public punishment

Formal Social Control

Sanctions enforced by official agencies such as government in reaction to the breaking of written formal rules

Conformity

Abiding by or complying with social norms, rules and laws

Positive Sanctions

Rewards which encourage conformity

Subculture

A distinct group that exists within a wider society. Has very distinct and separate identity that stands out from mainstream culture

Spectacular youth subculture

Highly visible groups of young people who commit themselves to a certain "shocking" look in terms of hairstyle, dress codes and so on and whose behaviour is often interpreted by the older generation and the media as "threatening" the moral order or stability of society

Demonisation

The social practice of treating some groups as if they were social problems or a threat to those who belong to mainstream law-abiding society

Symbolisation

a process found in some news reporting of social groups in which journalists identify key features of particular groups, especially young people, so that they can be avoided by others or be easily identified and targeted by the police

Fat-shaming

The action or practice of humiliating someone judged to be fat or overweight by making mocking or critical comments about their size

Social Pressure

Influence exerted on an individual or group by a more or equally powerful person or group. The influence might take the form of rational argument, persuasion or coercion

Cost-benefit analysis

a process that involves members of society rationally weighing up the benefit of, say, obeying the law against the costs of not doing so or of rejecting the need for law altogether

Bonding social capital

the sharing of information or resources that may create opportunities for jobs or mutual help

Mechanical solidarity

The sense of togetherness in a society that arises when people perform similar work and share similar experiences, customs, values and beliefs.

Organic Solidarity

a type of system in which community ties are loose because people are exposed to a greater range of ideas, which encourages individualism and less moral certainty

Anomie

According to Durkheim, a state of normlessness or moral uncertainty in which the social rules of behaviour are not clearly drawn, therefore making people more prone to deviance

Structuration

A theory of society invented by Giddens which argues that human behaviour is caused by a combination of structure and agency

Sampling frame

A list of people who might take part in a sociological study

subculture

a culture within a broader mainstream culture, with its own separate values, practices, and beliefs

Spectacular Youth Subculture

highly visible groups of young people who commit themselves to a certain shocking look in terms of hairstyle, dress codes and so on, and whose behaviour is often interpreted by the older generation and the media as threatening the moral order in society

social class

a socio-economic status and identity which is hierarchically organised on the basis of occupation, wealth, income and life chances

social stratification

a system of social ranking usually based on wealth, income, race, education and power

satipatthana

a buddhist concept that stresses mindfulness or awareness of others

caste system

a religious and ascribed system of stratification mainly found in India and Indian communities abroad that categorises people into five status groups, which determine their occupation and the Hindu concept of religious purity

Jati

the caste system

Dalit

the non-caste of untouchables who occupy the lowest social rung of the Indian caste system and who do the dirtiest jobs

middle class

those occupations that require a professional qualification or who manage capitalism on behalf of the capitalist class. Tends to be highly rewarded in terms of income and status

unskilled class/underclass

the lowest social stratum or status group found in a society consisting of the unskilled, low-paid and possibly unemployed and welfare-dependent poor

Super-rich/Uber-wealthy

an expression used to describe the richest 1% of billionaries and multi-millionaires

upper class

the social group that has the highest status in society. This status is often inherited.

Symbiotic

inter-dependent

ideological power

dominating culture or ideas

social closure

exclusionary practices employed by wealthy high-status groups to protect their monopoly and ownership of both wealth and property, so preventing other groups from becoming members of their class

deferred gratification

the ability to forego or postpone gratification or pleasure now by making the decision to gain greater rewards later

collectivism

the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it.

class consciousness

a marxist concept that relates to awareness of one's place in a system of social class, especially as it relates to the class struggle

socialism

a left-wing political ideology or set of beliefs that states all people are equal and should enjoy equal opportunities with regard to access to education, qualifications, jobs and wealth creation

populism

a system of ideas that claims to support the will of the people

xenophobic

fear or hatred of foreigners such as refugees or migrants

precariat

people whose employment and income are insecure, especially when considered as a class

gig economy

a labour market characterised by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs

Present day orientation

A view likely to be held by members of the precariat, whose members may believe that people should live for today and that there is little hope for the future because of their experience of job insecurity.

fatalism

the belief that all events are predetermined and inevitable, and that we are powerless and incapable of bringing about social change

hegemonic

culturally dominant

hegemonic femininity

a version of feminine identity which stresses that females are subordinate and their natural roles should be confined to the spheres of motherhood and the home

reproductive rights

the right of women to control their own bodies

misogyny

hatred of women

hegemonic masculinity

a version of masculine identity which defines a real man in terms of toughness, emotional hardness and the power to provide for his family

toxic masculinity

a consequence of hegemonic masculinity that males may suffer from depression or suicidal thoughts because they believe they cannot publicly display emotion or vulnerability

crisis of masculinity

the struggle of men who have been socialised into the hegemonic version of masculinity to cope with the disappearance of traditional male roles

subordinate masculinity

a type of masculine identity that is only subscribed to by a minority of men, for example, gay masculinity, men who look after their children full-time. metrosexual men and so on

homophobia

hatred of homosexuals

transgender identity

an umbrella term for a wide variety of individuals whose gender does not socially align with the sex category to which they were assigned at birth

transsexual

a person who emotionally and psychologically feels that they belong to the opposite sex

binary

the idea that there are only two sexes

intersex identity

a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male

non-binary identity

a term used to describe somebody whose gender identity is not exclusively male or female

ethnic cleansing

the mass expulsion or killing of members of one ethnic or religious group in an area by those of another