Sociology: Key Concepts in Socialization and Social Interaction

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Socialization

A LIFELONG process of interactions with other individuals.

Why is Socialization Important?

• Essential for Individual Growth

• Essential for Stability

• Essential for becoming integrated into the type of society we live in

• Essential for learning how individuals differ, from the type of culture they are raised in

Habitus

Something you learn —> Becomes second nature

Self-Identity

Creates a sense of self and skills needed in survival.

Self-Concept

Totality of our beliefs and feelings about ourselves.

Cooley - Looking-Glass Self

A person's sense of self relies on the perception of others.

Mead - I and Me

Individual impulses (I )

Generalized Other, Self as an Object (Me)

Goffman - Multiple Selves

E.x Kind to Family, Mean to Others

Dispositions

Past experiences determine our perceptions, appreciations, and actions

Role-Taking

People assuming the role of another person to understand that person's point of view.

Generalized Other

Awareness of the demands and expectations of society.

Primary Socialization

Learning beginning at birth, primarily from home and family.

Secondary Socialization

Learning coming from outside the home, such as how to act in different situations.

Tertiary Socialization

Learning that comes from adults moving into a new setting, requiring acceptance of certain ideas or behaviors.

Gender Socialization

Messages and practices that are based on a person's gender in society.

Agents of Socialization

People, groups, and institutions that educate us on how to participate in society.

Racial-Ethnic Socialization

Messages and practices that are based on a person's racial or ethnic status.

Resocialization

Learning new and different sets of attitudes, values, and behaviors, which can be voluntary or involuntary.

Status

Socially defined position in society that has rights and duties.

Status Set

All the statuses that an individual has at a given time.

Ascribed Status

Social position given at birth or involuntarily later in life.

Achieved Status

Social position that is received voluntarily.

Roles

Set of behavior expectations associated with a given status.

Role Conflict

When two or more statuses have incompatible role demands on an individual.

Role Strain

Incompatible demands are merged into a single status a person occupies.

Social Group

Consists of two or more people who interact frequently and share a common identity and a feeling of interdependence.

Social Institutions

Set of organized beliefs and rules that help society meet basic social needs.

Five Basic Social Institutions

Family, Religion, Education, Economy, Government, Politics.

Functions of Social Institutions

1. Replacing Members

2. Teaching New Members

3. Producing, Distributing, and Consuming Goods and Services

4. Preserving Order

5. Providing and Maintaining a Sense of Purpose

Prescriptive Norms

What a person is expected do while performing a role

Proscriptive Norms

What a person is expected not to do while performing a particular role

Symbolic Interactions - Social Construction of Reality

Reality is shaped by the subjective meaning that we give to an existence

• Dominant Groups define how we view society

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

False belief or prediction that creates behavior, which in turn makes the false belief come true.

Ethnomethodology

Study of commonsense knowledge and how it's used to understand situations.

Dramaturgical Analysis

Study of social interaction comparing everyday life to a theatrical presentation.

Impression Management

An individual's effort to present themselves in a favorable way.