Social Comparisons, Reflected Appraisals, and Mass Media Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key sociological and social psychological concepts discussed in Melissa A. Milkie's study on media impact and self-concept.

Social Comparison

The process by which individuals learn about and evaluate themselves in relation to other individuals, groups, or social categories.

Reflected Appraisals

A symbolic interactionist concept describing how people believe others view them, which in turn influences their self-concept.

Third-person Effect

The belief that other people are more strongly affected by media portrayals, such as commercials or political campaigns, than oneself.

Symbolic Annihilation

The phenomenon where disadvantaged groups are absent or portrayed unrealistically in media, affecting the group's public social definition.

Generalized Other

The perceived attitudes of an entire group or society whose views an individual takes into account when evaluating their self.

Interpretive Community

A group with shared purposes and goals that constructs similar meanings from specific media texts.

Reference Group

A social group used as a standard of comparison for self-evaluation; in this study, girls' magazines serve as a media peer reference group.

Relative Deprivation

The sensation of feeling inferior or lacking because one cannot attain the valued, pervasive images promoted by a media subgroup.

Interpretive Approach

A qualitative research perspective focusing on how individuals exercise power by selecting, interpreting, and criticizing media content.

Content Analysis

A quantitative research method used to analyze how media content departs from reality regarding group representation and portrayals.

Rosenberg Scale

A 10-item quantitative measure used in social psychology to assess an individual's self-esteem.

Mediation of Media Effects

The process where media impact is filtered through beliefs about how others in one's social network use and are affected by that media.

Mainstream Beauty Ideal

A narrow, often unrealistic standard of female appearance (thinness, specific facial features) pervasive in national media formats.

Peer Culture

The local social context, such as rural or urban school cliques, where media content is discussed and used to set normative standards.