Culture and Socialisation

Norms

Norms

Unwritten rules of behaviour for specific social situations

Values

Beliefs that are seen as important and worthwhile in society

Culture

The shared, learned way of life of a social group based around norms and values

Socially constructed

What is meaningful to people is not natural but instead agreed on by people

Social construction

Our culture is a product of the society within which we live.

Social change

The shared norms and values people in society hold will shift over time

Sex Discrimination Act 1975

Unlawful for an individual to be discriminated against in the workplace based on their sex or marital status

The Equality Act 2010

Protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society based on nine protected characteristics

Nine protected characteristics

Age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/beliefs, sex and sexual orientation

Value Consensus-Durkheim

A shared set of norms and values achieved through socialisation needed for a healthy, functioning society

Anomie-Durkheim

If many people in society are unsure of norms and values this leads to emotional distress, higher suicide and crime rates. Occurs during times of social change

British values taught in schools

Democracy, The rule of law, Individual liberty and Respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

Subcultures (cultures within cultures)

Share many aspects of the wider culture that dominates society but also have some of their own norms and values

Deviant subcultures

Groups with norms and values that go against those held by the rest of society

ASS

Willis

Cultural diversity

There can be different subcultures within societies and different cultures in societies around the world

Cultural transmission

Learning a society's culture through socialisation

Socialisation

Life long process of learning the culture of society and the norms and values through the six agents of socialisatio

Primary socialisation - Parsons

The first stage of learning norms and values, occurring within the family through their parents, guardians and relatives

Secondary socialisation - Parsons

The second stage of learning norms and values occurring through agents of socialisation like education, peers, the media and religion.

Agents of socialisation

Institutions of society where the norms and values are learnt and culture is passed on

6 agents of socialisation

Family, education, peers, the media, religion and the workplace

The nature/nurture debate

Whether behaviour and identity are mainly inherited (genetic) or acquired (learned)

Nature side

Biologists believe human behaviour is largely the product of nature.

Nurture side

Sociologists believe that human behaviour is largely acquired and learnt through socialisation

Feral children - Oxana Malaya

Human children who have lived isolated from human contact during their early years, reducing them to basic instinctive behaviours

Role

Parts or functions a person plays in a situation, organisation, group or society that each come with different expectation and responsibilities

Role conflict

When the demands and expectations of one role clash with those of another

Status

A person's social position or standing in society that can be ascribed (fixed from birth/involuntary) or achieved (earnt)

Social mobility

Being able to change your achieved status by having opportunities to move up and down the levels of hierarchy

Gender roles

The norms and values that men and women are expected to have

Gender role socialisation

The process by which girls and boys learn these norms and values through all agents of socialisation, specifically family

Socially constructed gender roles - Butler

The media stereotyping gender roles is so powerful that it is very difficult to avoid gender role socialisation

Gender roles taught by parents - Ann Oakley

Parents teach gender roles through canalisation and verbal appellations

Canalisation - Oakley

The process where parents channel their children into use of toys and activities seen as the norms for their gender

Verbal appellations - Oakley

Speaking to children in a way that reinforces gender roles

Expressive and instrumental roles - Parsons 1955

The husband plays an instrumental role focused on achieving success at work and fulfilling financial needs. Wife plays expressive role fulfilling emotional needs and looking after the household. This model works because they are naturally more suited to each role due to biological differences.

3 key processes of socialisation

Imitation and Role Models, Rewards and Sanctions, Formal and informal social control

Imitation and role models

A role model is a person someone looks up to and will imitate their behaviour to be like them

Rewards and sanctions

A reward is a positive outcome to encourage repetition of a behaviour. A sanction is a negative outcome to stop a behaviour

Formal and informal social control

Formal social control is the use of clear rules or laws to manage behaviour. Informal social control is the use of unwritten rules and social pressure to control behaviour. Both ensure conformity and obedience amongst a population

Social identity

A sense of self developed through social interactions with others that is fluid and can change over time.

Types of identity

Class, age, gender, ethnicity, nationality