chapter 3: socialization from infancy to old age

socialization

the lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture

personality

a persons fairly consistent patterns of acting, thinking, and feeling

id

the human beings basic drives (freud)

ego

a persons conscious efforts to balance innate pleasure-seeking drives with the demands of society (freud)

superego

the cultural values and norms internalized by an individual (freud)

sensorimotor stage

the level of human development which individuals experience the world only through their lenses (piaget)

preoperational stage

the level of human development which individuals first use language and other symbols (piaget)

concrete operational stage

the level of human development at which individuals first see casual connections in their surroundings (piaget)

formal operational stage

level of human development where individuals think abstractly and critically (piaget)

self

the part of a persons personality composed of self-awareness and self-image (George Herbert Mead)

looking-glass self

self-image based on how we think others see us (Cooley)

significant others

people, such as parents, who have special importance for socialization

generalized other

widespread cultural norms and values we use as references in evaluating ourselves (George Herbert Mead)

peer group

a social group whose members have interests, social position, and age in common

anticipatory socialization

learning that helps a person achieve a desired position

mass media

the means for delivering impersonal communications to a vast audience

gerontology

the study of aging and the elderly

gerontocracy

a form of social organization in which the elderly have the most wealth, power, and prestige

ageism

prejudice and discrimination against older people

cohort

a category of people with something in common, usually their age

total institution

a setting in which people are isolated from the rest of society and manipulated by an administrative staff

resocialization

radically changing an inmates personality by controlling the environment