Sociology: Socialization, Social Inequality, and Mass Media

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the sociology of the self, social inequality and neoliberalism, and mass media theories from Chapters 4, 5, and 6.

Self

The knowledge we have of ourselves as entities separate from others, which begins to develop at a young age.

Self-concept

The totality of traits we associate with ourselves; a subjective construct formed through socialization that continuously changes with life experiences.

Socialization

A lifelong process through which people learn about themselves, their social roles, and their culture.

Biological Determinism

The perspective in the nature versus nurture debate. Believes that biology (nature) is the decisive factor in human development.

Behaviourism

The perspective in the nature versus nurture debate.Believes that socialization (nurture) is the decisive factor in human development.

Bioecological Theory of Human Development

A theoretical framework that suggests socialization is marked by bidirectional influence and individual agency.(people around you teach you rules and values and you pick what to do with what you know from those teachings)

Symbolic Interactionism

A sociological framework that society is built through everyday, face-to-face interactions where people create and share meaning using symbols. Focuses on micro-level social interactions, how individuals communicate and interpret the world around them.

Preparatory Stage

The initial stage of self-development in George Herbert Mead's theory (typically lasting until age 2) in which children imitate others.

Play Stage

The second stage of self-development in George Herbert Mead's theory (typically lasting until age 8) where children take on the roles of others one at a time.

Game Stage

The third stage of self-development in George Herbert Mead's theory where individuals learn to consider multiple roles simultaneously and view themselves as part of a larger society.

Looking Glass Self Process

Charles Horton Cooley's (1902) three-step concept: 1) We imagine how we appear to others, 2) We imagine how others judge us, and 3) We incorporate those perceived judgments into our self-concepts.

Looking Glass Self Orientation (LGSO)

Individual variation in how heavily one relies on perceived external judgments; a high LGSO leads to conformity, an unstable identity, reduced agency, depression, and anxiety.

Social Structure

The sociocultural framework in which social interactions take place, consisting of statuses, roles, social groups, and social institutions.

Status

Any recognized social label or position you hold in society that defines how you relate to others e.g. teacher,parent

Ascribed Status

A social position that is imposed upon an individual and is not in their control, such as daughter, age, race, ancestry, or blood type.

Achieved Status

A social position entered through personal action or choice, such as becoming a graduate, lawyer, spouse, or criminal.

Master Status

A particularly important social status that is not fixed and can change depending on situational context throughout the day. in the morning you can be a student, but in the evening at work you are an employee and if your at an appointment you are a patient.

Role

The behavioural component attached to a given social status (e.g., parents raising children, students studying).

Social Group

A micro-level structure of two or more people who share relevant cultural elements and interact with regular frequency e.g. friends

Social Institutions

Macro-level, relatively permanent societal structures that govern behavior and promote social order (e.g., family, school, media, work, religion).

Resocialization

The process of giving up an existing social status in exchange for a new one, which can occur voluntarily or involuntarily e.g. student graduating, spouses divorcing.

Total Institution

An isolated social system where inmates are closely supervised and controlled with the goal of forming new, more compliant identities (e.g., prisons, convents, military).

Social Inequality

The unequal distribution of resources within a society.

Social Stratification

how society ranks and divides groups of people into a hierarchy based on wealth, income, power, and prestige.

ranging from closed systems where you stay in the rank you are born into, to open systems where you can move up or down based on your own efforts.

Socioeconomic Status

An individual's or group's social standing based on education, income, and occupation.

Social Class

A social group whose members share a similar socioeconomic status e.g. upper class

Horizontal Mobility

Movement within the same social class level without changing overall socioeconomic rank e.g. relocating for work, changing from one career to another that pays the same

Vertical Mobility

Movement upward or downward between different social classes.

Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO)

A measure used by Statistics Canada indicating that a household is low income if more than 63% of its income is spent on essentials like food, clothing, and shelter.

Neoliberalism

An ideology advocating the transfer of power from democratically elected governments to corporations through deregulation and the privatization of public assets.

Meritocracy

A functionalist concept where social and economic advancement is based strictly on individual education, skills, and experience.

you earn your success purely through your own hard work, talent,

Anomie (Merton)

a state of social pressure and frustration that happens when society pushes everyone to chase big goals—like getting rich or succeeding—but does not give everyone a fair, legal way to actually reach them.

Strain (Merton)

The experience of feeling unable to achieve institutionalized goals through legitimate societal means such as education and hard work.

Conformity (Merton)

A mode of adaptation to strain in which an individual accepts to chasing the standard goals of success by using approved, legal methods like going to school and working a regular job.

Innovation (Merton)

A mode of adaptation to strain in which an individual accepts society’s version of success and wealth but rejects legitimate means to achieve them like working a job leading to illegal ways

Ritualism (Merton)

A mode of adaptation to strain in which an individual rejects institutionalized cultural goals(getting rich) but continues to do things the legal way

Retreatism (Merton)

A mode of adaptation to strain in which an individual rejects both institutionalized cultural goals (getting rich) and legitimate means.(legal ways)

Rebellion (Merton)

A mode of adaptation to strain in which an individual rejects existing goals (getting rich) substitutes them with new goals and new means.

Panoptical Society

1. The uncertainty of surveillance: Being watched without knowing when or if someone is actually looking.

2. Self-policing: People controlling their own behavior automatically because of that uncertainty.

Branding

An advertising approach emerging in the late 20th century that associates commercial corporations directly with social identities e.g. making you believe that buying a phone will boost social status

Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting (1929)

A Canadian body that recommended creating a public, non-commercial national radio network so Canadian airwaves would not be taken over by American stations

Applebaum-Hebert Committee (1982)

A committee marking a neo-liberal belief that told the government to step back from running and funding Canadian media and arts, and instead let private businesses and the free market take over.

Promotional Culture

A commercial media framework where media companies hide ads right inside shows, news, and social media feeds so you barely notice them to sell you ideas or products

False Consciousness

A state of awareness, primarily constructed through mass media, that prevents individuals from understanding the true nature of their socioeconomic exploitation.

when media and culture convince everyday working people to accept an unfair economic system so they never realize they are being taken advantage of by the rich and powerful.

Sizing

An interpretivist media framing technique focuses on how much time, space, or attention the news gives to a story the bigger and more frequent the coverage, the more important the audience thinks the issue is.

Cultivation Theory

A theory developed by George Gerbner asserting that long-term, regular exposure to media shapes audience worldviews, attitudes, and behaviors.

Mean World Syndrome

A psychological condition identified by cultivation theory in which regular exposure to media violence fosters a culture of fear, suspicion, and demand for authoritarian control.