Study Guide for Socialization Unit in Sociology

Childhood Socialization

The process of learning one's culture and how to function within it during childhood.

Nature vs. Nurture

Either innate qualities or personal experiences have more influence over who we are.

3 Goals of Socialization

1. Teach impulse control + develop a conscience

2. Teach how to prepare for and perform different social roles 3. Cultivate shared meaning and values in a culture.

Agents of Socialization

Family, School, Peers, Media, Hidden Curriculum.

Sociology

The scientific study of society and human behavior.

Social Position

The collection of social classifications that any one person has.

Institution

Create social order in areas of society by giving status and power to various positions.

Sociological Perspectives

Focusing on the world at the social level as opposed to the other sciences.

Sociological Imagination

The ability to look for and wonder about the relationships among people and events.

Culture

A combination of material + non-material items that come together to form a meaningful way of life.

Norms

A rule that is commonly understood + followed which helps society run smoothly.

Folkways

Informal rules, customs that 'go without saying'.

Mores

Official, stated written rules, policies, procedures, laws.

Sanctions

Consequences for violating norms, such as weird looks, arrested, fined, fired, grounded.

Taboos

Are never okay, violate your sense of decency.

Values

Broad standards used to decide good + bad.

Beliefs

Specific ideas about the world.

Subculture

Cultural patterns that set apart a segment of a society's population.

Cultural Relativism

The idea that all cultures are equal and should be understood on their own terms.

Material Culture

All the objects that can be touched, seen, tasted, heard, + have a common understanding in a society.

Language

The symbolic system of communication of a culture.

Symbols

Gestures, signs, objects, signals, + words.

Non-Material Culture

All the symbols, ideas, + behaviors that are commonly understood in a society.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's culture is 'natural', while others are 'weird', creating prejudice and exclusion.

Cultural Lag

When some cultural elements change more slowly than others.

High Culture

A cultural pattern that decides if a society is elite.

Pop Culture

Cultural patterns that are generally popular with most people.

Folk Culture

A traditional practice done by many in a culture.

3 Ways Socialization is Taught

1. Before you remember it

2. Subtly throughout your whole life

3. Paired with an interest to learn

Socialization

The process of learning one's culture and how to function within it

Child Development

Cognitive stages in understanding the world from birth through young adulthood

Hidden Cirriculum

The unwritten goals of schools, such as teaching obedience to authority and conformity to cultural norms

How Sociologists Develop Their Sociological Imagination

1. They look at society differently

a. They look for the general in the particular

b. They look for the strange in the familiar

c. They look for change and continuity over time

2. They look at social issues, not individual issues

a. Teens holding fewer jobs

b. Women are more likely to be stay-at-home parents than men

3. They look at how groups in society interact

a. Race, gender, age, ethnicity, religion, class, education