Sociology: Socialization and the Self

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key concepts, theorists, and developmental stages of socialization from Chapter 3 of Introduction to Sociology.

Feral children

Children assumed to have been raised by animals, in the wild, isolated from humans.

Genie Wiley

A disturbing case of a feral child discovered by authorities who illustrates the impact of extreme isolation.

Looking-Glass Self

Cooley's concept involving three steps: imagining how we appear to others, interpreting their reactions, and developing a self-concept.

Role Taking

George Herbert Mead's theory on the process of learning to be a member of society by internalizing the perspectives of significant others and the generalized other.

Significant Other

An individual who significantly influences someone else, such as a parent, usually during the early stages of socialization.

Generalized Other

The norms, values, attitudes, and expectations of people in general; essential for cooperation and control of antisocial desires.

Mead's Stage 1: Imitation

The stage for children under age $3$ who have no sense of self and simply mimic the actions of others.

Mead's Stage 2: Play

The stage for children ages $3$ to $6$ where they pretend to take the roles of specific people like a princess or Spider-Man.

Mead's Stage 3: Team Games

The stage occurring after age $6$ or $7$ where children learn to take multiple roles in organized play.

Global Emotions

Six specific emotions identified as common across cultures: anger, distrust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise.

Gender

The attitudes and behaviors expected of us because we are male or female.

Social Institutions

The organized and established systems within society—such as family, education, and religion—that shape behavior and provide stability.

Manifest functions

The intended beneficial consequences of people's actions within a social institution like school.

Latent functions

Unintended beneficial consequences of people's actions within a social institution.

Hidden curriculum

Unwritten goals of schools, such as teaching discipline, punctuality, and teamwork.

Corridor curriculum

What students teach one another outside the classroom, often as a source of resistance to formal socialization.

Anticipatory socialization

The process of learning in advance an anticipated future role or status, often as a mental rehearsal for a career.

Total Institutions

Places like the military or mental institutions where people are cut off from the rest of society and are under total control of those who run them.

Degradation ceremonies

Rituals used in total institutions to strip away an individual's current identity and replace it with a new one.

Adolescence

A social invention covering ages $13$ to $17$, often characterized by initiation rites involving alcohol or drugs.

Transitional adulthood

The life course stage from ages $18$ to $29$ where young adults have not yet fully taken on adult responsibilities.

The Middle Years

The life course stage between ages $30$ and $65$, further divided into Early Middle and Later Middle years.

The Older Years

The life course stage beginning around age $63$ or $65$, encompassing the Transitional Older Years and Later Older Years.