Soco Approch - Vocabulary

Social group

is a collection of two or more individuals who interact regularly, share similar characteristics, and possess a collective sense of unity

Social identity theory

Social identity theory refers to the way someone thinks about themselves and evaluates themselves in relation to groups. Social identity theory posits that a person’s sense of who they are is based on their membership of social groups

Social identity

Social identity is that part of our self-concept that is based on knowledge of our membership of one or more social groups. We adopt the identity (behavior, attitudes, beliefs) of the group we belong to, and it affects our behavior towards our group.

Social comparison 

Social comparison occurs when we compare groups and their members. People’s self-esteem is linked to a positive social identity, which is based on group distinctiveness (social identity is positive when I perceive my group as distinct from other groups).

Positive distinctiveness 

To support their own social identity and self-esteem, individuals try to maximize the positive distinctiveness of the group to which they belong

Conformity

The alignment of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with group norms is driven by real or imagined social pressure to fit in or be correct.

Social cognitive theory and Reciprocal determinism 

posits that human functioning is the product of a dynamic, continuous interaction between three factors: personal (cognition, emotion, biology), environmental (social context, physical surroundings), and behavioral (actions, responses)

Steps to social cognitive theory (ARRM) 

Attention: To learn a behavior, the learner must attend to it and its consequences and form a mental representation of the behavior.

Retention: The observer must be able to remember the observed behavior to repeat it immediately or after some time.

Reproduction: Observers must physically and/or mentally be able to carry out the behavior. Self-efficacy is a person’s confidence in their ability to successfully perform a behavior, and it influences their likelihood of repeating that behavior.

Social persuasion – people who are convinced by others that they possess the ability to succeed at a given action or behavior are likely to make a greater effort and to sustain it longer than those who receive either negative social reinforcement or none at all.

Stereotypes 

Stereotypes are generalized beliefs or assumptions about the characteristics, behaviors, or attributes of a particular group (e.g., race/ethnicity, sex, age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, profession). They are often unchanging. Stereotypes are generalized, in the sense that individual differences are ignored, and all members of a certain group are perceived as having the same stereotyped qualities.

Out-group homogeneity 

(a cognitive bias or error in thinking) which occurs when people perceive members of an out-group as more similar (in attitudes, values, and personality traits) to each other than they actually are, while perceiving members of their own in-group as more diverse.

Stereotype threat

Stereotype threat occurs when members of the stereotyped group itself may inadvertently reinforce the stereotype by performing worse as a result of increased anxiety or apprehension. Usually, the person is in fear of being judged against the stereotype.

Culture 

is a combination of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that manifest themselves in cultural norms and are passed from generation to generatio

Cultural groups/norms 

Cultural norms are the shared expectations of appropriate ways of thinking and behaving specific to a particular cultural group

Culture of honor 

A “culture of honor” is one type of cultural group that shares cultural norms and has been identified by anthropologists and psychologists. A culture of honor is characterized by the importance that is placed on maintaining one’s honor, especially in the face of threat. In these groups, “…small disputes become contests for reputation and social status” (Cohen et al., 1996). A culture of honor exists in societies where individuals (normally men) place a high value on strength and social reputation and where any insult to someone’s reputation, family or property is met with a violent response

 Cultural dimensions

Cultural Dimensions measure the values of members living within a culture. Trends and patterns in values of a culture are measured and form six separate ‘dimensions’ that focus on different themes/clusters of values. Any culture is then given a score/rating on the dimension that indicates the ‘values’ that culture expresses for that given dimension. This allows researchers to make cross-cultural comparisons more easily.

Large-scale research involving surveys of representative samples from numerous cultural backgrounds, beginning with Hofstede’s worldwide survey of 117,000 IBM employees from more than 70 countries on underlying cultural differences in values. Hofstede argues that understanding cultural dimensions will help facilitate communication and greater understanding between cultures.

Individualism/collectivism dimension 

They have loose ties between individuals (look after yourself & your immediate family), so they have the following values: • Identity comes from their individuality and individual achievement. Focused on independence. • Emphasizes self-reliance and the belief that one is supposed to take care of himself to get ahead. • Competition exists between individuals and is encouraged. • Uniqueness, competition, and technical/analytical skills are valued. • When carrying out a task, the task comes first, and the relationship is second. • Confrontations are okay and can sometimes be viewed as healthy.

Because they have close ties to in-groups (immediate or extended family, tribe, village, community), they have the following values: • Identity is defined by relationships with others and group membership. Focused on interdependence and group success. • Emphasizes reliance on collective wisdom of the group and the belief that group members take care of each other to get ahead. • Competition is between whole groups. • Social harmony, group dynamics, and collaboration are valued. • When carrying out a task, relationships come first, and the task comes second. • Value harmony in the in-groups, even if some members disagree

Conformity

is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms, politics or being like-minded. People behave in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards. The tendency to conform is influenced by a variety of factors which include group size, social pressure, confidence, and, as will be discussed below, culture and cultural dimen

enculturation/cultural norms

Cultural Norms are sets of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors unique to a particular culture.Enculturation is the process by which individuals learn and internalize the necessary and appropriate skills and norms in the context of their culture

Gender norms

Society expects different attitudes and behaviors from boys and girls. Gender socialization is the tendency for boys and girls to be socialized differently. Boys are raised to conform to the male gender role, and girls are raised to conform to the female gender role. A gender norm is a set of behaviors, attitudes, and personality characteristics expected and encouraged of a person based on his or her sex.

Acculturation 

is the process of psychological and cultural change as a result of contact and interaction with other cultures in order to assimilate with a new culture

Assimilation 

when an individual loses a sense of belonging to his or her heritage culture and completely adopts and adapts to the norms and values of their new culture.

Integration 

the individual adapts to the new culture by adopting the cultural values and norms, but they still have strong connections with their heritage culture.

 Acculturative stress

Acculturative stress can be defined as a reduction in mental health and wellbeing of ethnic minorities that occurs during the Cultural Adaptation (relationship sought among groups)

seperation

the individual maintains the norms and values of their home culture and rejects those of their new culture.

Marginalization

when an individual loses their sense of belonging to their heritage culture and does not adapt to their new culture.