SOCI101 - Chapter 4 Socialization, Interaction, and the Self

Socialization

the process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of society

Self

the individual's conscious, reflexive experience of a personal identity separate and distinct from others

Looking-glass self

the notion that the self develops through our perception of others' evaluations and appraisals of us

Mead's theory of the self

Generalized other

the perspectives and expectations of a network of others (or of society in general) that children learn and then take into account when shaping their own behavio

Thomas theorem

classic formulation of the way individuals determine reality, whereby "if people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences"

Definition of the situation

an agreement with others about "what is going on" in a given circumstance; this consensus allows us to coordinate our actions with others and realize goals

Dramaturgy

Approach that depicts human interaction as theatrical performances

Impression management

people's efforts to control the impressions that others receive of them

Frontstage/backstage

frontstage - role-players perform for an audience

Backstage -trust between non-performers

Social construction

an entity that exists because people behave as if it exists and whose existence is perpetuated as people and social institutions act in accordance with the widely agreed-upon formal rules or informal norms of behavior associated with that entity

agents of socialization

social groups, institutions, and individuals (especially the family, schools, peers, and the media) that provide structured situations in which socialization takes place

hidden curriculum

values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling

total institutions

institutions in which individuals are cut off from the rest of society so that they can be controlled and regulated for the purpose of systematically stripping away previous roles and identities in order to create new ones

resocialization

the process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones as part of a transition in life

status

a position or social hiearchy that carries a particular set of expectations

ascribed status

a status that is inborn; usually difficult or impossible to change

embodied status

a status generated by physical characteristics

achieved status

a status earned through individual effort or imposed by others

master status

a status that is always relevant and affects all other statuses we possess

role

the set of behaviors expected of someone because of their status

role conflict

experienced when we occupy two or more roles with contradictory expectations

role strain

experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role

agency

the ability to think, act, and make choices independently

saturated self

An identity infused with the numerous, and sometimes incompatible, views of others.

civil inattention

The act of ignoring other people to an appropriate degree even while noticing that other people are present.