Sociology for Cambridge IGCSE™ and O Level: Unit 2 Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key concepts from Unit 2: Identity: self and society, including theories of socialisation, social control, and the impact of globalisation.

Social construction

The idea that social situations and events are made by societies; they do not exist in nature as independent things.

Culture

The way of life of a society.

Norms

The behaviour that societies expect of their members in particular situations.

Values

Standards shared by members of a culture and used to judge whether behaviour is right or wrong.

Customs

Norms in a particular society that are widely accepted and continue over time.

Laws

Rules, usually formalised by government, that are used to order the way in which a society behaves.

Role

The patterns of behaviour expected of someone because of their status in society.

Status

A position that someone has in a society; status can be ascribed (fixed by others) or achieved.

Social identity

An individual’s perception of themselves, based partly on ideas about how others see them.

Stereotype

An oversimplified set of ideas about a particular type of person or social group.

Gender identity

Identifying ourselves as male or female.

Nature

In the nature–nurture debate, the influence of biological factors on human behaviour.

Nurture

In the nature–nurture debate, the influence of society and culture on human behaviour.

Socialisation

The process by which the norms and values of a culture are passed on.

Agencies of socialisation

The groups and institutions which carry out the process of socialisation.

Primary socialisation

The process by which infants and young children absorb the basic norms and values of their culture, usually taking place in the family during childhood.

Secondary socialisation

Later socialisation, when people learn more specific norms for particular statuses and roles.

Canalisation

Channelling children towards activities that are considered appropriate for them (for example, because of their gender).

Hidden curriculum

What learners learn in school, apart from the content of lessons, such as the importance of following rules and the consequences of not doing so.

Peer pressure

The influence of a group of people of the same age and status, to force or persuade its members to conform.

Role modelling

When someone acts as an example, so their behaviour is copied by others.

Conflict perspectives

Theoretical viewpoints that assume there are basic disagreements between social groups, such as those based on class or gender.

Consensus perspectives

Theoretical viewpoints that assume that the people within a society generally share the same values.

Functionalism

A consensus perspective which sees all the institutions of society as working in the best interests of everybody through a value consensus.

Marxism

A conflict perspective which sees a division between the bourgeoisie (owners of wealth) and the proletariat (working class).

Bourgeoisie

The owners of wealth and property in Marxist theory.

Proletariat

The working class in Marxist theory.

Feminism

A conflict perspective which argues that society is patriarchal—men control society and women are subordinate.

Social control

Ways in which members of society are made to conform to norms and values.

Informal social control

Ways of controlling behaviour imposed by people without a formal role to do this, such as peers.

Formal social control

Social control imposed by people or organisations who have the authority to implement rules or laws.

Rewards

Positive sanctions, such as praise.

Sanctions

Ways of rewarding or punishing behaviour; usually used in the sense of punishment (negative sanctions).

Penal system

An agency of formal social control that oversees the punishments imposed by the courts.

Sub-cultures

Groups of people in a culture whose norms and values are different in some ways to those of the wider culture.

Protest group

A group of people who order to bring about a change in society, such as environmental legislation.

Online sub-cultures

Groups of people who connect with each other online and share distinct norms and values related to a particular interest.

Youth sub-culture

A sub-culture of adolescents or young adults who are usually distinguishable by their style, dress and/or musical preference.

Religious sub-culture

A sub-culture based on religious faith and practices which are distinct from those of the wider culture.

Hybrid cultures

Cultures formed by mixing or blending different ethnic traditions.

Digital self/online identities

The way that someone presents themselves online and the personae they adopt in online communities.

Virtual community

An online group of individuals who share interests, personal opinions or backgrounds.

Digital surveillance

The use of digital technology to observe and control behaviour.

Globalisation

The complex process by which different cultures around the world are increasingly aware of, interact with and influence each other.

Global culture

The idea that, as a result of globalisation, there is or will be a single culture shared by people all around the world.

Homogenisation of identities

When the differences between identities of people around the world disappear, so they become similar.

Cultural defence

Ways in which some countries and peoples react to globalisation by vigorously defending their culture and rejecting outside influences.

Hybrid identities

When people combine and mix aspects of different cultures to create new identities.

Multicultural society

A society in which many different cultures or sub-cultures exist alongside each other.

Postmodernism

The view that we live in a new type of society where people have greater choice over their identities, often linked with consumption.