terms chapter 7 socialization

socialization

The social processes through which children develop an awareness of social norms and values and achieve a distinct sense of self. Although socialization processes are particularly significant in infancy and childhood, they continue to some degree throughout life. 

life course

The various transitions and stages people experience during their lives.

social reproduction

The process of perpetuating values, norms, and social practices through socialization, which leads to structural continuity over time.

agents of socialization

Groups or social contexts within which processes of socialization take place.

resocialization

The process whereby people learn new rules and norms upon entering a new social world.

anticipatory socialization

The process whereby we learn about a social role in advance.

hidden curriculum

Traits of behavior or attitudes that are learned at school but not included in the formal curriculum—for example, gender differences. 

peer group

A friendship group composed of individuals of similar age and social status.

age-grade

The system found in small traditional cultures by which people belonging to a similar age group are categorized together and hold similar rights and obligations.

mass media

Forms of communication, such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, designed to reach mass audiences.

social roles

Socially defined expectations of an individual in a given status or social position. 

identity

The distinctive characteristics of a person's (or a group's) character that relate to who he is and what is meaningful to him. Some of the main sources of identity include gender, sexual orientation, nationality or ethnicity, and social class.

social identity

The characteristics that are attributed to an individual by others. 

master status

A single identity or status that overpowers all the other identities one holds

self-identity

The ongoing process of self-development and definition of our personal identity through which we formulate a unique sense of ourselves and our relationship to the world around us. 

cognition

Human thought processes involving perception, reasoning, and remembering. 

social self

The basis of self-consciousness in human individuals, according to the theory of G. H. Mead. The social self is the identity conferred upon an individual by the reactions of others. A person achieves self-consciousness by becoming aware of this social identity. 

self-consciousness

Awareness of one's distinct social identity as a person separate from others. Human beings are not born with self-consciousness but acquire an awareness of self as a result of early socialization. The learning of language is of vital importance to the processes by which the child learns to become a self-conscious being.

generalized other

A concept in the theory of G. H. Mead, according to which the individual comes to understand the general values of a given group or society during the socialization process.

looking-glass self

According to Cooley's theory, the reactions we elicit in social situations create a mirror in which we see ourselves. 

sensorimotor stage

According to Jean Piaget, a stage of human cognitive development in which a child's awareness of his or her environment is dominated by perception and touch. 

preoperational stage

A stage of cognitive development, in Piaget's theory, in which the child has advanced sufficiently to master basic modes of logical thought.

egocentric

According to Piaget, the characteristic quality of a child during the early years of his or her life. Egocentric thinking involves understanding objects and events in the environment solely in terms of one's own position.

concrete operational stage

A stage of cognitive development, as formulated by Piaget, in which the child's thinking is based primarily on physical perception of the world. In this phase, the child is not yet capable of dealing with abstract concepts or hypothetical situations.

formal operational stage

According to Piaget's theory, a stage of cognitive development at which the growing child becomes capable of handling abstract concepts and hypothetical situations. 

race socialization

The specific verbal and nonverbal messages that older generations transmit to younger generations regarding the meaning and significance of race.

gender role socialization

The learning of gender roles through social factors such as schooling, the media, and family. 

gender roles

Social roles assigned to each sex and labeled as masculine or feminine.