key concepts

• Culture

  • refers to the way of life of a

  society. This includes its language, history,

  norms, values, traditions and food.

  Examples of British culture include:

  1. Speaking English.

  2. Valuing freedom of speech and

  democracy.

  3. Eating roast dinners.

  4. Celebrating Christmas by giving

  and receiving gift
• Values

  refer to the beliefs and actions that

  most people in society see as important. These

  include equality, patience, fairness, wealth and

  freedom of speech.
• Norms

  the expectations or unwritten

  rules surrounding how someone should behave in

  a particular situation. For example, customers are

  expected to queue at the supermarket and a

  student is expected to put up their hand if they

  wish to speak in class.
• Cultural diversity

  refers to differences in culture. This can refer to

  differences in the way of life between countries, and to differences in the

  way of life within the same country.
• sub culture

  a small group with its own

  norms and values. They may

  dress differently and follow

  contrasting lifestyles to the

  norm. For example:

   Goths commonly dress in

  black and listen to ‘goth’

  music.

   Skinheads shave their heads,

  dress in Doc Marten’s and

  listen to aggressive guitar

  music.

  The way of life of goths and skinheads distinguish them from mainstream culture.
• Status

  refers to how important a person or occupation is seen as in

  society, and the amount of respect that they get as a result. For example,

  most people would think that a brain surgeon would have a higher status

  than a cleaner.
• ascribed status

  a position you are born into, not achieved or earned. For example becoming King or Queen of Britain
• achieved status

  a position that is earned or merited. For example working hard at work to earn a promotion or a pay rise
• Roles

  Refer to the parts that people are expected to play in different situations and how this influences their behaviour

  For example

  • Role = student expected behaviour = be respectful to teachers and wear uniform
  • Role = friend expected behaviour = to laugh and make jokes with friends and be supportive
  • Role = son/daughter Expected behaviour = help around the home
• role conflict

  When the expectations for 2 or more roles compete with each other

  For example

  Student = Role Expected behaviour = study for an exam tomorrow

  ^ role conflict

  Brother = Role Expected behaviour = attend your sister's birthday party
• identity

  refers to the idea we have about

  who we are. It includes how we see ourselves and

  how other people in society see us. It includes

  the things that makes an us feel special and

  different to those who do not belong to the same

  groups as us.

  identity is like a jigsaw puzzle. It is pieced

  together from many different influences. For example, social class, gender,

  ethnicity, nationality and sexuality all influence our identity. These influences

  affect our norms and values, hobbies, interests, religion and dress sense.
• sanctions

  reactions to people’s behaviour.

  These can be positive or negative depending on the

  social situation. They aim to encourage people to follow

  social norms, rules and laws. For example, parents may

  sanction their child for bad behaviour by putting them on

  the naughty step and by giving them hugs to reward

  good behaviour.

  Sanctions are given by a wide range of people such as teachers,

  peers, the police and bosses.
• acquisition of identity

  refers to how humans become who they are.

  A debate exists about whether human behaviour is learned or whether it is

  the result of natural difference. This argument is referred to as the nature vs nurture
• nature argument

  Beliefs = Behaviour is mostly determined by our genetics. We inherit behaviour traits from our parents, just like we would eye colour Who = Scientists (biologists) Examples = sexuality, intelligence and maternal instinct are all coded in the genes Summary = Difference in behaviour are due to natural differences at birth
• nurture argument

  Beliefs = Behaviour is mostly learned. The family teaches children their culture. In later life, peer groups, schools, the media and the workplace all influence people's behaviour.

  Who = sociologists

  Examples = Intelligence and maternal instinct are a result of a person's upbringing

  Summary = How we are brought up and socialised has the most significant influence on how we behave
• Feral children

  (sometimes called a ‘wild child’) is a human child who as lived

  isolated from human contact from a very young age and has had very little

  experience of human care, behaviour and languages. As a result, they have not been taught the language, norms and values required by society and find it nearly impossible to fit in.
• What does the case study of Oxana illustrate about child development?

  • Nature alone is insufficient for societal functioning
  • Environmental factors play a crucial role
  • Early experiences shape development significantly
• Oxana Malaya

  • found in Ukraine in the 1990s
  • she had been abandoned by her alcoholic parents
  • until the age of 8 she lived with dogs who provided her with love and affection
  • She imitated the dogs by walking on all 4s and copying how they ate
  • when she was taken into human care she did learn to speak and eat cooked food
  • however learning new skills was difficult for her
  • Eventually she was placed in a home for the 'mentally impaired'
• why feral children might find it difficult to fit into society

  • they have not been taught the norms and values needed to fit in to

  human society and will stand out

  • they may have difficulty talking and will therefore be unable to

  communicate with people

  • feral children may not be able to walk or eat in an acceptable

  fashion so will be different to others.
• Nurture and cultural diversity

  • Another argument in favour of the nurture view of human behaviour is

  that cultural diversity exists across the globe

  • If behaviour was inherited at birth, then all humans would have a similar way of life.
  • However, cultural diversity shows us that cultures are different over the

  world.

  • Therefore, people must learn their culture.
• process of socialisation

  Socialisation refers to the lifelong process by which individuals learn the

  culture of their society. This begins in the family from birth but as people grow

  older, other influences such as schools, peer groups, the media and the

  workplace can all have an impact on a person’s socialisation.
• Agencies of socialisation

  The institutions that pass on the

  culture of a society to its members are

  known as agencies of socialisation

  (they are also know as ‘agents of

  socialisation’). The main agencies of

  socialisation are: Families/ The education system/ Peer groups/ The media/ The workplace/ Religion
• Primary socialisation


  The first stage of socialisation that

  takes place in infancy is known as primary

  socialisation. The family is the most

  important agent of primary socialisation.

  EG the family teaches

  children the basic norms and values of

  their culture such as how to eat, walk,

  dress themselves and to communicate

  with others.
• How does primary socialisation occur 


  3 main stages:

  1. Teaching = parents will instruct and demonstrate to their child how to behave
  2. imitation = children learn from their parents by copying their actions. In this was parents act as role models to their children
  3. Sanctions = Parents use positive or negative responses to encourage or discourage certain behaviours
• secondary socialisation

  The second stage of the socialisation process after early childhood. The family continues to have an influence, but other agents of socialisation become increasingly important in shaping our norms and values.

  People experience many life changes as they get older: starting school,

  joining clubs, starting a new job. This means that their behaviour is now influenced by a greater range of institutions than before.
• Gender roles

  refer to the expected ways of behaving based on

  whether someone is male or female. Gender roles are learnt through gender

  socialisation. This is the process of the learning the expected norms and

  values of a person’s gender.
• Canalisation

  where children are channelled toys and activities seen as appropriate for their sex. EG a young boy is given an 'Action man' whereas a young girl is given a 'Barbie doll' by their parents
• Parents as role models

  Children will imitate their parents and act as they do. EG a young girl may imitate their mother doing the domestic housework and a young boy may imitate their father doing the DIY
• Language

  Adults speak to boys and girls in different ways that give a different message. EG boys being told to 'man up' and girls referred to as 'little princesses'
• Manipulation of behaviour

  where parents will encourage behaviours seen as 'normal' for a child of one sex, and discourage behaviours seen as abnormal for that sex. EG a boy may be praised by their parents for playing football but ridiculed for doing ballet.
• social class

  Social class is a way of dividing

  people into groups. This is based on the type

  of work that they do and the money you

  earn. In the Uk there are 3 social classes
• upper class

  the wealthiest and most powerful class. Most upper-class people attend private schools and inherit wealth and status from their parents. The upper-class make up a small percentage of the population.
• middle class

  people who have non-manual jobs such as lawyers,

  doctors and teachers. These jobs are usually well paid meaning the

  middle-classes can afford their own homes. The middle class has more

  members than the upper class, but less members than the working class.
• working class

  people who have manual jobs, such as factory

  workers, builders and cleaners. These jobs usually require less skills than

  middle class jobs, meaning that they are paid less. The working-class is

  the largest social class.
• middle class identity

  Middle-class parents usually have high expectations of their children in education and push them to do well. Middle-class children may imitate their parents and aim for middle-class jobs
• working class identity

  Working-class parents may not value education highly. Working-class children may copy their parents by choosing manual labour or being a housewife.
• middle class education

  Middle-class students are more likely to be placed in top sets and thought of as ‘bright’ by teachers
• working class education

  Working-class students are more likely to be placed in bottom sets and thoughts of as ‘troublemakers’ by teachers.
• middle class peer groups

  Middle-class peer groups may encourage each other at school or have shared hobbies such as rowing.
• working class peer groups

  Working-class peer groups are more likely to get in trouble at school and have

  shared hobbies such as football.