Key Terms

• Norms

  Unwritten rules of society, expected behaviours in different social situations
• Values

  Ideas, beliefs, and important things that guide how we should live our lives
• Culture

  The collection of norms, values, customs, traditions, and ways of behaving that are shared by a society
• Identity

  Your sense of self, how you see yourself and how others see you, influenced by class, age, gender, and ethnicity
• Role

  A part or job that you play in society, people have multiple roles that can sometimes conflict
• Status

  The level of importance associated with a person or their job in society, can be ascribed (given at birth) or achieved (earned through effort)
• Socialization

  The process through which we learn the norms, values, and culture of our society
• Agents of socialization

  • Family
  • Peer group
  • Media
  • Religion
  • Workplace
  • Education
• Primary socialization


  Socialization by the family during early childhood (ages 0-5)
• Secondary socialization


  Socialization by other agents like school, media, peers after age 5
• Education acts as a 'bridge' between the family and wider society, socializing us in a harsher way than the unconditional love of the family
• How the media can socialize us


  • Influence of role models
  • Imitating behaviour of media figures
  • Promoting certain products or lifestyles
• Media


  TV, newspapers, magazines, books, radio, music - anything that is consumed, watched, listened to or read
• Role models in the media


  • Famous figures like footballers or pop stars that people may imitate or be influenced by
• How the media can influence people

  1. Liking what role models do

  2. Imitating the behaviour of role models

  3. How the media represents certain groups in society
• Formal curriculum

  The lessons and content taught in school
• Hidden curriculum

  Anything learned in school that is not part of formal lessons, e.g. obedience, punctuality, competition
• Sanctions


  Positive (rewards) or negative (punishments) consequences for behaviour
• Peer group


  • Role models
  • Peer pressure (positive and negative)
  • Informal sanctions like ostracization
• Gender roles


  Characteristics and behaviours associated with boys and girls in society
• Gender socialisation in the family

  1. Canalization - giving children gendered toys and clothes

  2. Manipulation - encouraging different behaviours in boys and girls
• Gender socialisation in schools

  1. Gendered subjects

  2. Representation in textbooks

  3. Teacher expectations
• Formal social control

  Groups whose job is to control behaviour, e.g. police, courts, army
• Informal social control

  Other agents like family, education, peers that can influence behaviour
• Formal sanctions


  Serious consequences from formal social control agents, e.g. arrest, fines, prison
• Informal sanctions


  Consequences from informal social control agents, e.g. being grounded, detentions