Sociology paper 1

• Cultural relativity


  The idea that what is normal in one culture is different in another
• Cultural universal


  Social behaviours that are found in all cultures
• Norms


  Expected behaviour in a situation
• Values


  Shared beliefs that society sees as important and worthwhile
• Morals


  Ideas of what is right and wrong
• Roles


  Expected behaviour or part played by someone in a situation
• Status


  Respect others give to you in society
• Identity


  How we see ourselves and how others see us
• Values refer to what is considered worthwhile and worth working to achieve in a society. Values are learnt and shared and influence our behaviour.
• Ascribed status


  Something you are born into like the queen
• Achieved status


  Earned through hard work
• How are norms and values transmitted?


  1. School - formal social control by staff, informal social control by peer pressure

  2. Family - children are rewarded/sanctioned for accepted/deviant behaviour

  3. Peer group - influence behaviour and may have norms and values of their own
• The media is another secondary agent of socialisation. Children are influenced by role models and may copy their behaviour.
• Norms are also learnt in the family through manipulation.
• Norms are also related to ethnicity and learnt in the family.
• Socialisation continues through life.
• Secondary socialisation


  Builds on primary socialisation and is where we learn norms and values outside of the family. It's a lifelong process and teaches us how to adapt as we encounter new situations.
• Media


  • Advertising is very influential, especially on young people. It can influence women's body image and lead to eating disorders. It also portrays stereotypical views of some groups.
• Some sociologists believe that people can reject media messages and avoid stereotypes.
• Nature vs nurture theory


  Nature - our behaviour is natural and instinctive. Nurture - we learn behaviour from agencies of socialisation.
• Sociologists tend to lean towards the nurture theory because human behaviour has changed throughout history.
• Informal socialisation


  When a person learns about culture and doing the right thing
• Formal socialisation


  Where organisations socialise people with a common code to follow and act as agents of formal social control by reinforcing the norms of good or bad actions
• Functionalists ignore the negative side of religion to avoid conflict between societies.
• Feral children have been neglected by their family and may have been raised in isolation or by animals.
• Feminist Ann Oakley believes feminine roles like housework are the result of culture rather than nature. She believes these roles are you and are socially constructed.
• Primary socialisation


  Family is a child's first social group and where children learn behaviour norms and values. It's important for society to function.
• Agents of primary socialisation


  • Manipulation
  • Internalisation
  • Sanctions
  • Role models
• Children imitate parents and where children learn basic skills according to Ann Oakley and Talcott Parsons.
• Agents of socialisation forming identity


  • Family - class identity, ethnic identity, national identity
  • School - class identity, ethnic identity, national identity
  • Media - class identity, ethnic identity, national identity
• Feral children can't communicate properly or not walk like other humans. They may not know the norms and values of society and may not want to interact with other people.
• Oxana Malaya is evidence of the nurture theory because she wasn't socialised as a human and so didn't act like one.
• Gender socialisation


  How children are taught to act in society in ways that are appropriate for their gender
• Informal social control


  Unwritten rules that people are expected to follow
• Informal agents of social control


  • Family (telling off)
  • Friends (may leave a person out)
  • Local community (disapproval)
  • School (detentions)
• Formal social control


  Based on written rules and laws
• Formal agents of social control


  • Police (enforce laws)
  • Government (make laws)
  • Courts (decide sanctions)
  • Prisons (punish law breakers)
• How is gender structured and controlled?


  1. Role models

  2. Manipulation

  3. Clothes

  4. Canalisation

  5. Sanctions

  6. Verbal applications
• Ann Oakley believes the family is the main agent of gender socialisation and where children learn norms and values when associated to their gender.
• Agencies of secondary gender socialisation


  • School (uniform)
  • Peer groups (interaction)
  • Media (stereotypes)
  • Workplace (expectations)
  • Religion (dress codes)