Socialisation

Question 1

What is socialisation?

Answer 1

The process by which someone learns the norms and values of a society.

Question 2

What’s an example for the nature over nurture debate?

Answer 2

• Bouchard: ‘twin studies’:
  Researched identical twins who had been separated at birth.
  One was raised in the Catholic faith and part of the Hitler youth. The other was raised in the Caribbean by his father as part of the Jewish faith.
  When these twins were reunited as adults, he found there were profound similarities.
• Holden found their mannerisms, temperament, favourite foods, and choice in clothes was strikingly similar.

Question 3

What’s an example of a nurture over nature?

Answer 3

• Feral children
  without human contact.
• Isabel the ‘chicken girl’: Since she was born she was left in a chicken coop. She could not speak, wasn’t toilet trained, and expressed emotion by beating her arms and drumming her feet. She was physically malformed.
• Kamala & Amala: Wolf children :They were discovered living with wolf’s in India. Their behaviour was seen to be ‘wolf-like’- howled, walked on all fours, and ate directly from their bowl into their mouths.

Question 4

What is primary socialisation?

Answer 4

• The first and most important stage of learning.
• It is between the ages of 0-5
• Our family teaches basic norms and values
• Feral children did not experience this.

Question 5

How do children learn through their parents?

Answer 5

• Imitation (the way they talk, table manners)
• Through trial and error. Parents may apply sanctions to negative behaviour and rewards for good.
  (Social control)

Question 6

What is secondary socialisation?

Answer 6

The continuation of learning norms and values

Question 7

What are the agents of secondary socialisation?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

How do peer groups socialise people?

Answer 8

• Learn what is acceptable from peers often during ages of 5-18
• They have a desire to fit in (conformity)
• They can be a source of rebellion, like youth subcultures (CCCS)

Question 9

Who says peer groups can be more influential than the family in shaping children’s identity?

Answer 9

Harris

Question 10

How can education socialise us?

Answer 10

The curriculum is based on the language and culture of society, reflecting its values. E.g English, maths, and science are highly valued, history is mainly from a British perspective, and teachers are often women.

Question 11

Who talks about the ‘hidden curriculum’?

Answer 11

Marxists Bowles and Gintis

Question 12

What do Marxists Bowles and Gintis discuss about Education?

Answer 12

• Agreed the hidden curriculum exists.
• Argued the education system was a ‘giant myth-making machine’ which brainwashed children through the hidden curriculum into obedience and unquestioning attitude that they would need in work.
• Pupils are taught to accept their place in society and their failure/ achievement is based on their own making.

Question 13

What is seen as the most important agent of socialisation?

Answer 13

The media

Question 14

How are we socialised by the media?

Answer 14

• Women are presented in very stereotypical ways, which may affect how women see themselves and how others see them.
• Violence in the media has been blamed for violence in people who consume media.

Question 15

Who talks about the ‘male gaze’?

Answer 15

Mulvey

Question 16

What is the male gaze?

Answer 16

Cameras film female characters, encouraging viewers to assess their attractiveness and bodies.

Question 17

How is religion an agency of socialisation?

Answer 17

• UK’s laws, morals, and customs are based on the Christian religion.
• Attitudes towards laws (like divorce, homosexuality, abortion, and euthanasia) are influenced by religious views.

Question 18

How may religion seem a less important factor?

Answer 18

• It is on the decline, and the UK is becoming more secular.
• Globalisation has led to multiculturalism meaning religion may be more fluid and individualistic.

Question 19

What did Modood and Berthoud’s survey show on religion?

Answer 19

67% of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis saw religion as ‘very important.’ 5% of white British youths said the same.
- So those brought up in a Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh family may feel religion is an important influence.

Question 20

How is the workplace a key agent of socialisation?

Answer 20

The concept of resocialisation has been used to refer to a new set of norms and values people learn when starting a new job.

Question 21

What two types of socialisation are present in the workplace?

Answer 21

• Formal
• Informal

Question 22

What are examples of formal socialisation in the workplace?

Answer 22

• Learning the code of conduct
• Dress codes
• Enforced by formal sanctions like being fired or a warning.
• Positive sanctions include a pay rise

Question 23

What are examples of informal social control in the workplace?

Answer 23

• Colleagues making it clear what is expected
• ‘Silent treatment’ is an informal sanction

Question 24

What is ‘canteen culture’?

Answer 24

Norms and values people accept when people work in a particular organisation.

Question 25

How has canteen culture been used in a critical way?

Answer 25

To describe the culture of racism within the police, where individual police officers who are not racist will start behaving and thinking in ways that they are as they are socialised a certain way.

Question 26

Who uses the term ‘canteen culture’?

Answer 26

Waddington

Question 27

What is social control?

Answer 27

How our behaviour is controlled

Question 28

What is formal social control?

Answer 28

• Mechanisms: police, courts, government and military
• They pass and enforce laws to directly control the population.
• Military used in NI or times of civil unrest .
• Education system and the workplace can also operate the same way
• Explicit and obvious

Question 29

What are examples of sanctions used by formal social control mechanisms?

Answer 29

• Warnings from police
• Sentences from court
• Dismissal from work
• Exclusion from school

Question 30

What is informal social control?

Answer 30

Control behaviour subtly through peer groups, religion, family and the media

Question 31

What sanctions are used informally by social control?

Answer 31

• Socially excluding someone from a friend group
• Disappointed reaction from parents
• Celebs being criticised by the media

Question 32

What does Harris say about the comparative influence of parents and peer groups?

Answer 32

Peer groups can be more influential than the family in shaping children’s identities due to the desire to conform. This can be stronger than the overt pressure/bullying of the peer group.

Question 33

What sociologists discusses how play was very gendered when studying peer groups?

Answer 33

Skelton and Francis

Question 34

What does Skelton and Francis say about peer groups?

Answer 34

Play was very gendered, with boys dominating the space and girls taking part in sperate activities like skipping.

Question 35

Who talks about double standards put on women by peers?

Answer 35

Lees

Question 36

What does Lees say when studying peer groups?

Answer 36

There is pressure put on women, for example, how double standards are applied to girls’ and boys’ sexual behaviour such as the term ‘slag’ used to control behaviour.

Question 37

Who talks about ‘cultural comfort zones’?

Answer 37

Sewell

Question 38

What does Sewell say about peer groups?

Answer 38

• Used the concept of ‘cultural comfort zones’ to describe the way in which we like to associate with those who are similar to ourselves.
• He links this particularly to African-Caribbean boys who preferred to hang around in gangs with peers than to be in the white middle class world of teachers and school, which is an alien environment.

Question 39

What sociologists discuss peer groups?

Answer 39

• Skelton & Francis
• Lees
• Harris
• Sewell