Socialisation in sport 3.2

Question 1

What is socialisation?

Answer 1

A lifelong process where members of a society learn its norms, values, ideas, practices and roles in order to take their place in that society

Question 2

What is internalisation?

Answer 2

The learning of values or attitudes that are incorporated within yourself

Question 3

What two main parts can socialisation be divided into?

Answer 3

Primary socialisation
Secondary socialisation

Question 4

What is primary socialisation?

Answer 4

• Refers to socialisation during the early years of childhood which takes palce within the immeidate family
• A key process involved at this stage is the internalisation of societys culure where individuals absorb & accept its shared norms & values

Question 5

What is an example of primary socialisation?

Answer 5

e.g. For many families, physical exercise provides a time when they come together, whether it be a shared involvement in an activity such as cycling

Question 6

What is secondary socialisation?

Answer 6

Occurs during the later years (e.g as teenagers & adults)
When the family is less involved & other agencies are deliberately set up for the socialisation process & begin to exert more and more influence (e.g friends, peer groups,school)

Question 7

What is gender socialisation?

Answer 7

The act of learning to conform to culturally defined gender roles through socialisation

Question 8

What is social control?

Answer 8

Concept that refers to the way in which peoples thoughts, feeling, appearance & behaviour are regulated in social systems.

Question 9

Historically how has our society been due to the lack of social control?

Answer 9

• Society has been male dominated, with restrictions placed on women engaging in sport
• Nowadays the contraints are less pronounced- however milder forms of social control exist in the form of what is deemed to be gender appropriate behaviour

e.g mild disapproval from their husband might persuade women to limit their physical activity to what they view as ‘respectable’

Question 10

What can social pressures mean for women?

Answer 10

• Can sometimes be made to feel guilty about leaving a young baby & therefore tend to give up previous active leusire pursuits once their baby has been born
• A lack of free time compared to men & lower disposable income can also act as agents of social control & decrease the opportunities for women to involve themsleves in regular healthy sporting activity

Question 11

What is social change?

Answer 11

An alteration in the social order of a society

Question 12

When does social change occur?

Answer 12

Occurs when institutions re-adjust to meet ‘new needs’ of groups in society such as local councils via more nursery facilities to minimise the negative effects of traditional childcare responsibilities & feelings of guilt leaving young children, while mothers participate in sporting activity.

Question 13

Define social issues

Answer 13

Problems that affect many people within a society

Question 14

When does social inequality occur?

Answer 14

When resources in a society are unevenly distributed among socially defined categories of people.

Question 15

What are some of the possible causes of social inequality in sport?

Answer 15

• Lack of money/costs of participating
• Lack of confidence/self-esteem
• Lack of role models to aspire to as participants/coaches/leaders of sports organisations in positions of responsibility
• Myths or setereotypes in some sections of society about capabilities of women, ethnic minorities & disabled people

Question 16

What is social stratification?

Answer 16

A type of social inequality where society is divided into different levels on the basis of a social characteristic such as wealth or status

Question 17

What is the importance of stratification?

Answer 17

Those at the top of the system have greater access to resources than those at the bottom.

(e.g in the feudal society of pre-industrial Britain, the upper class had greater access to equipment & facilities which meant they could participate in sports such as real tennis which used specialist courts & equipment)

Question 18

How does social class/stratification affect low income families?

Answer 18

• Children from LI families tend to have poorer health than other children
• Poor health levels can undermine their physical abilities & or skill level
• Also have less money to spend on sport & sports equipment

Question 19

What is the social action theory?

Answer 19

A way of viewing socialisation,emphasising social action

Question 20

What is the interactionist approach?

Answer 20

The study of how individuals behave within a society

A theoretical perspective that stems from social processes for example co-operation & conflict, which occur when humans interact

Question 21

How is the interactionist theory helpful?

Answer 21

Helpful in understanding how to:

• Change sports to match the perspectives and identities of those playing them
• Make sport organisations more democratic and less hierarchically organised (e.g via giving all members equal voting rights when making decisions related to the running of a sports club

Question 22

What is prejudice in sport?

Answer 22

To form an unfavourable opinion of an individual, often based on inadequate facts (e.g dislike of people froma specific race,religion or culture)

Question 23

What is discrimination in sport?

Answer 23

The unfair treatment of a person or, minority group; to make a distinction and act on a prejudice

Question 24

What are the two types of discrimination in sport?

Answer 24

Overt discrimination
Covert discrimination

Question 25

What is overt discrimination?

Answer 25

Discrimination when it is visible/obvious

(e.g verbal racist abuse of a player)

Question 26

What is covert discrimination?

Answer 26

Discrimination that is hidden/less obvious

(e.g non-selection of an individual as captain because of their race)

Question 27

What is stereotyping in sport?

Answer 27

A standardised image; making simple generalisations about all members of a group which allows others to categorise them & treat them accordingly (e.g. negative stereotypes about women)

Question 28

What are the benefits of rasing participation?

Answer 28

• Improve health and fitness
• Healthy body weight- balance calories with weight
• Reduce blood pressure - When you exercise it prevents the build up of fatty deposits in your arteries.
• Lower stress/ anxiety levels-Can only release serotonin when exercising.
• Social benefits- Meeting new people/ making friends/ working collaboratively.
• Community integration
• Increase self confidence- putting yourself out there
• Economical benefits as people perform better e.g. people are going to be off sick less meaning more days at work- more disposable income- more money for the economy.
• Lower crime rates

Question 29

What are some barriers to participation?

Answer 29

• Lack of time
• Negative social influences; poor P.E experiences
• Lack of motivation
• Lack of skill
• Lack of resources/costs of participation
• Family obligations/domestic responsibilities

Question 30

What are some of the solutions to the barriers of participation?

Answer 30

Lack of time- Add physical actvity to a daily routine
Negative social influences; poor P.E experiences - Invite family & friends to exercise with you; join a group where physical activity plays an important part
Lack of motivation- Invite a friend with you on a regular basis

Question 31

Describe the main concepts of the social action theory

Answer 31

• Social action theory considers how sport can impact society
• Society is created by social interaction/interactionalist theory
• By interacting with others, people create organisations e.g. schools/clubs/campaign groups
• These organisations influence people/shape wider society, eg expecting people to obey the rules
  of the organisation/decreasing racism
• Interactions lead to change in the social processes that exist