Chapter 4 Flashcards
(27 cards)
Define socialization
The lifelong process through which people learn the attitudes, values, and behaviors appropriate for members of a particular culture.
Define self
Our sense of who we are, distinct from others and shaped by the unique combination of our social interactions.
Define looking-glass self
A theory that we become who we are based on how we think others see us.
Define I
The acting self that exists in relations to the Me.
Define Me
The socialized self that plans actions and judges performances based on the standards we have learned from others.
Define significant other
An individual who is most important in the development of the self, such as a parent, friend, or teacher.
Define symbol
A gesture, object, or word that forms the basis of human communication.
Define role taking
The process of mentally assuming the perspective of another and responding from that imagine viewpoint.
Define generalized other
The attitudes, viewpoints, and expectations of society as a whole that a child takes into account in his or her behavior.
Define dramaturgical approach
A view of social interaction in which people are seen as actors on a stage attempting to put on a successful performance.
Define impression management
The altering of the presentation of the self in order to create distinctive appearances and satisfy particular audiences.
Define face-work
The efforts people make to maintain a proper image and avoid public embarrassment.
Define cognitive theory of development
The theory that children’s thought progresses through four stages of development.
Define gender roles
Expectations regarding the proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and females.
Define rite of passage
A ritual marking the symbolic transition from one social position to another dramatizing and validating changes in a person’s status.
Define life course approach
A research orientation in which sociologists and other social scientists look closely at the social factors that influence people throughout their lives, from birth to death.
Define anticipatory socialization
Processes of socialization in which a person “rehearses” for future positions, occupations, and social relationships.
Define resocialization
The process of discarding former behavior patterns and accepting new ones as part of a transition in one’s life.
Define total institution
An institution that regulates all aspects of a person’s life under a single authority, such as a prison, the military, a mental hospital, or a convent.
Define degradation ceremony
An aspect of the socialization process within some total institutions, in which people are subjected to humiliating rituals.
Define midlife crisis
A stressful period of self-evaluation that begins at about age 40.
Define sandwich generation
The generation of adults who simultaneously try to meet the competing needs of their parents and their children.
Define gerontology
The study of the sociological and psychological aspects of aging and the problems of aging adults.
Define disengagement theory
A theory of aging that suggests that society and the aging individual mutually sever many of their relationships.
