Socialisation

Question 1

What is socialisation?

Answer 1

It is the lifelong process of an individual learning norms, values and culture of a society

Question 2

What is primary socialisation?

Answer 2

• These are during the early years of life (0-5) which can be seen as the most significant stage of learning as having prolonged contact with family allows people to develop norms, values and a sense of identity
• This stage of development was missed by feral children

Question 3

What is secondary socialisation?

Answer 3

These are the other agents of socialisation that has more of an impact in our later life and they can include, peer group, education, media, religion and work place

Question 4

What is a peer group?

Answer 4

A group of people that you socialise with because you have similar interests and/or you are a similar age. People learn from peers as they want to fit in. The often have hierarchies with leaders and followers. Peer groups can have more of an influence than parents as they spend lots of time together and they can influence people to deviance

Question 5

What was Skelton and Francis’ 2003 theory on peer groups?

Answer 5

• They looked at peer groups in primary schools in both the classroom and playground
• They saw that boys dominated more space than girls whilst playing as girls did separate activities like skipping

Question 6

What was Sue Lees (1993,1997) theory on peer groups?

Answer 6

She looked at the pressure put on teenage girls by their peers. For example, how double standards are applied to girls’ and boys, sexual behavior as slag is used to control a girl’s behavior

Question 7

What was Judith Harris’s 1998 theory on peer groups?

Answer 7

• She looked at the comparative influence of parents and peer groups and decided that peer groups had more influence on a child’s identity
• It demonstrate that an individual’s desire to conform has a stronger influence over pressure/bullying

Question 8

What was Tony Sewell’s 2000 theory on peer groups?

Answer 8

• He used the concept of cultural comfort zones to describe how we like to associate ourselves with people who are similar to us
• a notable example is African - Caribbean boys prefer to hang in gangs rather than in the white middle class world of teachers and school

Question 9

How does education affect socialisation?

Answer 9

• Formal and informal sanctions and rewards
• It overlaps with peers
• Formal curriculum is learning to pass an exam
• Maths, science and English are valued
• Subjects are often associated with genders
• There is also an informal curriculm that teaches norms, values and behaviour

Question 10

What does Bowles and Ginits (1976) believe about education?

Answer 10

• They were American Marxists
  They believe that there is a hidden curriculum of obedience rather than norms and values which strips away a person’s identity. Pupils are taught to accept their place in society and to believe that their achievements and failures are their own making and that everything is fair and based on merit.

Question 11

How does the media affect socialisation?

Answer 11

• The media’s influence is growing since media is growing
• Social groups are presented differently as women are seen as glamourous and sexy
• Mulvey (1975) uses the concept of the male gaze to describe how the cameras in films eye up women allowing women to judge their body from a male perspective
• Media also glamourises violence

Question 12

What is Jock Young (2007) view on the media?

Answer 12

• He believes media is partially responsible for criminality
• It has also created a Bulimic society with a desire to binge products and practices without regarding reality
  this can be seen as get rich or die trying causing many people from deprived backgrounds to turn to crime in order to gain goods and practices that supposedly provide happiness

Question 13

How does religion affect socialisation?

Answer 13

Religion as an agent of socialisation is in decline for many of us, according to some sociologists, UK society is becoming more secular. However, it could be argued that many of the UK’s norms and values are rooted in Christian values and that attitudes towards issues like divorce, abortion and sexuality are influenced by religion

Question 14

What did Modood and Berthoud (1997) believe about religion?

Answer 14

They surveyed young people and found that 67% of Pakistanis and Bangladeshi saw religion as important compared to only 5% of white British youth

Question 15

How does workplace affect socialisation?

Answer 15

Workplace is a key agent of socialisation for adults and the concept of resocialisation has been used to refer to when a new set of norms and values an individual will learn when they start a new job

Question 16

What is formal socialisation in a workplace?

Answer 16

This when you learn the code of conduct, dress codes, behavior and other expectations. This will be enforced by formal sanctions such as warnings and being fired. There are also positive sanctions such as a pay rise.

Question 17

What is informal socialisation in a workplace?

Answer 17

Colleagues will help to resocialise an individual similarly to a peer group at school, by making clear what is expected and by sanctioning unacceptable behavior in informal ways such as rude comments

Question 18

What was Waddington (1999)’s belief about canteen culture?

Answer 18

• Canteen culture describes the set of norms and values that people who work in a particular organisation are expected to follow and accept such as language, behavior and attitudes become the norm
• This has been used in a critical way to describe how racism culture is in the police. Th is is when officers who aren’t rascist start thinking and behaving in ways that ware.