Socialisation

Question 1

primary socialisation

Answer 1

process of learning norms and values from birth to the age of 5 it is mainly taught by the agent of the family

Question 2

primary socialisation - agent of family + methods

Answer 2

• our family is our primary form of contact
• parents transmit the dominant cultural values and norms that children need to learn in order to fit into society
• one way we are socialised is through imitation - children see parents as role models, model behaviour based on parent
• parents use sanctions to show what is good or bad behaviour

Question 3

primary socialisation: Parsons (functionalists)

Answer 3

describes family as a ‘personality factory’ - parents produce children with identities and social qualities that fit the social expectations of society

Question 4

primary socialisation: New rights

Answer 4

argue socialisation in modern society is becoming less effective due to increasing divorces and lone parent families
- suggests existence of social problems such as child abuse and antisocial behaviour is evidence that some families may damage children

Question 5

primary socialisation: Interactionists

Answer 5

• argue socialisation in families is a two way process because it is a negotiates process
• parents also learn from children
• socialisation is not universal process it is experienced in different ways because of the influence of social class, religion, ethnicity etc

Question 6

Baumeister

Answer 6

• family socialisation provides children with an identity
• children learn through imitation play - see parents as role models they copy this behaviour
  e. g. mummies and daddies

Question 7

Morgan (family)

Answer 7

• suggests socialisation is concerned with social control and encourages conformity
• parents use sanctions to reinforce or discipline good or bad behaviour

Question 8

Durkin

Answer 8

most children can categorize themselves correctly + consistently as a boy or girl between the ages 2 or 3

Question 9

Zakersty

Answer 9

argues the family is used by the capitalist class to instil values such as obedience and respect which is useful for the ruling capitalist class

Question 10

secondary socialisation

Answer 10

second stage of socialisation beyond the age of 5

Question 11

Education agent of socialisation

Answer 11

• everyone learns formal curriculum - based on language and culture of society - reflects its values
• we also learn from the ‘hidden’ curriculum
• teachers use sanctions
• we are taught value achievement and how it is measures
• the school system teaches us the importance of different authority levels

Question 12

Marxism and education

Answer 12

• hidden curriculum has an ideological function - benefits powerful because it produces pupils who conform to the demand of teachers and schooling
• the ‘hidden’ consequences of examinations, qualifications and setting leads to students accepting failure without complaining - essential components of becoming a good worker/citizen
• hidden curriculum ensure conformity

Question 13

Althusser - education

Answer 13

argues education is dominated by the hidden curriculum which encourages conformity and acceptance of capitalism

Question 14

Functionalists and education

Answer 14

• Believe that the hidden curriculum operates in a positive and beneficial way because socialisation by schools producers model pupils and model citizens
• Parsons argues that the education agent socialises children into important values

Question 15

Neo - Marxist Willis and education

Answer 15

• Argues that pupils can successfully resist the influence of the hidden curriculum
• The persistence of in school problems suggests that the critics of the hidden curriculum may have exaggerated its influence

Question 16

Bowles and Gintis (Marxists) schooling in America

Answer 16

Agreed that the hidden curriculum exists - not about learning shared norms and values
Argued that the education system was a ‘giant myth making machine’ which brainwashed children through hidden curriculum into obedience
pupils are taught to accept their place in society - believe that achievements and failures are of their own making and that everything is fair and based on merit

Question 17

Religion agent of socialisation

Answer 17

• UK has become more secular
• many of the norms and values in the Uk including laws, morals and customs are based on the christian religion
• Through written rules or moral codes different religions promote particular values
  Most religions have a figure of authority or worship who acts as a role model to followers
  Religion can affect males and females in different ways

Question 18

Marxists and religion

Answer 18

Describe religion as an ideological apparatus that reflects ruling class ideas, socialises working class into 3 sets of value ideas

• Material success is a sign of God’s favour and poverty is caused by sin
• Religious teaching serve to distract the poor from exploitation
• Religion makes poverty, exploitation, inequality by promising a reward in the afterlife

Question 19

Madood and Berthoud

Answer 19

Surveyed young people and found that

67% of pakistanis and bangladeshis saw religion as ‘very important’ compared to 5% of white british youth

Question 20

Holden

Answer 20

Examined attitudes of a large sample of 15 year olds towards race, religion and integration - found that at a school with mostly white pupils - nearly a 3rd believed that one race was superior to another

• Compared with 1/10 from a majority Asian muslim school and less than 1/5 at a mixed race school
• Suggests asian muslims were more tolerant

Question 21

Media agent of socialisation

Answer 21

• media presents different ideas and messages
• One way we may be socialised by the media is through its representation of different social groups which may influence our views
• The media is seen to influence culture - seen as creating ‘consumer culture’ where we are encouraged to buy products based on celebrity endorsements or association with a particular lifestyle or image

Question 22

Keating

Answer 22

Says popular culture is false culture devised and packaged by capitalism to keep the masses content, false needs
Mass media responsible for mass culture

Question 23

Mulvey

Answer 23

Uses the concept of the ‘male gaze’ to describe how the camera in films ‘eyes up’ female characters encouraging viewers to asses their bodies and attractiveness from a male perspective

Question 24

McRobbie

Answer 24

Did research into a popular magazine called Jackie - showed how young women were being encouraged to value romance and getting and keeping a man
McRobbie has used the concept of ‘simple blondeness’ to describe an archetypal slim blond female which featured heavily in the media and encouraged young women to copy this behaviour

Question 25

Currie

Answer 25

Analysed content of teen magazines spanning a 40 year period and notices a dramatic increase in the importance of beautification in recent years

Question 26

The Workplace agent of socialisation

Answer 26

‘Re Socialization’ - refers to the new set of norms and values an individual will learn when they start a new job Formal socialisation in the workplace will be in the form of learning code of conduct, acceptable dress code, behaviour and other expectations Enforced by formal sanctions such as formal warning as well as positive sanctions such as ‘employee of the month’

Question 27

Waddington

Answer 27

‘Canteen culture’ describes set of norms and values that people who work in a particular organisation will be socialised to accept , so that certain language, behaviour and attitudes become the norm

Question 28

Peer group agent of socialisation

Answer 28

The peer group is important in socialization because we spend a lot of time with our peers Peer group shows what is acceptable behaviour - encourages conformity hierarchies in peer groups - some individuals may be ‘leaders’ and have higher status than the ‘followers’ Peer groups can be a source of rebellion E.G. goths and emos PEER PRESSURE - Peers can exert pressure on individuals to imitate or reject group behaviour - group membership and belonging are important and powerful forces influencing people to conform to fit in

Question 29

Peer group - | Harris

Answer 29

Looked at the comparative influence of parents and peer groups - concluded that the peer group can be more influential than the family in shaping our identities Peer pressure is an important influence on our behaviour - an individual's desire to conform has a strong influence

Question 30

peer group - | Sewell

Answer 30

``` Uses the concept of ‘cultural comfort zones’ to describe the way we like to associate with those who are similar to ourselves He links how afro-Caribbean boys prefer to hang around in gangs with peers then to be in the white-middle class world of school ```

Question 31

Feral children

Answer 31

children who have skipped the process of primary socialisation miss out on the normal processes of human socialisation 'wild'/'unsocialized'

Question 32

Nature argument

Answer 32

- The nature argument argues that people inherit characteristics such as intelligence, personality, gendered behaviour - Argue that many personality and other traits such as intelligence, maternal instinct, sexual orientation are coded in our genes - Argue that differences in behaviour are due to natural differences at birth, not the way individuals have been bought up - Argue that human traits like intelligence are largely inherited - twin studies support this side of the argument

Question 33

Nurture argument

Answer 33

- Argues that how we are brought up and socialized has the most significant influence on how we behave - cultural diversity - Differences in culture demonstrate that there are differences between human behaviour is mostly learned - supported by examples of feral children

Question 34

Twin studies

Answer 34

Bouchard researched identical twins who had been separated at birth and raised separately The twins were reunited as adults - Bouchard found that their similarities were similar Oskar - raised by grandmother in Germany - catholic faith - part of hitler youth Jack - raised in Caribbean by father - jewish faith Bouchard documented similarities in behaviour, likes, dislikes, personalities despite their different upbringings mannerism , temperament, favourite foods, choice in clothes were similar (Holden 1980) Supports nature side of the debate as twins that are identical share 100% of the same genes - so the fact that they behaved similar despite not living together suggests that the way we are is a result of our genes

Question 35

Feral children examples

Answer 35

Oxana Malaya Left in the kennels with the family dogs She barked and ran on all fours like a dog She unlearned the ‘dog like’ behaviour and can walk and talk normally now Kamala and Amala ‘wolf children’ 2 girls living with wolves Behaviour was ‘wolf like’ - they howled, walked on all fours and ate directly from a bowl with their mouths rather than using their hands

Question 36

social control

Answer 36

Behaviour is controlled and reinforced by sanctions Social control refers to the means by which society makes sure its members generally conform to the culture and the rules they have learnt during the socialisation process

Question 37

formal agencies of social control

Answer 37

Formal agencies of social control are the police, the courts and criminal justice system These institutions directly and explicitly control the behaviour of the population

Question 38

Marxists view of police

Answer 38

``` See police as one way in which the ruling class maintains its power and its wealth Police are servant of the ruling class They enforce laws that the ruling class has passed and make sure the working class does not threaten the system ```

Question 39

informal social control

Answer 39

Behaviour is controlled through the approval or disapproval of those around us Different sanctions may include Socially excluding a person from a peer group Disappointed reactions from parents Being passed over for promotion at work

Question 40

Morgan - social control

Answer 40

Socialisation is concerned with social control and encouraging conformity Parents use sanctions to reinforce socially approved behaviour and to discipline deviant behaviour Sanctions encourage the development of a conscience in a child - expected that a child will know the difference between good and bad behaviour - guilt will act as a deterrent to deviant behaviour Function of toilet training is to instill in the child some sense of control over their bodily functions

Question 41

social control | P. Berger

Answer 41

Identifies some common methods of social control Physical violence - the police and the military back up society's rules with the threat of physical force or imprisonment Economic pressure - people may conform because it is their economic interest to do so - workers who misbehave must be sacked Social acceptance - being socially accepted by our peers Socialisation - taught society's rules through socialization by various agents