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Connecting Sociology and YOU!

Chapter 4: Socialization

Notes:

agents of socializationindividuals, groups, and institutions that influence the attitudes and behaviors of members of society

 

peer groupssocial groups consisting of members with similar interests, social rank, and ages.

high-status youththose who are viewed as being popular among peers

 

socializationthe process by which individuals learn the appropriate attitudes and behaviors within a culture

selfan individual’s nature and identity resulting from reflections on social interactions

“I,” the unsocialized or acting self, made up of personal desires and needs

“me,” the social self, made up of the internalized attitudes of others

preparatory stageimitation of others,

play stagepretending to be other people

significant othersindividuals who are important to the development of self,

generalized otherthe process of internalizing societal norms and expectations

Looking-glass selfthe process of imagining the reaction of others toward oneself

 

Mead and Cooley stress that the socialized self is socially constructed through day-to-day interactions and conclude that socialization occurs at the unconscious level. Cooley’s looking-glass self is easier to personally analyze and apply than the “I” and the “me” because it is more difficult to objectively separate the “I” and “me” within everyday interactions. The looking-glass self is more self-evident within interactions and focuses specifically on the self in self-perception and self-esteem.

 

agents of socializationindividuals, groups, and institutions that influence the attitudes and behaviors of members of society

 

social learning theorythe process of learning from one another in a social context as a result of observation and imitation

 

peer groupssocial groups consisting of members with similar interests, social rank, and ages.

 

high-status youththose who are viewed as being popular among peers

digital nativesindividuals born after the widespread adoption of technology,

 

feral children, children who are isolated and neglected such that they are raised without socialization

 

total institution, an isolated group with strict rules and regulations whose goal is to control every aspect of its members’ lives

 

resocialization, an identity transformation in which social norms and roles are altered or replaced,

 

degradation ceremonyan event, ceremony, or rite of passage used to break down people and make them more accepting of a total institution

 

anticipatory socialization, the process of learning different behaviors or activities in an effort to aspire to group membership

 

rite of passage, a ceremony or ritual used to mark a change in age or social status

 

dramaturgy, the theory that we are all actors on the stage of life, and as such, we divide our world based on what we do and do not let the others see of us 

 

backstagea person’s private world that they choose not to reveal 

 

impression managementan effort to control the impression others have of us

 

distance zonesthe amount of space we are socialized to feel comfortable having between ourselves and others

 

 life course perspective, refers to a series of social changes that a person experiences over the course of their lifetime