Def. Process by which an individual learns the norms and values or culture of a society
Learn how to be members of society
Primary Socialisation
First and most important phrase
Occurs in early childhood
Main agent is family
Language is most important thing we learn as we learn dominant cultural values and norms
Parents use positive a negative sanctions or social control – physical or emotional so we learn right and wrong by rewards and punishments
Act on positive role models such as encouraging children to imitate behaviour for moral code which Is taught formally
Secondary Socialisation
Life long process
Occurring throughout our lives
Agents are the family, peer group, mass media, education, religion and workplace
Understand how to act within our social roles which gives is a status
Functionalist believe that successful socialisation that children grow up to be law -abiding so we conform to society expectations
Out identity may be formed by all aspects of our socialisation
The Family
Functionalist see females as the expressive leader who is mainly responsible for nurturing and socialisation of children
Parsons refers to families as personality factories as parents are responsible for shaping the personalities and identities of children
Seen as the nuclear family which is ideal as it teaches basic norms and values
Children imitate behaviour and learn the social roles and gender roles so boys watch father be the breadwinner and girls watch mother be housewife
Interactionist sociologists argue that family is a two-way process due to it being negotiated process, so parents learn from childhood.
It is not a universal process shared in the same way
Experienced in different ways because of the influence of social class, ethnicity and religion
Peer Group
People of similar age such as friends
Based on shared tastes in music and fashion
Friends are most influential at ages 5 or 18 a process of becoming an adult
Important as it shapes identity of young people and want to be liked so will conform
Have positive and negative effects such as criminal acts
Fail to conform lead to bulling so being rejected or isolated
Hierarchies so individuals who have a higher status such as boys being rewarded for being tough
Encourage each other to conform known as peer pressure so expressed through membership of anti-school delinquent and deviant subcultures such as drugs
Tony Sewell observes young people prefer to spend their free time in cultural comfort zone, so they have a similar background such as African – Caribbean boys prefer to socialise with others
Media
Most dominant agent for majority of young people in UK
Use of television, radio, film, DVD, internet and newspaper can cause casual violence and anti-social behaviour
Children Copy that behaviour because exposed to violent images
Multidimensional tool that we use and consume either to access information or message one another
Influence attitudes/behaviour straight away
Some believe its more indirect as though friends and family influences over time known as the drip effect
Play key part in consumer culture
Feminist View
Negative influence over female identity as representative of femininity are over sexualised
Focused on ideal body image so over emphasis thinness so were fat shaming
Bulimic Society
Young (2007) said it was constant hunger and desire to binge on everything and anything
Advertising and focus celebrity culture encourage people to worship money and material success known as symbolising success
Postman
Argues that television and the internet have blurred the distinction between children and adulthood as they are exposed to images and information about sex, money, violence and death
A concern due to the amount of cyber bulling that occurs on social networking sites which is a negative effect on self esteem
Mulvey (1975)
Male gaze Def. Describes how the camera in films eyes up female characters
Encouraging viewers to access their bodies and alternativeness from a male perspective
Films and games have been blamed for copycat acts of violence as viewers are influenced
Sociologists have neither proved or disproved the view that media sociologists are a sole cause of violence or anti-social behaviour
Religion
Until 20th century, Christian religion in UK was a key agent
Christianity promoted by social value became the moral or ethical codes used as guidelines to shape behaviour such a marriage and sexuality which is morally wrong before marriage
Latter part shows a major decline in the belief in Christianity and church attendance which was estimated about 5% in UK
Another decline reason is secularisation
Sociologists claim that mass media have replicated religion as a source of moral values
Some argue that it’s not declining but changing as it is becoming more privatised due to personal choice and lifestyle choice
Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam are examples but new interpretation of faiths in UK so it’s scientology
- Not all religions are in decline
They can still influence and control individuals through written rules such as fundamentalist such as Pentecostalism are thriving
- Values are all supported by norms and patterns of behaviour
Authority figures/worship acts as a role model so they influence values of its followers
Ethnicity plays a crucial role in religion
Modood and Berthood (1997)
Surveyed young people and found 67% of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis saw religion as important and 5% of white British youths saw region as important
Davie
Religion is major agent as millions believe in God
Believe in God without the need to belong to an organised religion
Education
Overlaps with peer groups
Influential agent due it is spending 14 years in school as in 2015 made compulsory to go until 18
Learn to adopt to new roles constantly
Formal Curriculum
Academic subjects that are taught through national curriculum
Tested by exams and rewarded by acquiring knowledge
Described as ethnocentric as teaching British values and culture such as English, maths and science
Hidden Curriculum
Def. Attitudes and behaviour which are taught through school’s organisation and teaches attitudes rather than timetable subjects
Teaches everyday rules and regulations of school life such as punctuality so expecting you to arrive at beginning of class
Produces conformity
Bowles and Ginits (1976) – Marxists
Schooling strands in the long shadow of work are unconsciously socialised into norms and values
Ideological function which benefits the powerful as attending regularly prepared them for future direct jobs
Functionalist believe that it operates in a positive and beneficial fashion as models’ pupils become model citizens
Neo-Marxist – Willis
Pupils will successfully resist the influence of the hidden curriculum such as classroom disruption and leads to wider social problems with crime
Schooling in Capitalist America
Bowles and Ginits (1976) agreed it exists but not about shared norms and values
Education is significant but not good for majority
Teaches gender which creates gender issues as scientists are men
The Workplace
Individual must learn the expected norms of their jobs
Individuals will go through resocialisation so learning regulations and associated norms
Formal Socialisation in a Workplace
Socialises them into formal rules that underpin organisation such as code of conduct
Enforced by formal sanctions such as a formal warnings or dismissal
Positive sanctions such as employee of the month or promotion or pay rise
Informal Socialisation in a Workplace
May acquire a strong or weak sense of social-class identity from their experience
Canteen culture has been used by Waddington (1999) so within police forces involved racist jokes and banter the stereotyping and profiling
Unwritten rules which are learnt by observing or by informal discussions
Linked to education such as dress codes which portrays a clear identity
Social Control
Def. Society makes it’d members conform to the culture and rules they have learned during socialisation process
A mechanism of social control is a way in which behaviour is controlled
Deviant or abnormal behaviour is deterred and conformity to the norms and rules of society is reinforced
Formal Agents of Social Control
Includes police, criminal justice system, security system, military and the government which creates a great deal of power
Formally control our behaviour by enforcing written rules laws from governments
Majority live by them and if they break them there are consequences
Shape individual to fit into society
Job of Police
Enforces the laws established by the governments so they have a fair manner and treat people equally
Stop and search and question identity and activities so still issue formal and informal warnings
Arrest people on suspicion and physically detain people for up to 3 days
Used molarity style tactics such as kittling when dealing with rioters
Accept these acts as they’re put in the place by politicians who have been democratically elected
Individual arrested and charged they will face a judge and jury
Court have the power to impose a fine, prison sentence or community service
In china or Pakistan societies use capital punishments in cases involving murder, drug-trafficking and blasphemy
Institutions have written rules which are expected to follow and if not get formal punishments such as detections and exclusion
On positive side, employees may be appraised to identify their strengths and values to the organisation
On the negative side, incompetency and persistent lateness may invoke sanctions such as verbal and written warning
Informal Agencies of Social Control
Unwritten rules and formal codes of conduct
Informal expectations for controlling behaviour
- Family
Use them to shape child’s behaviour
Praise and reward children to positively encourage good behaviour
Chastise or punish their children so they will stop behaving in a deviant way
- Peer group
Positively control behaviour by rewarding them with friendships
Punish those who fail to follow by isolating them or bullying them
- Media
Functionalist not that by reporting crime and punishment the media reminds us that rules of society such as woman who do not conform to men and expectations of femininity and may be defined as deviant and moral panic created
Criticise celebrities for being too fat while social media praise individuals for bravery or charity work
- Religion
Religious leaders may reward faithful believers with promises of an afterlife
Punish sins with excommunication or threats of external domination so keeps followers in line
- Education
Teachers reward hard working student with praise and encouragements such as merit badges
Informally punish students who are not abiding by their standards by playing them in bottom set such as detentions
- Workplace
Employees may promote good workers and those who fail to meet targets may results in criticism so lack of right attitude
Informal social control may clash with formal social control such as parents may hit their children in public but in Scotland may be prosecuted as seen as a form of child abuse