Sociology Lesson 4 – Flashcards

those groups, institutions, and people from which we learn the patterns of our culture

social learning that is directed towards occupying a new position and the expected behaviors of that position

(Piaget) the stage of development in which children begin to think in terms of actual evens and objects and understand casual relationships

(Kohlberg) a level of moral development in which children begin to evaluate behavior in terms of right and wrong

the process by which members of the same society (and even the same family) are raised differently based upon the different roles they are expected to perform as adults

(Freud) the conscious, reality-oriented component of the mind that strives to balance the demands of the id with those of the superego

those components of socialization that transmit messages concerning the status of one's ethnic (or racial) group in relation to others while facilitating a sense of identity based upon ethnicity (or race)

(Piaget) a final stage of development in which children learn the ability to think abstractly and critically

(Mead) the final stage of the development of self, during which children become aware of the generalized other and are able to view a situation from the perspectives of multiple others

that portion of socialization involving particular messages about what it means to be male or female in a society

(part of Mead's game stage) the commonly accepted cultural norms and values that we use as a reference in evaluating others

(Mead) the subjective, spontaneous and unique element of self

(Freud) the component of personality that represents a human being's biological needs and demands instant gratification

(Mead) the objective self, consisting oft he internalized attitudes and expectations of the larger social environment

(Freud - made of three things) the capacity to understand symbols

a group of people who share similar ages, interests, and social positions

(Mead) the second stage in the development of self, during which children learn to use language and other symbols, which then enables them to pretend to take the roles of specific others

(Kohlberg) the final level of moral development, in which behavior is evaluated in terms of abstract ethical principles that may transcend rules and laws

(Kohlberg) the stage of moral development in which children give little consideration to the views of others and experience the world in terms of what gives them pleasure

(Piaget) the stage of development in which children learn to use symbols and mental images to understand the world around them

(Mead) the first stage in the development of self, during which children largely imitate the world around them

learning a different set of values, norms, and attitudes from those we have previously learned (going to boot camp, going to jail)

(Freud) that portion of an individual's personality composed of self-image and self awareness

(Piaget) the stage of development where children can only understand the world around them through their five senses

(Freud) the moral and ethical aspects of personality shaped by the culture in which the child lives

to be able to see one's self as specific other people see us

an environment in which people are isolated form the rest of society and under the continuous control of the administrative staff

symbolic interactionist who developed the concept of the looking glass self

symbolic interactionist who believed in the "I" and "me" components of self

ID, EGO and SUPEREGO

1. Sensorimotor Stage 2. Preoperational Stage 3. Concrete Operational Stage 4. Formal Operational Stage

1. Preconventional Level 2. Conventional Level 3. Postconventional Level

1. Preparatory Stage 2. Play Stage 3. Game Stage

Family, Peer Groups, School, Mass Media

Socialization is a lifelong process by which individuals learn the culture of their society and develop their capacities for complex thought and action

Socialization is important for many reasons. Sustained social interaction with others is necessary to develop our human potential. Learning the values and norms of one's' culture helps guide and individual's behavior, goals beliefs, and values in socially approved directions. Socialization facilitates the development of self-identity and personality.

using a sample of just boys, Kohlberg identified three stages of moral development. Moral development begins around the age of 7. In the preconvential level children mostly experience the world in terms of what gives them pleasure with little consideration to others. In the conventional level (10 years) they evaluate right and wrong, with reference to others' expectations and their culture. Not everyone reaches postconventional where behavior is evaluated in terms of abstract principles and ethical beliefs that may transcend rules and laws. Gilligan extended this analysis to girls. Boys have a justice perspective that relies upon rules and laws while girls have a care and responsibility perspective that judges actions on the basis of personal relationships and loyalty.

sociological theories of human development emphasize the role of sustained social interaction with others in the socialization process. Psychological theories tend to emphasize the aspects of development internal to the individual rather than the broader social context in which development occurs

psychology. Freud believed that the mind was divided into three distinct parts—the id the ego, and the superego. Our personality and self-identity are shaped by the interplay between these three parts. The id is the component of personality that represents a human being's basic biological needs and demands instant gratification. However, not all needs can be met immediately, and so the child begins to develop an ego. The ego represents that conscious, reality-oriented component of the mind that strives to balance the demands of the id for immediate gratification with the demands of society to restrain certain behaviors. The ego serves to channel the desires of the id. Finally, a child develops a superego. The superego consists of the moral and ethical aspects of personality that are shaped by the culture of the child. The superego functions as a conscience, telling an individual how they ought to behave.

Jean Piaget's work focused on understanding how people think—human cognition. Piaget believed that human cognition develops in four stages, beginning at birth. The sensorimotor stage (from birth to about two years of age) is the level of development when children understand their world only through their five senses. At about age two, children enter the preoperational stage. In this level of development, children learn to use symbols (such as language) and mental images to understand and interpret the world around them. Between the ages of seven and eleven, children enter the concrete operational stage of development. In this stage, children begin to think in terms of concrete events and actual objects and begin to understand causal relationships in their social environment. At this time, children begin to look at the world from the viewpoints of others. The final stage of development is the formal operational stage, which begins at about age twelve and continues through adolescence. In this stage, children develop the ability to think abstractly and critically. For instance, people in this stage are able to reflect upon and assess hypothetical situations and to weigh the costs and benefits of certain choices in such situations. Critics have found that up to 30 percent of people never reach the formal operational stage

Lawrence Kohlberg studied the moral development of children, which he believed began at about age seven. At this age, children enter what Kohlberg termed the preconventional level, in which they give little thought or consideration to the views of others and experience the world in terms of what causes them pain or gives them pleasure. At about age ten and continuing through adulthood, children enter the conventional level. Children begin to evaluate behavior as right or wrong in relation to the expectations of others and their culture instead of simply what causes them pain or pleasure. The postconventional level is the final stage of moral development, and one that few adults reach. In this stage, behavior is evaluated in terms of abstract ethical principles that may transcend rules and laws.

Carol Gilligan, a former colleague of Kohlberg's, examined the moral development of girls. She argued that boys have a justice perspective, by which she meant that boys rely upon formal rules and laws to determine what is right and wrong. Girls, she found, employ a care and responsibility perspective, in which actions are judged on the basis of personal relationships and loyalties. Gilligan believed that boys and girls developed different bases for determining right and wrong because they are raised differently

Sociological theories of human development have been largely derived from the work of researchers operating from the symbolic-interactionist perspective. This body of work emphasizes that personality and self-identity develop through a sustained process of interaction with others (i.e., development is a social process).

George Herbert Mead studied the development of the sense of self. Mead believed there were two components of the self—the I and the me. The I is the subjective, spontaneous, and unique element of the self. The me is the objective element of the self, consisting of the internalized attitudes and demands of the larger social environment.

Mead argued that the self develops over three stages. In the preparatory stage, which occurs up to about age three, children largely imitate the world around them. From ages three to five, children are in the play stage. During these years, children learn to use language and other symbols. This enables them to pretend that they are taking the roles of specific other people. For instance, children at play engage in common roles such as mother, teacher, or police officer. Taking the role of the other means that we are able to see ourselves as specific other people see us. However, children at this stage are limited in the number of roles that they can assume or understand. They have almost no concept of how roles relate. Still, it is with this ability that the me component of the self develops as we become more able to objectively evaluate ourselves from the perspective of others. The final stage of Mead's model begins as a child enters school and is termed the game stage. In this stage, children begin to develop the capacity to take into account multiple roles and understand how each role relates to others, much like a baseball player must understand the positions, behaviors, and expectations of the other eight players on the field. It is from this understanding of social relationships that the child develops a conception of the generalized other, which is an abstract idea about the general expectations a society places on everyone or on specific roles. This includes an understanding of the commonly accepted cultural norms and values that individuals use as a reference for evaluating self

Charles Horton Cooley developed the concept of looking glass self, suggesting that we develop a self-identity based upon how we believe other people evaluate our appearance and behavior. In other words, he argued that an important aspect of self-development is using self-reflection of encounters in social situations to determine how others perceive us, both good and bad.

There are four main agents of socialization: family, peers, school, and the mass media. Families have arguably the greatest impact on socialization, as they teach children cultural values, norms, and symbols. They also locate children in the social structures of class, religion, and ethnicity. A child's initial self-image develops in the family. The influence of peer groups is greatest during adolescence, providing children with a sense of belonging as well as an identity distinct from their family. Schools socialize children to specific skills, knowledge, and cultural values while enlarging their social worlds beyond their specific groups. The media exposes people to current events, controversial issues, and different cultures and people.

Differential socialization is the process whereby different members of a society (and even of the same family) are raised differently based upon the different roles they are expected to occupy as adults. It occurs along gender and ethnic lines. It can also occur by birth order, such that first-born children may be raised differently than latter-born children. Anticipatory socialization is social learning directed at achieving a desired position, such as spouse or employee. Resocialization involves the learning of new norms, values, and attitudes. It can occur voluntarily, such as by joining the military, or involuntarily, such as being incarcerated in a prison.

Sociological theories of human development emphasize the role of sustained social interaction with others in the socialization process. Psychological theories tend to emphasize the aspects of development internal to the individual rather than the broader social context in which development occurs.