Sociology Chapter 4: Socialization, Interaction and the Self

Status

A position in a social hierarchy that carries a particular set of expectations.

Saturated Self

A postmodern idea that the self is now developed by multiple influences chosen from a wide range of media sources.

Achieved Status

A status earned through individual effort or imposed by others.

Embodied Status

A status generated by physical characteristics.

Master Status

A status that is always relevant and affects all other statuses we possess.

Ascribed Status

A status that is inborn; usually a status that is difficult or impossible to change.

Id, Ego and Superego

According to Freud, the three interrelated parts that make up the mind: the id consists of basic, inborn drives that are the source of instinctive psychic energy; the ego is the realistic aspect of the mind that balances the forces of the id and the superego; the superego has two components (the conscience and the ego-ideal) and represents the internalized demands of society.

Definition of the Situation

An agreement with others about "what is going on?" in a given circumstance; this consensus allows us to coordinate our actions with others and realize goals.

Dramaturgy

An approach pioneered by Erving Goffman in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance.

Cooling the Mark Out

Behaviors that help others to save face or avoid embarrassment, often referred to as civility or tact.

Thomas Theorem

Classic formulation of the way individuals determine reality whereby "if people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences".

Role-Taking Emotions

Emotions such as sympathy, embarrassment, or shame that require that we assume the perspective of another person or group and respond accordingly.

Role Strain

Experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role.

Role Conflict

Experienced when we occupy two or more roles with contradictory expectations.

Expressions Given

Expressions that are intentional and usually verbal, such as utterances.

Copresence

Face-to-face interaction or being in the presence of others.

Psychosexual Stages of Development

Four distinct stages of the development of the self between birth and adulthood, according to Freud; personality quirks are a result of being fixated, or stuck, at any stage.

Feral Children

In myths and rare real-world cases, children who have had little human contact and may have lived in social isolation from a young age.

Front

In the dramaturgical perspective, the setting or scene of performances that helps establish the definition of the situation.

Total Institutions

Institutions in which individuals are cut off from the rest of society so that they can be controlled and regulated for the purpose of systematically stripping away previous roles and identities in order to create new ones.

Stereotyping

Judging others based on preconceived generalizations about groups or categories of people.

Feeling Rules

Norms regarding the expression and display of emotions; expectations about the acceptable or desirable feelings in a given situation.

Expressions Given Off

Observable expressions that can be either intended or unintended and are usually nonverbal.

Expressions of Behavior

Small actions such as an eye roll or head nod that serve as an interactional tool to help project our definition of this situation to others.

Agents of Socialization

Social groups, institutions, and individuals (especially the family, schools, peers, and the mass media) that provide structured situations in which socialization takes place.

Agency

The ability of the individual to act freely and independently.

Region

The context in which the performance takes place, including location, decor and props.

Impression Management

The effort to control the impressions that we make on others so that they form a desired view of us and the situation; the use of self-presentation and performance tactics.

Preparatory Stage

The first stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children mimic or imitate others.

Dual Nature of the Self

The idea that we experience the self as both subject and object the "I" and the "me"

Self

The individual's conscious, reflexive experience of a personal identity separate and distinct from others.

Looking-Glass Self

The notion that the self develops through our perceptions of others' evaluations and appraisals of us.

Nature vs Nurture Debate

The ongoing discussion of the respective roles of genetics and socialization in determining individual behaviors and traits.

Personal Front

The performance tactics we use to present ourselves to others, including appearance, costume and manner.

Particular or Significant Other

The perspective and expectations of a particular role that a child learns and internalizes

Generalized Other

The perspectives and expectations of a network of others (or of society in general) that a child learns and then takes into account when shaping his or her own behavior,

Frontstage

The places in which we deliver our performances to an audience of others.

Backstage

The places in which we rehearse and prepare for our performance.

Social Construction

The process by which a concept or practice is created and maintained by participants who collectively agree that it exists.

Emotion Work (Emotional Labor)

The process of evoking, suppressing, or otherwise managing feelings to create a publicly observable display of emotion.

Socialization

The process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of our society.

Role Exit

The process of leaving a role that we no longer occupy.

Resocialization

The process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones as part of a transition in life.

Play Stage

The second stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children pretend to play the role of the particular or significant other.

Role

The set of behaviors expected of someone because of his or her status.

Game Stage

The third stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children play organized games and take on the perspective of the generalized other.

Hidden Curriculum

Values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling.