1. Social Processes: How are we socialized?
Date: Wednesday, 19 September 2018Wednesday, 19 September 2018
Social Processes: How are we socialized?
Lesson Outcomes:
Describe the socialization process
Identify methods of social control
Analyse why sociologists suggest that socialization is a lifelong learning process
Starter:
What is primary socialization?
Where does primary socialization take place?
What do children learn from their parents?
Name 4 agencies of secondary socialization.
What requirements for adult life do children learn at school?

2. The family is a child’s first social group, so that is where the earliest learning, or primary socialisation, takes place. Families introduce children to language. Families give children essential skills and knowledge. They also teach social norms and society’s values. Families also pass on their beliefs.

3. Method of socialisation
Definition
Deliberate instruction
Role models
Positive sanctions
Negative sanctions
Play
The child copies what it sees other family members doing
The child is punished for breaking the family’s rules
The family tells the child what, how and why to do something
The child is given a reward for behaving correctly so is likely to repeat the behaviour in future
The child is given toys or games which develop skills or social norms

4. These other agencies also have a controlling influence on our lives.
Pair & Share: How does this agency control us/teach us our norms and values?
Peers
To name a few…
Media
Religion 4

5. These are all called informal agencies of social control
These are all called informal agencies of social control. They exert pressure to make sure you stick to the law, rules and norms of society. If you stick to the rules you are rewarded through positive sanctions such as praise, presents or just general approval. If you break the rules, negative sanctions are applied in the form of disapproval or punishments.
To name a few…
Peers
Media
Religion 5

6. School
This delivers knowledge and skills to prepare you for the big wide world through the formal curriculum. There is also another side to the socialization process in schools through the hidden curriculum. You know that schools have rules. Most schools have a particular dress code or uniform (which is different for boys and girls). You are expected to be on time and respect the authority of your teacher in the classroom. You are expected to conform to the rules and you encounter problems if you don’t.
Formal curriculum: what students learn in their timetabled lessons, for example Maths & English
Hidden curriculum: the ways in which the organisation of teaching, school regulations and routines shape pupil attitude and behaviour, that is, what students learn at school that is not taught in lessons.

7. Peer group
Friends of a similar age have an important influence on your life. You expect your friends to behave in certain ways and they expect you to do the same. Peer groups can be a positive influence on your behaviour but they can also lead you in a deviant direction by expecting you to follow their lead. For example, many people say the reason they started smoking was because their friends encouraged them to do so. Peer group pressure can also play a big part in the development of your gender identity.

8. Mass Media
The media through television, films, the internet, magazines, newspapers and books affect us all. They put us in touch with images and information that we would not receive through any other source. Much of our political socialization, for example, comes through the media and our attitudes and emotions are affected by scenes we see in films and on the television.

9. Formal social control
The main agency of formal social control is the criminal justice system. This involves:
The police who make sure we conform to the laws created by the legislature and investigate case of law breaking.
The judiciary who deal with those who are accused of breaking the law.
The probation and prison service who look after people who have been found guilty of breaking the law.
The education system could also be seen as an agency of formal control. Schools, colleges and universities all have formal rules and impose negative sanctions on anyone who breaks them.
Legislature: the section of the government that is responsible for making laws.
Judiciary: the section of the government that has the power to apply the law, that is, the court system including judges

10. Explain what sociologists agencies of social control (4 mark question)1
Basic statement 2
Clear definition with key terms 3
Example 4
Example explained using key terms
Examiners tip- remember to use the relevant key concepts and terms
(such as culture/values/ norms/socialization)

11. Example explained using key terms
Clear definition explained using key terms
Agencies of social control are the groups and organisations in society that control or constrain people’s behaviour and actions.
For example, informal agencies like schools and peers control through positive and negative sanctions and approval whereas formal agencies like the criminal justice system impose formal sanctions for breaking the law.
Example explained using key terms

12. Extension
Why do some sociologists say that socialization is a lifelong process?

13. Checking our learning Lesson Outcomes:
Describe the socialization process
Identify methods of social control
Analyse why sociologists suggest that socialization is a lifelong learning process