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Culture & Socialisation

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Culture, Values and Norms

What sociologists mean by culture, values and norms.

Culture

Culture

  • Culture refers to the whole way of life of a particular society.
  • Culture includes society’s values, norms, customs, beliefs, skills, knowledge and language.
Values

Values

  • Values are ideas and beliefs about what is desirable and worth pursuing.
  • For example, high exam grades or respect for others.
  • Values provide general guidelines for behaviour.
  • Values may differ from one culture to another.
Norms

Norms

  • Norms provide guidelines on appropriate and expected behaviour in specific social settings (e.g. classrooms, restaurants or aeroplanes.)
  • Norms are often enforced by sanctions (rewards and punishments.)
Variations in culture

Variations in culture

  • Culture varies in respect to:
    • Place (where we are.)
    • Time period (when we live.)
Differences in culture

Differences in culture

  • Something that may be common in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
  • Something common in the twentieth century might have been unacceptable in the nineteenth century, such as same-sex marriage.

Socialisation

Socialisation is the process by which people learn the culture, values and norms of society.

Socialisation

Socialisation

  • Socialisation is the process by which people learn the culture, values and norms of society.
  • It includes primary and secondary socialisation.
Primary socialisation

Primary socialisation

  • Primary socialisation is when babies and infants learn basic behaviour patterns (skills that they will need for life) through agencies of socialisation (usually families and parents).
Secondary socialisation

Secondary socialisation

  • Secondary socialisation is when older children learn society’s norms and values through agencies of secondary socialisation that include, peer groups, schools and the mass media.
Jump to other topics
1

The Sociological Approach

2

Families

3

Education

4

Crime & Deviance

5

Social Stratification

6

Sociological Research Methods

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