D) Using Information from Item B and Elsewhere, Assess Sociological Theories of Socialization

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Socialisation is the passing on of culture. Culture is known as the ‘way of wife’ for a society – things like language, customs, norms, skills and knowledge. Culture is passed on through socialisation from generation to generation. Norms are social rules about correct behaviour. For example, wearing formal clothes to a job interview shows that you’re conforming to norms. Laws often reflect norms but sometimes lawbreaking is the norm. For example, creating illegal copies of CD’s. Culture, values and norms are definitely not fixed. They are constantly changing according to the time and place. Sociologists say that through socialisation the norms and values of society are internalised. There are two kinds of socialisation. The first is primary socialisation which happens during early childhood usually with parents. Children are taught simple skills, knowledge, norms and values of our society. During these years, children are normally rewarded for socially acceptable behaviour and punished for socially deviant behaviour. Secondary socialisation follows primary socialisation and is carried out by various institutions. The most important are education, peer groups, religion and mass media. According to some theories of socialisation, individuals are like an empty blood vessel waiting to fill up with society’s culture. Functionalists believe that parents, teachers and others fill children with the shared culture so that they come to conform to society’s expectations without having to think about it. Functionalists think that primary socialisation teaches children the skills and behaviour they need to interact with others at school and as they progress into secondary socialisation. They believe that education teaches children the norms and values they need to cooperate with others and help to transmit culture to the next generation. Religion and mass media are also
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