Chapter 4, Socialization Key Terms

socialization A process by which people develop their human capacities and acquire a unique personality and identity and by which culture is passed from generation to generation. internalization The process by which people take as their own and accept as binding the norms, values, beliefs, and language needed to participate in the larger community.

nature Human genetic makeup or biological inheritance. nurture The environment or the interaction experiences that make up every individual’s life.

engrams Chemically formed entities in the brain that store in physical form a person’s recollections of experiences. collective memory The experiences shared and recalled by significant numbers of people.

group Two or more people who share a distinct identity, feel a sense of belonging and interact directly or indirectly with one another. primary group A social group characterized by face-to-face contact and strong ties among its members.

ingroup A group with which people identify and to which they feel closely attached, particularly when that attachment is founded on hatred from our opposition toward another group. outgroup A group toward which members of an ingroup feel a sense of separateness, opposition, or even hatred.

reflexive thinking Stepping outside the self and observing and evaluating it from another’s viewpoint. significant symbol A word, gesture, or other learned sign used to convey a meaning from one person to another.

symbolic gestures Nonverbal cues, such as tone of voice and other body movements, that convey meaning from one person to another. role taking Stepping outside the self and imagining its appearance and behavior imaginatively from an outsider’s perspective.

play Voluntary and often spontaneous activity, with few or no formal rules, that is not subject to constraints of time. significant others People or characters who are important in an individual’s life in that they have considerable influence on that person's self-evaluation and encourage him or her to behave in a certain manner.

games Structured, organized activities that usually involve more than one person and a number of constraints concerning roles, rules, time, place and outcome. generalized other A system of expected behaviors, meanings and viewpoints that transcend those of the people participating.

looking-glass self A way in which a sense of self develops such that people see themselves reflected in others’ reactions to their appearance and behaviors. active adaptation A biologically based tendency to adjust to and resolve environmental challenges.

resocialization The process of discarding rules and behaviors unsuited to new circumstances and replacing them with new, more appropriate values and norms. total institutions Institutions in which people surrender control of their lives, voluntarily or involuntarily, to an administrative staff and carry out daily activities with others required to do the same thing.