adult socialization
the process of learning new roles and expectations in adult life
age cohort
an aggregate group of people born during the same time period
age discrimination
different and unequal treatment of people based solely on their age
age prejudice
a negative attitude about an age group that is generalized to all people in that group
age stereotype
preconceived judgements about what different age groups are like
age stratification
the hierarchical ranking of age groups in society
ageism
the institutionalized practice of age prejudice and discrimination
anticipatory socialization
the process of learning the expectations associated with a role one expects to enter in the future
creationism
the belief that humans have evolved not via a Darwinian natural selection process, but via the action of a god
disengagement theory
theory predicting that as people age, they gradually withdraw from participation in society and are simultaneously relieved of responsibilities
ego
the part of the self representing reason and common sense
feral children
children who come of age with very little, if any, interaction with humans; "wild children
game stage
the stage in childhood when children become capable of taking a multitude of roles at the same time
generalized other
an abstract composite of social roles and social expectations
id
the part of the personality that includes various impulses and drives, including sexual passions and desires, biological urges, and human instincts
identity
how one defines oneself
imitation stage
the stage in childhood when children copy the behavior of those around them
internalization
a process by which a part of culture becomes incorporated into the personality
life course
the connection between people's personal attributes, the roles they occupy, the life events they experience, and the social and historical context of these events
looking glass self
the idea that people's conception of self arises through reflection about their relationship to others
negative reinforcement
punishment, behavior that is negatively reinforced is not likely to be repeated
peers
those of similar status
personality
the cluster of needs,drives, attitudes, predispositions, feelings, and beliefs that characterize a given person
play stage
the stage in childhood when children begin to take on the roles of significant people in their environment
positive reinforcement
reward, behavior that is positively reinforced is more likely to be repeated
psychoanalytic theory
a theory of socialization positing that the unconscious mind shapes human behavior
re-socialization
the process by which existing social roles are radically altered or replaced
rite of passage
ceremony or ritual that symbolizes the passage of an individual from one role to another
role
behavior others expect from a person associated with a particular status
schema
configurations, the human mind organizes experience into mental categories
self
our concept of who we are, as formed in relationship to others
self-concept
a person's image and evaluation of important aspects of oneself
significant others
those with whom we have a close affiliation
social control
the process by which groups and individuals within those groups are brought into conformity with dominant social expectations
social learning theory
a theory of socialization positing that the formation of identity is a learned response to social stimuli
socialization
the process through which people learn the expectations of society
socialization agents
those who pass on social expectations
Stockholm Syndrome
a process whereby a captured person identities with the captor as a result of becoming inadvertently dependent upon the captor
superego
the dimension of the self representation the cultural standards of society
taking the role of the other
the process of imagining oneself from the point of view of another