Socialization is not a single event that ends in childhood. It continues throughout life as people encounter new roles and expectations. This lesson explains how age norms, culture, education, and social class shape transitions across the life course.
Socialization is the ongoing process through which people learn the norms, values, behaviors, and roles of their society. People are not permanently shaped by one early experience; instead, they continue learning as their circumstances change.
All flashcards
Anticipatory socialization
Preparation for a future role by learning or practicing its expectations before formally entering it.
Boomerang Generation
Young adults who return to live with their parents, often because they lack adequate employment or financial independence.
Resocialization
Replacing familiar behaviors or understandings with new ones suited to a changed role or environment.
Total institution
A setting separated from wider society where residents' activities are organized under common authority and rules.
Degradation ceremony
A process that diminishes markers of a person's former identity while establishing a new institutional identity.
Quiz questions
How should the five commonly cited milestones of adulthood be understood?Answer: They are social milestones that people may reach in different orders, at different ages, or not at all.
What does the term Boomerang Generation describe?Answer: Young adults returning to their parents' home, often because adequate employment is unavailable.
Which situation is an example of anticipatory socialization?Answer: People preparing for parenthood by learning infant-care practices before a baby arrives.
What feature distinguishes a total institution?Answer: Residents' activities are organized under a common authority and set of rules.
What happens during a degradation ceremony?Answer: Markers of a person's former identity are diminished as a new institutional identity is established.
Based on Introduction to Sociology 3e by Tonja R. Conerly, Kathleen Holmes, Asha Lal Tamang (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.