Socialisation and Social Norms

What the resources cover

The unit centres on how people learn the rules of their society. The mind map Socialisation sets out primary socialisation in the immediate family: learning to control feelings and desires, developing language and absorbing moral standards. The mind map Secondary Socialisation asks what the family teaches us, from manners to right and wrong, and whether that teaching works.

Agents and norms

The Agents of socialisation mind map covers family, education, peers, work, religion, media and role models, along with rewards, sanctions and informal social control. For deeper reading, one mind map looks at the mass media and religion, including the claim that secularisation changes where norms and values come from. There are also maps on gender socialisation, peer groups and social control.

Where to start

1. Open the Socialisation mind map for the big picture.
2. Move to Agents of socialisation to see who teaches what.
3. Work through the flashcards, such as Sociology Key Terms:UNIT 1: Socialisation, Culture and Identity, which covers norms, values, roles, status, mores and canalisation.
4. Try Primary Soclialisation or another quiz to check what stuck.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then take a quiz on the same idea. Where you miss a question, go back to the matching branch of the map. The flashcards on status, roles, the looking-glass self and the self-fulfilling prophecy suit short, repeated sessions. Some quizzes look at gender-role socialisation and its evaluation, which helps with essay-style points.

Where it sits

This unit belongs to the Foundations of Sociology strand in Sociology. Most resources are made for secondary study, with a smaller share for university. Everything here was made by GoConqr users. Choose one map today and see how far it takes you.