Question

MCAT Sociology Tutorial: Socialization and Conformity

Answer 1

\({\bf{Socialization:}}\) the process by which people pass on cultural norms
agents of socialization: the individuals or institutions responsible for socialization
- family (considered the most important)
- school (for many, the first time experiencing people if different racial/ethnic/socioeconomic backgrounds)
- friends/peeres
> peer group: the group in which an individual shares many characteristics
> anticipatory socialization: conformity to a group to fit in
- mass media: television, the internet, etc.
- workplace (organizational socialization)

\({\bf{Deviance:}}\) acing contrary to norms
- social control: how a society attempts to limit or change the behavior of its members
- stigma: the social consequences of deviant behavior, namely labelling by others

\({\bf{Conformity:}}\) changing one's behavior to fit a norm
- informational social influence: an individual conforms because they are not sure how to act in a situation
- normative social influence: an individual conforms to get accepted or liked, dependent on:
> how important that group is to the individual (strength)
> how close the group is to that individual (immediacy)
> how large the group is (number)

\({\bf{Obedience:}}\) changing one's behavior to fit the expectation of an individual (usually a bit more specific than conformity)
- causes: an inherent desire to make others happy or fulfill expectations, need to avoid social consequences, reliance on an authority to know what to do

Answer 2

\({\bf{Social~Institutions:}}\) individuals or organizations that attempt to meet social needs
- religion: separates the profane (the mundane) from the sacred( things imbibed with spiritual meaning); has strong emotional and political influence

- family: the basic unit of society
> nuclear family: the traditional family unit of one male parent one female parent and their immediate children (in some discussions, may be modified to account for same-sex couples or single parents)

- education: attempts to provide general knowledge about society

- health/medicine: attempts to provide healthcare for society
> social epidemiology: studies how diseases are transmitted through a society
> holistic medicine: medicine that emphasis the greater social and environmental context of one's health

- the government: attempts to provide laws and some social services to society
- the economy: attempts to provide goods and services

Answer 3

Anyway, that's the end of my tutorial, I hope it was a helpful resource. Source material is the 2nd Edition Barron's Prep book for the new MCAT