| A | B |
|---|
| Socialization | The lifelong process of social interaction through which individuals acquire a self-identity and the physical, mental, and social skills needed for survival in society. |
| Sociobioloby | The systematic study of how biology affects social behavior. |
| Self-concept | The totality of our beliefs and feelings about ourselves. |
| Looking-glass self | Charles Horton Cooley’s term for the way in which a person’s sense of self is derived from the perceptions of others. |
| Role-taking | The process by which a person mentally assumes the role of another person in order to understand the world from that person’s point of view. |
| Significant others | Those persons whose care, affection, and approval are especially desired and who are most important in the development of self. |
| Generalized other | George Herbert Mead’s term for the child’s awareness of the demands and expectations of the society as a whole or of the child’s subculture. |
| Agents of socialization | The persons, groups, or institutions that teach us what we need to know in order to participate in society. |
| Peer group | A group of people who are linked by common interests, equal social position, and similar age. |
| Mass media | Large-scale organizations that use print or electronic means to communicate with large numbers of people. |
| Gender socialization | The aspect of socialization that contains specific messages and practices concerning the nature of being female or make in a specific group or society. |
| Racial socialization | The aspect of socialization that contains specific messages and practices concerning the nature of one’s racial or ethnic status. |
| Anticipatory socialization | The process by which knowledge and skills are learned for future roles. |
| Social devaluation | A situation in which a person or group is considered to have less social value than other individuals or groups. |
| Ageism | Prejudice and discrimination against people on the basis of age, particularly against older people. |
| Resocialization | The process of learning a new and different set of attitudes, values, and behaviors from those in one’s background and previous experience. |
| Total institution | Erving Goffman’s term for a place where people are isolated from the rest of society for a set period of time and come under the control of the officials who run the institution. |
