Personal and Social Identity
What is self-concept?
The idea that an individual possesses about themselves. Composed of various identities, attitudes, beliefs and values that an individual holds.
What is the nature vs nurture debate?
The debate: do genes (nature) or environment (nurture) impact personality, behaviour or identity more?
What types of data are these?
a) open ended survey responses, interview transcripts, observational notes
b) numerical survey responses, test scores, website traffic data
a) qualitative data
b) quantitative data
Define the term 'communication'
It is the process of transmitting a message from sender to receiver. Communication depends on a medium for delivery, and is influenced by various factors, such as personal experience, cultural background, and political intentions.
Define the term 'cultural diversity'.
This appears when a society becomes bigger and more complex immigrant groups join the dominant culture, and subcultures form within society.
Cultural diversity implies a two-way sharing of ideas, customs and values among the various cultural groups that comprise the society.
What is socialisation?
Bonus 100: Does socialisation change or stay the same? Why?
The process by which individuals learn to become functioning members of society by internalising the roles, norms and values of that society.
Bonus: socialisation changes because social roles and obligations are continually redefined.
What is the difference between a right and a responsibility?
- Rights are social interventions that are bestowed/afforded to an individual (for example- the right to an education, the right to justice)
- Responsibilities are the obligations that you are bound to/required to fulfill (for example- attending school every day, or looking after a pet).
These can be largely bound by the stage of life an individual is in.
A set of questions that can be closed ended and/or open-ended that allows for the collection of information from a large sample or number of people. What is this?
A questionnaire
The process of contacts between different cultures.
Acculturation occurs when members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviours of another group.
This could be direct (through social interaction) or indirect (through influences from mass media).
Bonus 200: Who was the theorist behind this concept?
'High context' culture is rational, intuitive, and collectivist. People value interpersonal relationships (e.g. Asian cultures). Ultimately words are not as important. Gestures, silences and posture hold significant value.
'Low context' culture tends to be logical, individualist, and action-oriented. Words are used with precision and will be taken literally (e.g. North America, Scandinavia)
Bonus 200: Edward T Hall (1976)
When does the social self begin in someone's life?
(The social self: A conscious experience in which you become aware of your own personal identity)
Childhood through human interaction
Describe Karl Mannheim's 'Theory of Generations'
Sociologist Karl Mannheim pioneered research into how a group of people born over a series of years can share a worldview that is specific to that group.
Those individuals who belong to the same generations are generally subject to a similar social process, forming their values and identity at a certain time in history. Theory of Generations suggests that these generations exert significant influence on society and are catalysts for social change.
(Examples of generations- Gen X, Gen Y, and Baby Boomers).
Tightly structured, semi-structured, unstructured, in-depth or conversational questions. May be more time consuming than other forms of data collection.
Interviews
Explain the 'Encoding/Decoding' theory.
Bonus 200: who was the theorist behind this theory?
'Encoding/Decoding' theory was based around television broadcasting and mass media consumption, whereby the media (or sender) will encode their message based on their personal experience, cultural background, and intended messages). The receiver will interpret this message based on their own personal experiences, cultural background and behaviours.
Bonus: Stuart Hall (1973)
Describe the iceberg model of culture.
The 'iceberg' represents the whole system of intercultural communication, whereby the tip of the iceberg represents aspects of culture in primary awareness (for example- art, music, food, dancing)
Meanwhile, the submerged part of the iceberg represents aspects of the culture that are primarily out of awareness (for example- notions of modesty, courtship practices, conception of 'self', etc.)
Explain the transition through the life course, and the changing rights and responsibilities associated with these stages?
Transitioning through the life course is the process of an individual maturing through stages of life. This is objectively framed by a numerical age, however, this is also dependant on cultural norms regarding rights and responsibilities associated with each life stage.
Name and describe one theory of the development of the physical and social self.
Theorists:
- David Elkind - social development
- Erik Erikson - Psychosocial development (Who am I theory)
- Carol Gilligan - Gender development
- Robert Havighurst - Developmental Tasks Model
- Jean Piaget - Cognitive Development
- Jane Loevinger - Ego Development
Name the fundamental course concepts
(for another 200 points, name the additional course concepts)
Fundamental course concepts:
- Persons, society, culture, environment, time
Additional course concepts:
- Power, authority, gender, identity, technologies, globalisation
What are 'semiotics' in communication?
This is the study of the meaning behind signs and symbols and how they convey meaning to the receiver.
Our automatic thoughts and actions are often the result of our cultural norms and values, which are governed by a complex set of cultural guidelines (e.g. the different colours of a traffic light)
What are 'proxemics' in communication?
Bonus 100: Who was the theorist behind proxemics?
Is the theory that people behave and act through culturally defined personal space. This theory suggests that in Western society, physical distance depends on the relationship between those communicating and the nature of the social situation.
Bonus 100: Edward T Hall (1966)
What are the agents of socialisation?
(Hint: there are 9)
Family and kinship
Ethnicity and culture
Gender
Sexuality
Beliefs
Location, class and status,
Peers
School
Media
Name a rite of passage in another culture, and explain how it impacts identity
Rumspringer in Amish Culture.
(A rite of passage and period of growth in adolescence for some Amish youths, during which time they face fewer restrictions on their behaviour and are not subject to the Ordnung (German: “order”) the specific system of unwritten community norms that governs their sect.)
This is the opportunity for young Amish people to make a decision about their identity in relation to the Amish church, and thereby the values and beliefs that frame their daily lives.
What does it mean to be socially and culturally 'literate'?
An important strategy in understanding that a major goal of the course for all students is to achieve social and cultural literacy.
A socially and culturally literate person uses concepts to demonstrate that they:
- have a sense of personal, social and cultural identity
- is interested in, observes and asks questions about the micro, meso, and macro levels of society
- empathises with and appreciates the diverse beliefs and values of different societies and cultures
- researches effectively and ethically, showing critical discernment toward information and the media
Explain the impact of changing communication technologies on language usage.
The mobile phone has changed our use of words over time, leading to both shortened words due to limited character allowances, to acronyms such as ROFL, as well as the use of emojis.
Explain the impact of changing communication technologies on cross-generational interaction.
There are distinct differences between different generations in terms of the way messages are sent and received. Older generations were used to traditional mail postage systems to communicate. This is contrasted with the convenience of instant messaging, emails, and text, which causes huge variations regarding technology literacy between generations.