Exam (elaborations)
A* ocr Sociology a level practice paper (paper 1)
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Define the concept of consumer culture. (6)Consumer culture describes a society in which consumption is key to the identity of
individuals. Young describes our current society as ‘bulimic’ as it is hyper focused on
consumption and the worth that this gives to individuals. Postmodernists such as Polhemus
believe in the concept of ‘you are what you buy’ - his study on the ‘supermarket of style’
found that people can shape their identity based on clothes and style, and that traditional
factors like ethnicity were less important as consumption was central.
Marxists view consumer culture as a distraction from the capitalist exploitation of the working
classes. For example, transnational corporations such as Amazon offer cheap and
accessible prices to the masses, however on a larger scale they exploit the working classes
for cheap labour as those at the top of the scale make profits. As such, Marxists explain how
an obsession with consumption acts as a distraction and creates a ‘false class
consciousness’ for the proletarian masses.
Explain how the family acts as an agent of socialisation. (12)
Teaches norms and values
Role models - oakley
Positive and negative sanctions
The family acts as a primary agent of socialisation, teaching young children from the ages of
0-5 the correct norms and values of society. Functionalists would argue that this helps
socialise children into society’s ‘value consensus’, and helps promote solidarity among the
masses.
The family teaches norms and values, for example politeness. Politeness is a value held by
British society - the family can teach this for example through reinforcing the need to say
‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to others. This would be an example of the norm, which
demonstrates the value of politeness. Parsons discusses the ‘warm bath theory’ and how the
agent of the family can help reinforce these norms and teach them to future generations. On
the other hand, Oakley discusses role models in the family, and demonstrates how they pass
on norms and values to future generations - however she argues that this is largely negative
as they portray traditional gender roles through ‘canalisation’ (such as directing children
towards gendered toys) and ‘verbal appellation’ (gendered nicknames).
The family also acts as an agent of socialisation through delivering positive and negative
sanctions. For example, families can take away something that is important to the child, such
as sweets or access to the TV, as a negative sanction to demonstrate the wrongness of their
actions. They also could deliver positive sanctions - such as verbal praise for completing
homework or achieving good grades in school. As such, this teaches children the ‘correct’
and ‘incorrect’ behaviour to display in society, taking them through the process of primary
socialisation. However, Marxists (including Marxist feminists such as Feeley) would argue
that the family promotes capitalist norms and values, encouraging children to be obedient to
the bourgeoisie.
, To conclude, the family acts as an agent of socialisation through teaching young children the
correct norms and values to keep with them as they grow up - this is taught through positive
and negative sanctions. This is reinforced through the later secondary socialisation that
children experience, through agents such as education, religion and the media.
Outline + briefly evaluate the view that sexuality is important to identity. (20)
Identity can be described as how you see yourself, and how others see you. Sexuality can
be an important factor in identity for those who identify as non-heterosexual. This is
reinforced by the increasing presence of the LGBT+ community, and progress that has
recently been made such as the legalisation of same sex marriage in 2013.
Sexuality can influence how you see yourself as an individual. Mackintosh’s study of the
‘homosexual role’ found that once a gay man came out as such, he would internalise
stereotypes associated with gay men, such as effeminacy, and seek out a subculture of
other gay people who displayed those norms and values. This shows how sexuality can be
central to the identity and subcultures people form. However, Weeks’ study of ‘rent boys’
how sexuality can be fluid - Weeks found that male prostitutes on the whole did not identify
as gay despite having sex with men. Furthermore, Mackintosh’s study is outdated - only
focusing on gay men and not a wider spectrum of sexualities. It also ignores how progress
for the LGBT+ community could mean that gay subcultures are declining as being gay is
increasingly accepted within mainstream society.
Furthermore, sexuality can also influence how others see you. Rich discusses the
phenomenon of ‘compulsory heterosexuality’ - the idea that being heterosexual is expected
and enforced upon women in a patriarchal and heteronormative society. As such, this would
suggest that society views most women as heterosexual, and could make those who are
openly not heterosxual feel othered or discriminated against. This would suggest sexuality is
a key part of identity as it influences how one is viewed and treated by others. Moreover,
Weeks found that ‘I am gay’ is a statement that holds more significance than the statement ‘I
am heterosexual’, as it symbolises being part of a marginalised community and ‘becoming
the other’. This is also seen in gay pride parades which highlight the importance of sexuality
to identity. However, the increasing positive representation of gay people such as TV show
host Ellen Degeneres could mean that different sexualities are becoming more normalised
and less key as a part of identity as they are increasingly accepted. Interactionists would say
this could prevent was traditionally seen as a ‘homosexual career’ (Plummer).
To conclude, sexuality can be an important part of identity as it affects how you see yourself
and how others see you. However, this is not an identity that applies to the heterosexual
majority, as argued by Weeks, and increasing diversity and acceptance could mean that gay
people feel more neutral in their identity and do not centre sexuality in who they are as a
person to such a large extent.
Outline two ways that youth subcultures are related to gender. (12)
1 masculinity
Archer and yamashita
Messerschmidt
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