Garfinkel's research an approach called ethnomethodology involves

Unit 2 Examination

82

GED 216 Sociology

Multiple Choice Questions (Enter your answers on the enclosed answer sheet)

Carol Gilligan’s work on the issue of self-esteem in girls showed that 1.

girls begin with low self-esteem, but it gradually increases as they progress through a. adolescence. at all ages, girls have higher self-esteem than boys.b. at all ages, boys have higher self-esteem than girls.c. girls begin with high levels of self-esteem, which gradually decrease as they go through d. adolescence.

George Herbert Mead considered the self to be 2.

the part of an individual’s personality that is composed of self-awareness and self-image.a. the presence of culture within the individual.b. basic drives that are self-centered.c. present in infants at the time of their birth. d.

Mead placed the origin of the self on 3.

biological drives. a. genetics.b. social experience.c. the functioning of the brain. d.

According to Mead, social experience involves 4.

understanding the world in terms of our senses.a. the exchange of symbols.b. a mix of biological instinct and learning.c. acting but not thinking. d.

By “taking the role of the other,” Mead had in mind 5.

imagining a situation in terms of past experience.a. recognizing that people have different views of most situations.b. imagining a situation from another person’s point of view. c. trading self-centeredness for a focus on helping other people. d.

When Cooley used the concept of the “looking-glass self,” he claimed that 6.

people are self-centered.a. people see themselves as they think others see them.b. people see things only from their own point of view.c. our actions are a reflection of our values.d.

Unit 2 Examination

83

GED 216 Sociology

According to Mead, children learn to take the role of the other as they model themselves on 7. important people in their lives, such as parents. Mead referred to these people as

role models.a. looking-glass models.b. significant others.c. the generalized other. d.

In Mead’s model, which sequence correctly orders stages of the developing self? 8.

imitation, play, game, generalized othera. imitation, generalized other, play, gameb. imitation, game, play, generalized otherc. imitation, generalized other, game, play d.

Mead used the concept “generalized other” to refer to 9.

important individuals in the child’s life.a. a person who provides complete care for a child.b. any “significant other.”c. widespread cultural norms and values people take as their own. d.

Mead would agree that 10.

socialization ends with the development of self in childhood.a. if you won $100 million in a lottery, your self might change.b. people are puppets with little control over their lives.c. human behavior reflects both nature and nurture. d.

Erik H. Erikson’s view of socialization states that 11.

personality develops over the entire life course.a. personality involves tensions between the forces of biology and forces of culture.b. we come to see ourselves as we think others see us.c. most of our personality development takes place in childhood. d.

Critics of Erikson’s theory of personality development point out that 12.

not everyone confronts the stages in the exact order given by Erikson.a. his theories are difficult to test scientifically. b. a large percentage of people never reach the last stage of development.c. his research suffers from a gender bias.d.

Unit 2 Examination

84

GED 216 Sociology

Family is important to the socialization process because 13.

family members are often what Mead called “generalized others.”a. families pass along social identity to children in terms of class, ethnicity, and religion.b. families begin the process of anticipatory socialization.c. families set the stage for resocialization. d.

Shawna is an excellent artist, but as a mother, she feels that she cannot work and devote 14. enough time to her family. She is experiencing

role conflict. a. role strain.b. role ambiguity.c. role exit. d.

Which concept refers to the tension among roles connected to a single status? 15.

role conflicta. role strainb. role ambiguityc. role exit d.

Which concept is involved when a surgeon chooses not to operate on her own son because the 16. personal involvement of motherhood could impair her professional objectivity as a physician?

role conflicta. role strainb. role ambiguityc. role exit d.

Which concept is involved when a plant supervisor wants to be a good friend and confidant to 17. the workers, but must remain distant in order to rate the workers’ performances?

role conflicta. role strainb. role ambiguityc. role exit d.

Unit 2 Examination

85

GED 216 Sociology

What is the term for the process by which people disengage from important social roles? 18.

role rejectiona. role reversalb. role lossc. role exit d.

Rebuilding relationships with people who knew you in an earlier period of life is a common 19. experience for those who are undergoing

role conflict. a. role strain.b. role ambiguity.c. role exit. d.

Which concept is used to designate the process by which people creatively shape reality as 20. they interact?

status interactiona. social construction of realityb. interactive realityc. role reality d.

Flirting is a playful way of seeing if someone is interested in you without risking outright 21. rejection. From this point of view, flirting illustrates

the Thomas theorem.a. the process of role exit.b. the social construction of reality.c. street smarts. d.

The Thomas theorem states that 22.

a role is as a role does.a. people rise to their level of incompetence.b. situations defined as real are real in their consequences.c. people know the world only through their language. d.

Garfinkel’s research, an approach called ethnomethodology, involves 23.

studying the way people make sense of their everyday surroundings.a. tracking people’s roles over the life course.b. the study of interaction in terms of theatrical performance.c. studying unfamiliar cultural systems.d.

Unit 2 Examination

86

GED 216 Sociology

An example of a secondary group is 24.

a fraternity chapter meeting on campus.a. a Microsoft Corporation awards banquet.b. parents meeting with their daughter and her coach.c. girl scouts at a cookout. d.

In general, we see a(n) _______ as a means to an end; we see a(n) _____ as an end in itself. 25.

expressive group; instrumental groupa. crowd; categoryb. secondary group; primary groupc. primary group; secondary groupd.

Unit 2 Examination

87

GED 216 Sociology

Writing Assignment for Unit Two

• Responses must be typed double-spaced, using a standard font (i.e. Times New Roman) and 12 point type size.

Word count is NOT one of the criteria that is used in assigning points to writing assignments. However, students who are successful in earning the maximum number of points tend to submit writing assignments that fall in the following ranges:

Undergraduate courses: 350 - 500 words or 1 - 2 pages. Graduate courses: 500 - 750 words or 2 - 3 pages. Doctoral courses: 750 - 1000 words or 4 - 5 pages.

Plagiarism

All work must be free of any form of plagiarism. Put written answers into your own words. Do not simply cut and paste your answers from the Internet and do not copy your answers from the textbook. Be sure to refer to the course syllabus for more details on plagiarism and proper citation styles.

Please answer ONE of the following:

• Include your name, student number, course number, course title and unit number with your writing assignment.

• Begin each writing assignment by identifying the question number you are answering followed by the actual question itself (in bold type).

• Use a standard essay format for responses to all questions (i.e., an introduction, middle paragraphs and conclusion).

Summarize Freud’s theory of human personality, Piaget’s approach to human development, and 1. Mead’s view of the development of the self. What do all the theories have in common? What are the main differences among them?

Explain the difference between an ascribed status and an achieved status. Give examples of 2. statuses that are mostly ascribed and those that are mostly achieved.

Apply the three theoretical approaches to the topic of sexuality. What are important insights 3. provided by the structural-functional, symbolic-interaction, and social-conflict approaches?