Social Influences: overview of SQA National 5 Care Unit 2
An overview of Unit 2 of SQA National 5 Care, Social Influences, covering socialisation, the agencies of socialisation, social groups and their influence, prejudice and discrimination, and how social influences affect care needs, with study tips and links to each key area.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Social Influences is one of the three units of SQA National 5 Care. It looks at how society shapes people: how we learn its norms and values, which groups and institutions influence us, how prejudice and discrimination harm people, and how all of this affects the care needs of individuals and groups. This page maps the key areas so you can answer Section 2 of the question paper confidently.
The key areas of Unit 2
- Socialisation and social influences
- Socialisation as learning the norms, values and behaviour of society, including primary socialisation (family, early childhood) and secondary socialisation (school, peers, media, work).
- Agencies of socialisation
- The family, school, peer group, media, religion and workplace, and how each influences a person's norms, values and behaviour.
- Groups and their influence on individuals
- Types of group - primary and secondary, formal and informal - and how membership, peer pressure and conformity shape behaviour and identity.
- Discrimination and its effects
- Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination, the forms discrimination takes, and its serious effects on individuals and groups.
- Effects of social influences on care needs
- How the family, poverty, unemployment, housing and discrimination create or affect care needs and wellbeing.
How to study Unit 2
- Keep the key terms precise. Socialisation, norms, values, prejudice, discrimination, conformity and peer pressure each have exact meanings markers reward.
- Separate attitude from action. Prejudice is an attitude; discrimination is the action. This distinction is examined often.
- Always link to care. Many marks come from explaining how an influence creates or affects a care need, not just describing it.
- Use examples. Concrete examples of agencies, groups and discrimination make explain answers stronger.
For the official course specification
The SQA publishes the full National 5 Care course specification, specimen question paper, past papers and marking instructions, and the coursework assessment task at sqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current course specification and SQA past papers.
Sources & how we know this
- National 5 Care Course Specification — SQA (2017)