What do sociologists mean by culture, norms, values, roles and status?
The key sociological concepts of culture, norms, values, roles, status and the difference between ascribed and achieved status, and why these shared ideas hold a society together.
A focused answer on the building-block concepts of WJEC GCSE Sociology: culture, norms, values, roles, status, and the difference between ascribed and achieved status, with clear UK examples.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers the building-block concepts of sociology that you use in every answer across the course: culture, norms, values, roles and status, including the difference between ascribed and achieved status. You need to be able to define each term, give a clear example, and explain why these shared ideas help to hold a society together. These concepts run through Component 1 and Component 2, so they are worth learning precisely.
Culture: the whole way of life
Because culture is learned rather than inherited, a child born in Wales but raised in Japan would grow up with Japanese culture. This is the first clue that human behaviour is shaped by society, not just by nature.
Norms: the unwritten rules
Values: the deeper beliefs
Roles and status
Try this
Q1. Define the term "value" and give one example. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. A value is a general belief about what is important and worthwhile in a society, such as honesty, respect for human life, or the importance of education.
Q2. Explain the difference between ascribed and achieved status, using examples. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Ascribed status is fixed at birth or given without effort, such as being a son or being born into a royal family, while achieved status is earned through your own actions, such as becoming a doctor or a graduate.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC (Component 1)2 marksDefine the term 'norm' and give one example.Show worked answer →
A short knowledge question (AO1). Reward a clear definition plus one accurate example.
Definition. A norm is an unwritten rule that guides everyday behaviour in a particular situation, telling people what is expected and accepted.
Example. Queuing in turn at a shop, or saying "please" and "thank you", are British norms.
Top marks. One precise definition and one relevant example earn both marks.
WJEC (Component 1)4 marksDescribe, using examples, the difference between ascribed and achieved status.Show worked answer →
A describe question (AO1 and AO2). Reward a clear contrast with an example for each.
Ascribed status. A position you are born into or given without effort, such as being a daughter, a prince, or born into a particular social class.
Achieved status. A position you earn through your own actions and choices, such as becoming a doctor, a team captain, or a graduate.
Top band. Define both terms and give a clear, accurate example of each to show the contrast.
Related dot points
- The process of socialisation: primary socialisation in the family and secondary socialisation through the agencies of education, peer group, media, religion and the workplace, and how each transmits norms and values.
A focused answer on socialisation for WJEC GCSE Sociology: primary socialisation in the family and secondary socialisation through education, peers, media, religion and the workplace, and the agencies that transmit culture.
- The nature versus nurture debate: the view that behaviour is biologically determined against the sociological view that it is learned through socialisation, with evidence from feral children and cross-cultural differences.
A focused answer on the nature versus nurture debate for WJEC GCSE Sociology: biological versus social explanations of behaviour, the evidence from feral children and cross-cultural differences, and why sociologists stress nurture.
- How identity is formed through socialisation: the sources of identity in gender, ethnicity, social class, age, nationality and religion, and how identity can change over time.
A focused answer on identity for WJEC GCSE Sociology: how identity is formed through socialisation, the main sources of identity such as gender, ethnicity, class, age, nationality and religion, and how identity can change.
- Social control through formal agencies such as the police, courts and law, and informal agencies such as the family, peer group and media, working through positive and negative sanctions to maintain social order.
A focused answer on social control for WJEC GCSE Sociology: formal control through the police, courts and law, informal control through the family, peers and media, and how sanctions maintain social order.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE Sociology (Wales) specification (C200QS) — WJEC (2017)