Social Lens

Social Lens: key sociological concepts for AQA GCSE Sociology

This free game is part of our AQA GCSE Sociology (8192) course for exams in EXAM YEARS 2026-2029.

Socialisation and the agencies of socialisation

Socialisation is the process of learning the norms, values and roles of a society. In Social Lens you follow Sam from birth to his first job and spot the agency shaping him at each stage. This covers the key concepts in the AQA GCSE Sociology (8192) course.

• Primary socialisation happens in the family: baby Sam learns to talk by copying his parents, and learns that hitting is wrong.
• Secondary socialisation happens later, through education (putting your hand up, wearing a uniform, being on time), peer groups (begging for the trainers everyone else has), the media, religion and the workplace.

The media can reinforce gender roles. Adverts that only show women cleaning and men fixing cars are an example. Feminists argue that stereotyped images like these keep traditional gender roles going.

Norms, values, roles and sanctions

• Norms are the unwritten rules of behaviour, like queuing patiently in a British shop. Norms are culturally specific: blowing your nose in public is seen as rude in Japan but is acceptable in the UK.
• Values are deep beliefs about what is important, such as fairness, honesty and respect.
• Roles are the behaviour expected of someone in a particular position. Sam is a son at home, team captain at football and an employee at work.

Breaking norms is called deviance. Society uses sanctions to control behaviour. Informal sanctions come from friends and family, like staring and jokes when Sam wears pyjamas to school. Formal sanctions come from official bodies, like the police arresting a shoplifter and a court fining them. Positive sanctions reward good behaviour, such as a teacher praising Sam for handing in his homework on time.

Identity, labelling and life chances

Identity is how we see ourselves and how others see us. It is not fixed at birth: it is built through socialisation and media representation. If TV only ever showed scientists as men, fewer girls might see themselves as future scientists.

Labelling can change behaviour: when a pupil is labelled a troublemaker, he may start to see himself that way and act worse. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Life chances are a person's opportunities to improve their quality of life, such as education, health and income. Social class shapes them strongly: children from wealthier families are more likely to go to university and to live longer.

Power, authority and the three perspectives

Power is the ability to get others to do what you want. Power that people accept as legitimate is called authority, like pupils following a teacher's instructions. Parliament makes the laws for the whole country, yet after the 2024 general election only 263 of 650 MPs (40%) were women: a record high, but still below women's share of the population.

The game ends with a first look at three views of society: functionalism (society works like a human body), Marxism (society benefits the rich owners at the expense of workers) and feminism (society is patriarchal).