CSEC Social Studies flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Self-concept

The overall picture a person holds of his or her own abilities, traits, roles and worth. It develops through experience and feedback from others and underpins how a person behaves.

Self-esteem

The value judgement a person places on the self-concept, ranging from positive to negative. High self-esteem is linked to confidence and persistence; low self-esteem to doubt and avoidance.

Primary socialisation

Early learning of basic norms, values and language, occurring mainly within the family during infancy and childhood. It forms the foundation on which all later social learning builds.

Secondary socialisation

Later social learning that takes place outside the family through school, peers, religion, mass media and the workplace. It teaches specialised skills and broader societal expectations.

Agents of socialisation

The people and institutions that transmit norms and values: family, school, peer group, religious bodies, mass media and workplace. Their influence varies with age and social setting.

Adolescence

The transition period between childhood and adulthood marked by puberty, identity exploration and growing independence. It is both a biological stage and a socially defined category with changing expectations.

Role conflict

The tension experienced when the demands of two or more roles held by the same person clash, such as worker and caregiver. It requires prioritising or negotiating competing expectations.

Maslow's hierarchy

A five-level ordering of human needs: physiological, safety, belonging, esteem and self-actualisation. Lower needs are generally satisfied before higher ones become the main motivator.

Primary group

A small, intimate, face-to-face group such as family or close friends, characterised by personal and enduring relationships. It strongly shapes identity and emotional support.

Secondary group

A larger, more impersonal and often temporary group such as a workplace or trade union, formed for a specific purpose. Relationships are formal and role-based rather than personal.

Community

A group of people linked by shared geographic area or common interest, together with a sense of belonging. Communities may be territorial, such as a village, or relational, such as a religious body.

Formal social control

Control exercised through written rules and official institutions such as police, courts and schools, with defined penalties. It contrasts with informal control through customs, praise and ridicule.

Social institutions

Established patterns of norms and roles organised to meet basic social needs, including family, education, religion, economy and government. Each performs functions that sustain society.

Social stratification

The ranking of people into hierarchical layers according to class, status and power. It affects access to resources, opportunities and life chances across generations.

Social mobility

Movement of individuals or groups between social positions. Vertical mobility moves up or down the hierarchy; horizontal mobility changes position without changing rank.

Ethnocentrism

Judging another culture by the standards of one's own, often treating one's own as superior. It can produce misunderstanding and discrimination; cultural relativism is the contrasting approach.

Human rights

Entitlements belonging to all people by virtue of being human, set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). They include civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

Convention on the Rights of the Child

A 1989 United Nations treaty recognising children's rights to survival, development, protection and participation, including the right to be heard in matters affecting them.

Accountability

The obligation of office-holders to explain their decisions and accept consequences for misuse of authority. It combines answerability with enforceable sanctions and is central to good governance.

Good governance

The conduct of public affairs marked by accountability, transparency, rule of law, participation, responsiveness and equity. It reduces corruption and improves delivery of public services.

Separation of powers

The division of state authority among legislature, executive and judiciary, each checking the others. It prevents concentration of power and protects citizens' rights and freedoms.

Arbitration

A dispute resolution method in which a neutral third party hears both sides and issues a decision that is binding. It differs from mediation, where the third party helps but does not decide.

CARICOM

The Caribbean Community, established by the Treaty of Chaguaramas in 1973, promoting economic integration, foreign policy coordination, human development and security among member states.

CSME

The CARICOM Single Market and Economy, allowing free movement of goods, services, capital and skilled labour among member states. It aims to create one economic space in the region.

Caribbean Court of Justice

The regional court based in Port of Spain, with original jurisdiction interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and appellate jurisdiction replacing the Privy Council where adopted.

OECS

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, founded in 1981, which shares a common currency through the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and operates a joint Supreme Court.

West Indies Federation

A short-lived political union of Caribbean territories from 1958 to 1962. It collapsed after Jamaica and then Trinidad and Tobago withdrew, shaping later integration efforts.

Globalisation

The growing interconnection of economies and societies through trade, investment, technology, migration and communication. It has economic, cultural, political and environmental dimensions.

Comparative advantage

The principle that a country gains by specialising in goods it produces at lower opportunity cost and trading for others. It differs from absolute advantage, which compares output levels directly.

Balance of payments

A record of a country's transactions with the rest of the world. The current account covers goods, services, income and transfers; the capital and financial account covers investment flows.

Sustainable development

Development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. It integrates economic, social and environmental goals.

Digital divide

Unequal access to information and communication technology between and within countries. It affects education, commerce and participation in decision-making, widening existing inequalities.