Ch. 4 Socialization Socialization is the lifelong process of interaction through which individuals acquire a self-identity and the physical, mental, and social.
Download ReportTranscript Ch. 4 Socialization Socialization is the lifelong process of interaction through which individuals acquire a self-identity and the physical, mental, and social.
Slide 1
Ch. 4 Socialization
Socialization is the lifelong process of interaction through which individuals
acquire a self-identity and the physical, mental, and social skills needed for
survival in society.
Nature vs. Nurture
Every human being is a product of biology (genetics or nature), society
(environment or nurture), and personal experiences.
Sociology focuses on how humans design their own culture and transmit it from
generation to generation through socialization.
Sociobiology is the systemic study of how biology affects social behaviour.
Except for simple reflexes, most human actions are influenced socially.
Slide 2
Biological and emotional needs are related – children who have their needs met
see the world as safe, and others as trustworthy; children who receive less than
adequate care, are neglected or abused, view the world as hostile and have
feelings of suspicion and fear.
Social Isolation and Maltreatment
People need social interaction to develop properly.
Harlows’ experiments with young rhesus monkeys. Isolated monkeys never
learned to relate to others.
Children who experience extreme isolation may lack basic skills. Ex. Anna and
Genie. They were not exposed to “humanness”.
Child abuse or child maltreatment refers to violence, mistreatment, or neglect a
child may experience. Neglect is the most frequent.
Slide 3
Agents of Socialization
Agents of socialization – the persons, groups, or institutions that teach us what
we need to know in order to participate in society.
Family
Family is the most important agent of socialization in all societies. Family is
where we acquire our specific social position in society, where ethnic, class,
economic, religious, subcultural and gender factors all impact the individual for
the first time.
Melvin Kohn’s studies suggest ethnicity and class strongly influence what and how
parents teach their children.
Working class parents focus on conformity and obedience from children. They
may be taught ambitions cannot be met. Upper class children are given more
freedom and flexibility, and instilled with ideas of monetary and social success
Slide 4
Symbolic Interactionist theory focuses on the mutual dynamics of relationships
within the family.
Schools
Schools teach specific knowledge and skills; they also have a profound effect on
a child’s self-image, beliefs, and values.
Schools are responsible for: 1) socialization, or teaching students to be
productive members of society, 2) transmission of culture, 3)social control and
development, 4) the selection, training, and placement of individuals on
different rungs in society.
Success may depend on how students conform to a hidden curriculum
competitiveness, materialism, attentiveness, obedience, and work over play.
Slide 5
Peers
Peer group is a group of people who are linked by common interests, equal social
position, and (usually) similar age.
Contribute to feeling of belonging and feelings of self-worth. More important for
children and adolescents.
Individuals must earn acceptance with their peers by meeting the group’s
demands (peer pressure)
Mass Media
Mass media (TV, internet, radio) acts as a socializing agent by informing us about
events, people, products, viewpoints on current issues, and entertaining us .
Slide 6
Sociological Theories of Human Development
Without social contact, we cannot form a self-concept – the totality of our
beliefs and feelings about ourselves. Four components comprise our selfconcept: the physical self, the active self, the social self, and the psychological
self. Self-identity is our perception about what kind of person we are.
Cooley’s looking-glass self, self-concept is derived from a 3 step process:
1.We imagine how our personality and appearance will look to others.
2.We imagine how other people judge the appearance and personality
3.We develop a self-concept. If the evaluation is positive, our self-concept is
enhanced. If the evaluation is negative, our self-concept is diminished.
Slide 7
Mead linked the idea of self-concept to role-taking – the process by which a
person mentally assumes the role of another person in order to understand the
world.
I is the subjective and represents personal traits. Me is objective and is composed
of the internalized attitudes and demands of society. Significant other are those
people whose care, affection, and approval are most important in the
development of the self.
i) Prepatory stage – up to 3 yrs old, children imitate people around them
ii) Play stage – (3-5) children learn to use language and other symbols, making it
possible to pretend to take the roles of specific people.
iii)Game stage - children understand their social position but also the positions
around them. Develop generalized self – an awareness of the demands and
expectations of the society as a whole or of child’s subculture.
Slide 8
Symbolic Interactionist theorists emphasize that children are active and
creative agents of socialization.
Corsaro’s orb web model illustrates that children’s cultural knowledge
reflects the adult world but also their own peer culture. He believes the
peer group is the most significant for children.
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological perspective emphasizes the impact of
culture on human development. The 4 systems are:
a)Microsystem: face-to-face interaction between child and family.
b)Mesosystem: child’s interactions with family are influenced by other
family interactions.
c)Exosytem: family members may be influenced by other settings.
d)Macrosystem: interaction with child affected by all components in
larger society.
Slide 9
Social Psychological Theories of Human Development
Freud and the Psychoanalytic Perspective
Personality made up of id, ego, and superego.
Id is the component the includes a person’s basic biological drives and needs.
Ego is the rational, reality-oriented component that imposes restrictions.
Superego, or conscience, consists of moral and ethical aspects of personality.
Focus on early childhood because that is when we develop our values and
morals.
Slide 10
Erikson identified 8 psychosocial stages of development, each has a
potential crises that involves transitions in social relationships.
1.Trust vs Mistrust (birth to age 1).
2.Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt (1-3 yrs).
3.Initiative vs Guilt (3-5 yrs).
4.Industry vs. Inferiority (6-11 yrs).
5.Identifty vs. Role Confusion (12-18 yrs).
6.Intimacy vs Isolation (18-35 yrs).
7.Generativity vs Self Absorption (35-55 yrs).
8.Integrity vs Despair (maturity and old age).
Focuses on development through entire lifecycle. Shows the conflict that
arises from social factors and how positive resolution results in positive
development.
Slide 11
Piaget believed that cognitive development (how we think) passes through 4
stages, each organized around specific tasks, which form the basis for the next
level. Children must move through each stage, but some move through at a
faster speed.
a)Sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2) – children understand the world through
their senses.
b)Preoperational stage (2-7) – children begin to use words and develop mental
images.
c)Concrete Operational stage (7-11) – children think in term of tangible
objects and actual events; they draw conclusions without acting it out.
d)Formal Operational stage (age 12 through adolescence) – can think about
abstract items, think about the future and evaluate different options.
Slide 12
Kohlberg and the Stages of Moral Development
Using moral dilemmas, Lawrence Kohlberg elaborated on Piaget’s stages of
cognitive development, to classify moral reasoning:
a)Preconventional (7-10) – Children’s perceptions are based on punishment
and obedience. Evil and good behaviour.
b)Conventional (10 – adulthood) – Concerned about how they are perceived
by their peers, and with conforming to rules.
c)Postconventional (few adults reach this stage) – People view morality in
terms of individual rights.
Slide 13
Carol Gilligan’s Views on Gender and Moral Development
Gilligan believed that men were more concerned with law and order,
women with social relationships and social consequences of behaviour.
Kohlberg’s model developed with only male respondents.
From her research she identified 3 stages in female moral development:
1)Motivated by selfish reasons.
2)Recognizes responsibility to others.
3)Makes decision based on greatest good for both herself and others.
Slide 14
Gender and Racial-Ethnic Socialization
Gender Socialization is the aspect of socialization that contains specific
messages and practices concerning the nature of being female or male in a
specific group or society.
•Gender socialization may point out a preferred sex for a child and
acceptable behaviours for males and females.
•May start before birth or with toys as children.
•Appropriate gender behaviour is rewarded throughout one’s life.
•Sports reinforces gender roles through division of events.
•The media illustrates what is considered feminine and masculine behaviour.
Scholars are hesitant to point out differences among ethnic and social class
groupings.
Slide 15
Socialization Through the Life Course
Socialization is a lifelong process: each time we experience a change in status, we
learn a new set of rules, roles, and relationships.
Anticipatory socialization – the process by which we learn knowledge and skills
for future roles.
Infancy and Childhood
1.Family provided guidance and support is crucial to developing self-concept.
Warm and secure homes produce healthy children.
2.Children who don’t have this support grow up with fear, danger, and risks.
3.Abused children often experience low self-esteem, inability to trust, and
feelings of powerlessness.
4.The intergenerational hypothesis – that abused children will become abusers
has been supported by some studies, but not others.
Slide 16
Adolescence
1.Buffer between childhood and adulthood.
2.Without specific rites of passages teens have to create their own steps to
adulthood.
3.Conflict with authority figures which causes emotional and social turmoil.
4.Experiences vary according to class, gender, and ethnicity.
5.Adolescence may be extended for upper-middle-class and upper-class
teens.
Adulthood
1.More freedom of choice.
2.Working towards goals related to relationships and work.
3.Workplace socialization one of the most important. Wilbert Moore divides
it into 4 phases: career choice; anticipatory socialization; conditioning and
commitment; continuous commitment.
4.Between 40 to 60, people reflect on their goal achievements.
5.Social devaluation occurs in later life when people are not as physically
capable.
Slide 17
Resocialization
Resocialization is the process of learning a new and different set of
attitudes, values, and behaviours from those in one’s previous background
and experience.
Voluntary Resocialization – enter of our own free will.
Involuntary resocialization occurs against one’s wishes and takes place
within a total institution – a place where people are isolated from the rest
of society for a period of time and come under control of officials. Strips
individuals of former identity to build a new one. Questionable
effectiveness.
Ch. 4 Socialization
Socialization is the lifelong process of interaction through which individuals
acquire a self-identity and the physical, mental, and social skills needed for
survival in society.
Nature vs. Nurture
Every human being is a product of biology (genetics or nature), society
(environment or nurture), and personal experiences.
Sociology focuses on how humans design their own culture and transmit it from
generation to generation through socialization.
Sociobiology is the systemic study of how biology affects social behaviour.
Except for simple reflexes, most human actions are influenced socially.
Slide 2
Biological and emotional needs are related – children who have their needs met
see the world as safe, and others as trustworthy; children who receive less than
adequate care, are neglected or abused, view the world as hostile and have
feelings of suspicion and fear.
Social Isolation and Maltreatment
People need social interaction to develop properly.
Harlows’ experiments with young rhesus monkeys. Isolated monkeys never
learned to relate to others.
Children who experience extreme isolation may lack basic skills. Ex. Anna and
Genie. They were not exposed to “humanness”.
Child abuse or child maltreatment refers to violence, mistreatment, or neglect a
child may experience. Neglect is the most frequent.
Slide 3
Agents of Socialization
Agents of socialization – the persons, groups, or institutions that teach us what
we need to know in order to participate in society.
Family
Family is the most important agent of socialization in all societies. Family is
where we acquire our specific social position in society, where ethnic, class,
economic, religious, subcultural and gender factors all impact the individual for
the first time.
Melvin Kohn’s studies suggest ethnicity and class strongly influence what and how
parents teach their children.
Working class parents focus on conformity and obedience from children. They
may be taught ambitions cannot be met. Upper class children are given more
freedom and flexibility, and instilled with ideas of monetary and social success
Slide 4
Symbolic Interactionist theory focuses on the mutual dynamics of relationships
within the family.
Schools
Schools teach specific knowledge and skills; they also have a profound effect on
a child’s self-image, beliefs, and values.
Schools are responsible for: 1) socialization, or teaching students to be
productive members of society, 2) transmission of culture, 3)social control and
development, 4) the selection, training, and placement of individuals on
different rungs in society.
Success may depend on how students conform to a hidden curriculum
competitiveness, materialism, attentiveness, obedience, and work over play.
Slide 5
Peers
Peer group is a group of people who are linked by common interests, equal social
position, and (usually) similar age.
Contribute to feeling of belonging and feelings of self-worth. More important for
children and adolescents.
Individuals must earn acceptance with their peers by meeting the group’s
demands (peer pressure)
Mass Media
Mass media (TV, internet, radio) acts as a socializing agent by informing us about
events, people, products, viewpoints on current issues, and entertaining us .
Slide 6
Sociological Theories of Human Development
Without social contact, we cannot form a self-concept – the totality of our
beliefs and feelings about ourselves. Four components comprise our selfconcept: the physical self, the active self, the social self, and the psychological
self. Self-identity is our perception about what kind of person we are.
Cooley’s looking-glass self, self-concept is derived from a 3 step process:
1.We imagine how our personality and appearance will look to others.
2.We imagine how other people judge the appearance and personality
3.We develop a self-concept. If the evaluation is positive, our self-concept is
enhanced. If the evaluation is negative, our self-concept is diminished.
Slide 7
Mead linked the idea of self-concept to role-taking – the process by which a
person mentally assumes the role of another person in order to understand the
world.
I is the subjective and represents personal traits. Me is objective and is composed
of the internalized attitudes and demands of society. Significant other are those
people whose care, affection, and approval are most important in the
development of the self.
i) Prepatory stage – up to 3 yrs old, children imitate people around them
ii) Play stage – (3-5) children learn to use language and other symbols, making it
possible to pretend to take the roles of specific people.
iii)Game stage - children understand their social position but also the positions
around them. Develop generalized self – an awareness of the demands and
expectations of the society as a whole or of child’s subculture.
Slide 8
Symbolic Interactionist theorists emphasize that children are active and
creative agents of socialization.
Corsaro’s orb web model illustrates that children’s cultural knowledge
reflects the adult world but also their own peer culture. He believes the
peer group is the most significant for children.
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological perspective emphasizes the impact of
culture on human development. The 4 systems are:
a)Microsystem: face-to-face interaction between child and family.
b)Mesosystem: child’s interactions with family are influenced by other
family interactions.
c)Exosytem: family members may be influenced by other settings.
d)Macrosystem: interaction with child affected by all components in
larger society.
Slide 9
Social Psychological Theories of Human Development
Freud and the Psychoanalytic Perspective
Personality made up of id, ego, and superego.
Id is the component the includes a person’s basic biological drives and needs.
Ego is the rational, reality-oriented component that imposes restrictions.
Superego, or conscience, consists of moral and ethical aspects of personality.
Focus on early childhood because that is when we develop our values and
morals.
Slide 10
Erikson identified 8 psychosocial stages of development, each has a
potential crises that involves transitions in social relationships.
1.Trust vs Mistrust (birth to age 1).
2.Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt (1-3 yrs).
3.Initiative vs Guilt (3-5 yrs).
4.Industry vs. Inferiority (6-11 yrs).
5.Identifty vs. Role Confusion (12-18 yrs).
6.Intimacy vs Isolation (18-35 yrs).
7.Generativity vs Self Absorption (35-55 yrs).
8.Integrity vs Despair (maturity and old age).
Focuses on development through entire lifecycle. Shows the conflict that
arises from social factors and how positive resolution results in positive
development.
Slide 11
Piaget believed that cognitive development (how we think) passes through 4
stages, each organized around specific tasks, which form the basis for the next
level. Children must move through each stage, but some move through at a
faster speed.
a)Sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2) – children understand the world through
their senses.
b)Preoperational stage (2-7) – children begin to use words and develop mental
images.
c)Concrete Operational stage (7-11) – children think in term of tangible
objects and actual events; they draw conclusions without acting it out.
d)Formal Operational stage (age 12 through adolescence) – can think about
abstract items, think about the future and evaluate different options.
Slide 12
Kohlberg and the Stages of Moral Development
Using moral dilemmas, Lawrence Kohlberg elaborated on Piaget’s stages of
cognitive development, to classify moral reasoning:
a)Preconventional (7-10) – Children’s perceptions are based on punishment
and obedience. Evil and good behaviour.
b)Conventional (10 – adulthood) – Concerned about how they are perceived
by their peers, and with conforming to rules.
c)Postconventional (few adults reach this stage) – People view morality in
terms of individual rights.
Slide 13
Carol Gilligan’s Views on Gender and Moral Development
Gilligan believed that men were more concerned with law and order,
women with social relationships and social consequences of behaviour.
Kohlberg’s model developed with only male respondents.
From her research she identified 3 stages in female moral development:
1)Motivated by selfish reasons.
2)Recognizes responsibility to others.
3)Makes decision based on greatest good for both herself and others.
Slide 14
Gender and Racial-Ethnic Socialization
Gender Socialization is the aspect of socialization that contains specific
messages and practices concerning the nature of being female or male in a
specific group or society.
•Gender socialization may point out a preferred sex for a child and
acceptable behaviours for males and females.
•May start before birth or with toys as children.
•Appropriate gender behaviour is rewarded throughout one’s life.
•Sports reinforces gender roles through division of events.
•The media illustrates what is considered feminine and masculine behaviour.
Scholars are hesitant to point out differences among ethnic and social class
groupings.
Slide 15
Socialization Through the Life Course
Socialization is a lifelong process: each time we experience a change in status, we
learn a new set of rules, roles, and relationships.
Anticipatory socialization – the process by which we learn knowledge and skills
for future roles.
Infancy and Childhood
1.Family provided guidance and support is crucial to developing self-concept.
Warm and secure homes produce healthy children.
2.Children who don’t have this support grow up with fear, danger, and risks.
3.Abused children often experience low self-esteem, inability to trust, and
feelings of powerlessness.
4.The intergenerational hypothesis – that abused children will become abusers
has been supported by some studies, but not others.
Slide 16
Adolescence
1.Buffer between childhood and adulthood.
2.Without specific rites of passages teens have to create their own steps to
adulthood.
3.Conflict with authority figures which causes emotional and social turmoil.
4.Experiences vary according to class, gender, and ethnicity.
5.Adolescence may be extended for upper-middle-class and upper-class
teens.
Adulthood
1.More freedom of choice.
2.Working towards goals related to relationships and work.
3.Workplace socialization one of the most important. Wilbert Moore divides
it into 4 phases: career choice; anticipatory socialization; conditioning and
commitment; continuous commitment.
4.Between 40 to 60, people reflect on their goal achievements.
5.Social devaluation occurs in later life when people are not as physically
capable.
Slide 17
Resocialization
Resocialization is the process of learning a new and different set of
attitudes, values, and behaviours from those in one’s previous background
and experience.
Voluntary Resocialization – enter of our own free will.
Involuntary resocialization occurs against one’s wishes and takes place
within a total institution – a place where people are isolated from the rest
of society for a period of time and come under control of officials. Strips
individuals of former identity to build a new one. Questionable
effectiveness.