Chapter 4: Socialization:

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Chapter 4 Socialization

• Becoming Human and Humane

Dr. Santos
Soc 100
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Introduction

• Socialization- the lifelong process of learning
  to become a member of the social world
• Interaction - the basic processes of
  socialization through which a child is shaped
  into a human being, learns its culture, and
  becomes a member of a society
• Social self - the changing perceptions we have of
  who we are as a result of ongoing socialization,
  from birth to death.

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The Nature vs. Nurture Debate

• The debate over whether biology (genes,
  evolution) or socialization explains the self and
  all human behaviors
• Sociobiology (evolutionary psychology)- is a
  bio-determinist theory that claims our genetic
  make-up wires us for certain social behaviors
• Not well accepted by most sociologists gt 1920s
• Greatly abused in from 1850 (Social Darwinism)
  all the way to 1945 (Fascism)

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The importance of socialization

• Children need human contact, affection, and
  interaction in order to fully develop
• E.g., Anna, Isabelle, neglected orphan children,
  the latter with deaf-mute mother
• Because these children were not socialized at the
  proper time, their developmental disorders
  persisted after attempts to integrate them into
  society, Anna much worse than Isabelle

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Socialization and the social world

• Most of our experiences are a part of our
  socialization experience
• Micro-level- e.g., parents, friends
• Meso-level- e.g., schools and religion
• Macro-level- e.g., national advertisements
• Organizations and institutions are dependent upon
  socialized people to help them persist school,
  boot camp, internship, church school, etc.

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• The Structural-functionalist perspective -
  different socializing agents support one another
  --gt social harmony --gt social order
• The Conflict perspective - different socializing
  agents have conflicting goals --gt social conflict
  --gt social change
• Those who have power use socialization to
  manipulate others into supporting the power
  structure that benefits the elite --gt false
  consciousness among subordinate social strata
• Most individuals have very little power to decide
  or control their futures (not so if organized
  mobilized for collective action - consciousness)

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Development of the self

• Self - the perceptions we have of who we are
  which are developed from our perceptions of the
  way others respond to us in our myriad
  interactions
• The development of the self begins at birth and
  through infancy
• Biology and sociology both contribute to the
  development of the self

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The looking glass self (Cooley)

1. We imagine how we appear to others
2. We interpret how others judge that appearance and
   then respond to that interpretation through
   behavior
3. We experience feelings of pride or shame based on
   this imagined appearance and judgment by others
4. We respond based on our interpretation

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Role-taking (Mead)

• We imagine ourselves from the point of view of
  others and assume the role we think we are
• When humans can symbolically recognize objects,
  they can then view the self as an object
• This process begins with having a name, which
  differentiates the self from other objects
• Only humans use symbols
• We imagine ourselves being others role-playing

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Symbolic interaction theory

• We take the actions of ourselves and others into
  account and take mental notes accordingly
• The self can be passive (developed by the way
  that others see us) and active (an initiator of
  action - an agent)

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Parts of the self (Mead)

• The I- spontaneous, unpredictable, impulsive
  acts without considering social consequences
• The me- knows the rules of society and attempts
  to channel the impulses of the I into socially
  acceptable behavior that still meets the Is
  needs
• The me requires the ability to take the role of
  the other

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Stages in the development of the self (Mead)

• Play - children actually take on the role of
  particular others, but do not understand complex
  relationships
• Game- children can take the role of multiple
  others at once and understand the generalized
  other
• Generalized other- a composite of societal
  expectations
• Can now play complex games (e.g., baseball)

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The connections of the self to the meso-level

• Iowa school
• Our sense of self is defined by our social
  positions within organizations and institutions
  in society
• The self is relatively stable because a core self
  develops
• Because those organizations are so important to
  our core self, we have a vested interest in their
  preservation

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Socialization throughout the life cycle

• Rites of passage occur at most stages
• Important because they impact how others perceive
  the individual, how the individual perceives
  herself, and what is expected of the individual
• Infant - Childhood - Adolescence
• Adulthood - Middle Adulthood
• Retired and the Elderly - Death and
  Dying

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The process of resocialization

• Resocialization- the process of abandoning one or
  more social positions in favor of others that are
  more suitable for a newly acquired status
• Can be voluntary or non-voluntary

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Agents of socialization

• Agents are the mechanism through which the self
  learns the beliefs, values, and behaviors of the
  culture
• The importance of various agents change over the
  life course
• Agents can be formal or informal
• Socialization differs by parenting style, social
  class, race, sex, etc.

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Families as agents of socialization

• Families use positive and negative sanctions to
  help teach right from wrong
• The amount and type of sanctions differ by family
• Family socialization differs by culture
• The number of children in a household and birth
  order can influence individual socializations

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Social class and socialization

• Social class- the wealth, power, and prestige
  rankings individuals hold in society
• Parents socialize their children to enter into
  adult roles common to other members of their
  social class
• The unequal distribution of resources in society
  have an impact on who we become

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Electronic media Meso-level agents within the
home

• Children in the U.S. spend more time watching
  television than any other waking activity
• What messages do these agents of socialization
  send to children?