Unit 4: Socialization

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Unit 4 Socialization Social Interaction
Aim To what extent are conceptions of the self
determined by our social interactions?
Do Now In your notebook, number 1-5, complete
the prompt I am in 5 different ways.
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Nature versus Nurture, or
Socialization the process by which people learn
the attitudes, values, And behaviors appropriate
for members of a particular culture.
Nature and Nurture?
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• Genie is the pseudonym for a feral child who
  spent nearly all of the first thirteen years of
  her life locked inside a bedroom strapped to a
  potty chair. She was a victim of one of the most
  severe cases of social isolation ever documented.
  Genie was discovered by Los Angeles authorities
  on November 4, 1970.Psychologists, linguists and
  other scientists exhibited great interest in the
  case because of its perceived ability to reveal
  insights into the development of language and
  linguistic critical periods.

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David Reimer
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What groups/institutions are the primary agents
of Socialization?
Family
School
Peer Groups
Work
Mass Media
Religion
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Impact of environment
Though these two men are genetically identical,
they were separated at birth.  The man on the
left was malnourished for years.   Bone structure
changes brought about by environmental factors is
thus one of many ways (physical and
behavioral) in which the environment can
dramatically affect the way in which the genes
express themselves.
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Cultural Differences in Defining the Self
Independent View of the Self A way of defining
oneself in terms of ones own internal thoughts,
feelings, and actions and not in terms of the
thoughts, feelings, and actions of other people.
Interdependent View of the Self A way of
defining oneself in terms of ones relationships
to other people recognizing that ones behavior
is often determined by the thoughts, feelings,
and actions of others.
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Major Theorists of the Self
Charles Horton Cooley
George Herbert Mead
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Believed that we learn who we are through our
interactions with others. The phrase looking
glass self emphasizes this point with 3 phases
Cooleys Looking Glass Self
Phase 1 we imagine how we present ourselves to
others
Phase 2 we imagine how other evaluate us
(attractive, funny, strange)
Phase 3 we develop feelings (shame, pride) based
on these.
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Preparatory Stage children imitate those around
them- as they age children begin to use symbols
(gestures/words) to communicate.
Play Stage children begin to pretend to be
others - Role taking mentally assuming
perspective another.
Meads Stages of the Self
Game Stage Child of 8 or 9 yrs. No longer just
play roles, but begin to understand the tasks and
relationships of others. Mead used the term
generalized self to refer to attitudes,
viewpoints, of society that child takes into
consideration in his/her behavior.
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Back to the Do Now
What were some of the descriptions you used
to describe yourself?
Now, describe how everything you wrote describe
some sort of cultural value, norm, or pattern
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Irving Goffman Presentation of the Self
Impression Management How we learn to create
distinctive Images of ourselves for Particular
people well Be around
Face-Work face-saving behavior We initiate when
we feel Embarrassed or rejected
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Social Interaction Social Structure
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Statuses Roles
Status position you occupy in a social setting
(what type of people occupy higher social status
in high school? Lower?) Why?
Ascribed Status assigned to a person by society
without regard for the persons unique talents or
characteristics
Achieved Status comes to us through our own
efforts
Master status status that dominates how people
view you in society
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Social Roles a social role is a set of
expectations for people who occupy a given social
position or status. Remember, you occupy a
status, but you play a role.

• Activity
• Number 1-10 in your notebook
• Write down 10 brief responses to the prompt of
• WHO AM I?
• Unlike the previous activity, you may describe
• yourself in any way you like

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Look over your ten statements
Trait vs. Role Next to each of your statements,
write down whether the statement describes a
trait (e.g., outgoing), or a role (e.g., brother)
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Social Role Activity Choose 1 of the many social
roles that you occupy in your life and do the
following
Now, in each box, write1 social role that you
occupy - choose anything from student, to
girlfriend, to sonwhatever.
Teacher
Be educated, prepare students, Summers off, job
security
Then, write down the expected behaviors,
responsibilities, and privileges of that role
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-What were some roles you chose? -What were some
of the associated responsibilities, tasks,
etc? -Have you ever thought of you
different Social roles in this way?
Role conflict when incompatible expectations
arise from 2 or more social positions held by the
same person.
Going back to the activity we just did, what are
some conflicts that arise between the
responsibilities or behaviors or 2 or more
different roles you wrote down?
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Role Conflict and Ascribed Statuses
Role conflict also occurs when individual move
into occupations that are not common among people
with their ascribed status
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Role Strain Difficulty that arises when there
are conflicting demands and expectations within
the same social role
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Groups, Group Dynamics and Organizations
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Types of Groups

• Consists of people who regularly and consciously
  interact with one another.
• Involuntary Membership members who are assigned
  to a group by others (examples?)
• Voluntary Membership Groups that people choose
  to join (examples?)
• Primary Groups small, intimate, enduring
  (examples?)
• Secondary formal, superficial, temporary
  (examples?)

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In Out Groups

• In-Groups groups towards which we feel loyalty
• Out-Groups groups towards which we feel
  antagonism
• Divides the world into us and them
• Creates a double standard in which we can view
  the same trait as positive in the in-group, and
  negative in the out-group. Example- men may see
  aggressive men as assertive, while they see
  aggressive women as pushy

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Sociological Group Discussion

1. Which sociological group has had the most/least
   impact on your life (Race, Gender, Ethnicity,
   Religion, Social Class, Age?) Why?
2. Are some of those groupings an advantage? A
   disadvantage? Why?
3. How specifically does your membership in any of
   the groups above impact your life (the way you
   grew up, the way you see the world, how you are
   treated by others, how you behave, etc)?

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Group Activity - Who Should Live? You will get
into small groups and come to a group consensus
based on the instructions on the handout