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Chapter 3
Socialization
Foundations for Socialization
The Self and Socialization
Socialization Across the Life Course
McGraw-Hill © 2013 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved.
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Socialization
Genie
Strapped to a chair until age 13
No language
Maturity of a one-year-old
Anna and Isabelle
Hidden in closets until age six
Extremely retarded development
Few human capabilities or responses
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Socialization
Socialization: process of social interaction by which person acquires knowledge, attitudes, values, and behaviors essential for effective participation in society
Nature and Nurture
Expression of important heritable traits depends on environmental factors
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Foundations for Socialization
Theories of Socialization
Emphasize social structure, learning, and social interaction
Macrolevel: functionalism and conflict theory view socialization as process with important consequences for society
Social learning theory
Cognitive developmental theory
Symbolic interactionism
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Theories of Socialization
Social Learning Theory
Conditioning: when consequences of behavior determine probability of its future occurrence. Consequences of behavior that increase the chance that a behavior will occur are reinforcements; consequences that reduce that probability are punishments . Socialization occurs when a person’s behavior is shaped by the reinforcing and punishing activities of other people and groups. Observational learning: (also referred to as modeling or imitation) occurs when people reproduce responses they observe in others, either real or fictional.
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Theories of Socialization
Cognitive Developmental Theory
Socialization occurs in step with cognitive development. Another view emphasizes that a child’s
socialization occurs in step with his or her cognitive
development. Though learning is a fundamental part
of socialization, what and how a person learns
depends on his or her ability to understand and
interpret the world, something that progresses through
several stages.
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Theories of Socialization
Cognitive Developmental Theory
Piaget
Sensorimotor (birth to 18 months)
Preoperational (18 months to 6-7 years)
Concrete operational (6-7 years to 11-12 years)
Formal operations (11-12 years to adulthood)
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Theories of Socialization Symbolic Interactionism
Sociological perspective it is a broad sociological
perspective that helps us understand social processes in
many settings. Some symbolic interactionist reasoning is
particularly relevant to understanding socialization.
Reflexive behavior: Actions through which people
observe, interpret, evaluate, communicate with, and
attempt to control.
It is Critical in development of self Individuals actively participate in their own socialization , because it is
through reflexive behavior that people learn who they
are. Individuals monitor their own behavior, monitor
others’ responses, make interpretations, try out new ways
of behaving, and come to new understandings about
themselves.
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Agents of Socialization
Family
Day care effects
Peers
Schools
Mass media
Television and video games
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Social Communication
Communication: process by which people transmit information, ideas, attitudes, and mental states to one another made possible by the human ability to create
complex symbol systems including language. allows us to
establish “commonness” with one another; senders and receivers
Verbal Communication
Chomsky’s language acquisition device: human beings possess inborn language generating mechanism
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Social Communication Nonverbal Communication
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Definition of the Situation
Definition of the situation: interpretation or meaning
given to immediate circumstances. People vary in their
perceptions of and reactions to different situations.
Thomas theorem: “If [people] define situations as real, then they are real in their consequences”
The Thomas theorem draws our attention to the fact
that people respond not only to the objective features
of a situation but also to the meaning the situation has
for them.
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The Self and Socialization
Self: set of concepts used in defining who we are
Central part of socialization process It is not a biological given but emerges in the course of interaction with other people and is affected by the social structures in which these interactions occur (Burke, 2004).
Egocentric bias: tendency to place ourselves at center of events. By virtue of the egocentric bias, we over perceive ourselves as the victim or target of an action or event that in reality is not directed at us.
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The Looking-Glass Self
Charles Horton Cooley
Looking-glass self: process by which we imaginatively assume stance of other people and view ourselves as we believe they see us
Self-image: mental conception of ourselves that is relatively temporary
Self-conception: overriding view of ourselves; sense of self through time
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The Looking-Glass Self
Charles Horton Cooley (continued)
Self esteem: belief that one is a good and valuable person
Reflected appraisals: appraisals we see reflected in behavior of others
Social comparisons: comparing performance, ability, or characteristics with others and rating them
Personal efficacy: belief one can overcome obstacles and achieve goals
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The Self and Socialization
George Herbert Mead: The Generalized Other
We act towards ourselves as we act towards others
Acquisition of language key to children’s development of self
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The Self and Socialization
Three stages of attaining selfhood:
Play – “trying on” roles
Significant other: model, usually important person in life of the child
Game – assumption of many roles
Generalized other: social unit that gives individuals their unity of self
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The Self and Socialization
Erving Goffman: Impression Management
Impression management: process of presenting ourselves to others in ways that will lead them to view us favorably
Dramaturgical approach: analytical analogy and tool for depicting and understanding socialization and the shaping of the self
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Socialization Across
the Life Course
Socialization is continuing, lifelong process
Life course: begins with conception and ends with death
Modern societies formally structure people’s preparation for new roles through education, rehabilitation, and resocialization
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Socialization Across
the Life Course
Three stages of role socialization
Anticipatory socialization: thinking about, experimenting with, and trying on behaviors associated with new role
Socialization: individuals assume new status, learn expectations of the associated role and shape the role
As individuals move through their lives, they enter roles and must disengage from many of them
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Socialization Across
the Life Course
Childhood
Expectation of what childhood is and how long it lasts is an aspect of culture and affects socialization
2 years: exhibit basic ability to represent other people as independent agents
6 years: pretending to play several simultaneous roles
7-8 years: greatest rate of development then it slows
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Socialization Across
the Life Course
Adolescence
In much of the world, adolescence not a distinct period in life course
Puberty rites: symbolize transition from child hood to adulthood
Erikson: adolescents in Western societies build and confirm reasonably stable identity
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Socialization Across
the Life Course
Young Adulthood
Developments in Western world lengthened transition to adulthood
Youth: college and graduate school age
Roughly equal balance between being in family and moving out
Age norms: rules that define what is appropriate for people to be and to do at various ages
People set personal watches by their social clock
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Socialization Across
the Life Course
Young Adulthood (continued)
Erikson’s eight stages
Each stage poses unique task that revolves about a crisis
Levinson: individuals create structure for life through interacting with the environment
Life events: turning points which cause people to change direction in their lives
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Socialization Across
the Life Course
Middle Adulthood
Ages 30-65
Core tasks revolve around love and work
Men: establish niche (early 30s), break out of authority (late 30s), assess goals (40s)
Women: same stages but more concerned with human relationships
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Socialization Across
the Life Course
Later Adulthood
Last years of one’s life may be filled with more dramatic changes than any previous stages
Societies differ in prestige and dignity accorded the aged
Youth is the favored age in the U.S.
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Socialization Across
the Life Course
Later Adulthood
In spite of stereotypes of elderly,
93% were living in traditional housing (2007)
4% were living in traditional housing (2007)
Better average mental health and social relationships than younger people
Old age entails exiting from some social roles, and this occurs during old age
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Socialization Across
the Life Course
Death
Diagnosis of impending death requires new definition of self
Biological event but social reality through such culturally fashioned events as wakes and funerals
Changes in medical technology and social conditions made death different experience
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Socialization Across
the Life Course
Death (continued)
Euthanasia: painless putting to death of an individual who suffers from an incurable and painful disease
Hospice: a program or mode of care that attempts to make the dying experience less painful and emotionally traumatic
