THEORIES of SOCIALIZATION

MSAN Sociology Seminar Unit #3

Functionalism
Consensus Theory Derived from Durkheim, Parsons & Merton Stresses how socialization contributes to a stable society. Based on premise that all aspects of society institutions, roles, norms all serve a purpose and that all are indispensible for the long term survival

Conflict Theory
Power & Conflict Theory Derived from Karl Marx & Max Webber Views Socialization as a way for the powerful to preserve the status quo. Conflict is ongoing, persistent and a fundamental part of our society.

Symbolic Interactionism
Interaction & Interpretation Theory Derived from Blumer, Mead, Goffman Holds that socialization is a major determinant of human nature. Human behavior is determined not only by the objective facts of a situation but also by how people define that situation that is, by the meaning they attribute to it.

Eriksons 8 Stages of Development

Erik Erikson= a psychoanalyst who believed that human development was determined by the interaction of the body (genetic) AND cultural influences. Theory describes the physical, emotional and psychological stages of development and relates specific issues, or developmental work/tasks, to each stage.

Cycle of Socialization
Developed by Bobbie Harro.

The socialization process if PERVASIVE (coming from all sides and sources), CONSISTENT (patterned and predictable), CIRCULAR (self-supporting), SELFPERPETUATING (intra-dependent) and often INVISABLE (unconscious and unnamed).

Cycle of Socialization

Cycle of Liberation
Cycle of Socialization teaches us how to play our roles of oppression, and how to revere the existing systems that shape our thinking. Cycle of Liberation describes a cyclical process that seems to occur in most successful social change efforts, leading to some degree of liberation from oppression for those involved.

Cycle of Liberation