Becoming a Member of Society

1. Enculturation/Socialization
2. Conformity and Deviance
3. Human Dignity, Rights, and
the Common Good
Enculturation/Socialization
Socialization
 Socialization
It is the process by which we acquire knowledge, language, values, skills
and habits of a society. The process actually begins during a person’s
childhood.
When a person is born into the world, he or she needs to learn how to live in
the society around him or her.
It teaches an individual how to be a member of a group or society.
Socialization is, in fact, the main process of social life.
It helps a person to become a self-aware and knowledgeable person and learn
the values, norms and culture of his or her society.
The process of socialization is greatly influenced by the society a person lives
in and the social groups he or she interacts with.
Enculturation
 Enculturation
It is the process of being socialized into a certain culture.
This is the process by which we learn the requirements of our
surrounding culture and acquire the behaviours and values appropriate for
this culture.
Difference Between Socialization and Enculturation
By Definition
Socialization is the process through which we learn the norms, customs,
values, and roles of the society, from birth through death.
Enculturation, on the other hand, is the process by which we learn the
requirements of our surrounding culture and acquire the behaviours and
values appropriate for this culture.
By Focus
The term socialization mainly focuses on the acquisition of knowledge,
language, values, skills and habits of society, while enculturation focuses more
on the acquisition of cultural traits.
The main difference between
socialization and enculturation is that
socialization is basically the process of
learning to behave in a way that is
acceptable to society, whereas
enculturation is the process of
being socialized into a certain
culture.
Identity formation
Identity formation
It is the development of the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a
persisting entity in a particular stage of life in which individual characteristics
are possessed and by which a person is recognized or known.
This process defines individuals to others and themselves. Pieces of the
person's actual identity include a sense of continuity, a sense of uniqueness
from others, and a sense of affiliation.
Levels of Identity Formation
● Micro Level
● Meso Level
● Macro Level
● Global Level
Micro Level
is self-definition and relationship to people and issues as seen from a
person or individual perspective.
Meso Level
is where our identifies are viewed, formed, and questioned from our
immediate communities and/or our families.
Macro Level
are the connections among and between individuals, issues, and groups
as a view from a national perspective.
Global Level
is the connections among and between individuals, issues, and groups
from a worldwide perspective.
Identity Development
Identity Development
is a stage in the adolescent life cycle. Developing and maintaining
identity (in adolescent years) is a difficult task due to multiple factors
such as family life, environment, and social status.
Two main aspects of identity development
Two main aspects of identity development
Self-Concept – is known as the ability of a person to have opinions and beliefs
that are defined confidently, consistently and with stability.

Self-Esteem - is defined as one’s thoughts and feelings about one’s self-concept

and identity. Most theories on self-esteem state that there is a grand desire,
across all genders and ages, to maintain, protect and enhance their self-esteem.
 Erikson’s theory
Marcia (1966) described identify
formation during adolescence as
involving both decision points and
commitments with respect to ideologies
(e.g., religion, politics) and occupations.

Erikson’s theory
Marcia (1966) described identify
formation during adolescence as
involving both decision points and
commitments with respect to ideologies
(e.g., religion, politics) and occupations.
Foreclosure - occurs when an individual
commits to an identity without exploring
options.
Identity confusion/diffusion - occurs when
adolescents neither explore nor commit to
any identities.
Moratorium - is a state in which adolescents
are actively exploring options but have not
yet made commitments.
Individuals who have explored different
options, discovered their purpose, and have
made identity commitments are in a state of
identity achievement.
 Developmental psychologists have researched
several different areas of identity development and
some of the main areas include:
Main Areas of Identity Development
Religious identity
The religious views of teens are often similar to those of their
families
Political identity
An adolescent’s political identity is also influenced by their
parents’ political beliefs. A new trend in the 21st century is a decrease
in party affiliation among adults. Many adults do not align themselves
with either the democratic or republican party and their teenage
children reflect their parents’ lack of party affiliation.
Main Areas of Identity Development
Vocational identity
Vocational identity takes longer to develop, as most of today’s
occupations require specific skills and knowledge that will require
additional education or are acquired on the job itself.
Ethnic identity
Refers to how people come to terms with who they are based on
their ethnic or racial ancestry
Main Areas of Identity Development
Gender identity
Refers to a person’s self-perception as male, female, both,
genderqueer, or neither
● Sex
● Gender
● Gender Expression
Conformity and Deviance
Conformity
Conformity
means going along one’s peers–individuals of a person’s own status. -
The concept of conformity was also used by Robert Merton (1957) to
refer to acceptance of cultural goals and the legitimate or approved
means of achieving them.
Deviance
Deviance
a behaviour that violates the standards of conduct or expectations or social norms of a
group or society.

- Deviance involves the violation of group norms. It is a very comprehensive concept

that includes not only criminal behaviour but also many actions not subject to
prosecution.

- Alcoholics, gamblers, sex deviants, drug addicts or late comers in the class are all
classified as deviants or deviant acts.
Deviance
Deviance is often divided into two types of activities.

The first, crime, is the violation of formally enacted laws and is referred to as formal
deviance. Examples of formal deviance include robbery, theft, rape, murder, and
assault.

The second type of deviant behavior involves violations of informal social norms and is
referred to as informal deviance. Examples of informal deviance include picking one’s
nose, belching loudly, or standing unnecessarily close to another person.
Social Control
Social Control
When a person fails to conform to the social norms of society, social deviation arises. If
societies are to survive, they must have ways of making people conform to social
norms.

It is the active or passive process of a group regulating itself according to its beliefs,
principles, and values.

A major purpose of social control is to stop or prevent negative deviance, which is a

break from established laws and values that may be damaging to others.

Social control is considered one of the foundations of order within society.

Two Types of Social Control
Informal Control
Family, friends, and colleagues are three types of people that exert
informal social control, a type of social control that stems from the
approval or disapproval of people we associate with and consider
important.
When we are growing up, it is our family that teaches us the
foundations of what is 'normal' thought or behavior and what our
values should be. These behaviors and values may be particular to the
family or they can be particular to society in general.
Formal Control
External sanctions enforced by government to prevent the establishment of chaos or
anomie in society.

This refers to organizations or systems that use strict and delineated rules, values,
morals, and the like that we are commonly told or compelled to obey. Whereas
informal social control involves people we see on a regular basis, formal social control
involves people we sometimes never see at all (like elected officials) or, if we do, it's in
a very structured way
Formal Control
Law

a rule made by a government that states how people may and may not behave in
society and in business, and that often orders particular punishments if they do not
obey

Ostracism

It is the act of ignoring and excluding, is a universally applied tactic of social control
Social Strain Theory
Social Strain
Theory
The theory states that social structures may pressure citizens to commit crimes.
Types of Strain
1. Strain may be structural - Refers to the processes at the societal
level that filter down and affect how the individual perceives his or her
needs.

2. Strain may also be individual - Refers to the frictions and pains

experienced by an individual as he or she looks for ways to satisfy
individual needs. These types of strain can insinuate social structures
within society that then pressure citizens to become criminals.
Five Types of Deviance
Five Types of Deviance
Conformity - involves the acceptance of the cultural goals and means
of attaining those goals.
Innovation - involves the acceptance of the goals of a culture but the
rejection of the traditional and/or legitimate means of attaining those
goals.
Five Types of Deviance
Ritualism - involves the rejection of cultural goals but the routinized
acceptance of the means for achieving the goals.
Retreatism - involves the rejection of both the cultural goals and the
traditional means of achieving those goals.
Five Types of Deviance
Rebellion - is a special case wherein the individual rejects both the
cultural goals and traditional means of achieving them but actively
attempts to replace both elements of the society with different goals
and means.
Human Dignity, Rights, and the Common Good
Human Dignity
The concept of human dignity is the belief that all people hold a
special value that’s tied solely to their humanity. It has nothing to do
with their class, race, gender, religion, abilities, or any other factor
other than them being human.
It is the recognition that human beings possess a special value intrinsic
to their humanity and as such are worthy of respect simply because
they are human beings
Human Dignity
The original meaning of the word “dignity” established that someone
deserved respect because of their status. In the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, that concept was turned on its head. Article 1 states:
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
Suddenly, dignity wasn’t something that people earned because of
their class, race, or another advantage. It is something all humans are
born with. Simply by being human, all people deserve respect. Human
rights naturally spring from that dignity.
Why recognizing human dignity is so important?
Why recognizing human dignity is so important?
Human dignity justifies human rights.
When people are divided and given a value based on characteristics
like class, gender, religion, and so on, it creates unequal societies where
discrimination runs rampant. People assigned a higher value get
preferential treatment. Anyone who doesn’t fit into the privileged
category is abandoned or oppressed.
Why recognizing human dignity is so important?
Recognizing human dignity and the universality of human rights isn’t
just so individuals can be protected and respected. It’s for the good of
the entire world. If everyone’s rights were respected and everyone got
equal opportunities to thrive, the world would be a much happier,
more peaceful place.
Human Rights
Human Rights
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of
race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status.
Includes the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture,
freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education,
and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without
discrimination.
Human Rights
Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every
person in the world, from birth until death.
They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how
you choose to live your life.
These basic rights are based on shared values like dignity, fairness,
equality, respect and independence.
International Human Rights Law
International Human Rights Law
International Human Rights Law lays down the obligations of Governments to act in
certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human
rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.

a universal and internationally protected code to which all nations can subscribe and
all people aspire
Common Good
Common Good
In ordinary political discourse, the “common good” refers to those
facilities–whether material, cultural or institutional–that the members
of a community provide to all members in order to fulfill a relational
obligation they all have to care for certain interests that they have in
common.
Common Good
Some canonical examples of the common good in a modern liberal
democracy include: the road system; public parks; police protection
and public safety; courts and the judicial system; public schools;
museums and cultural institutions; public transportation; civil liberties,
such as the freedom of speech and the freedom of association; the
system of property; clean air and clean water; and national defense
Importance of the Common Good
The "common good" is at the core of any situation where two or more
people form a partnership, group or country. The reason many
organizations exist is to provide a common defense, mass-transit,
public safety, public health and many other functions. Without
common good, there would be no other reason to form an association.
The common good is promoted within every organization through its
mission statement.