Socialization

A Look Ahead

How much of a persons personality is

shaped by culture as opposed to
inborn traits?
In what ways does socialization
continue into adulthood?
Who are the most powerful agents of
socialization?

Socialization and
the Life Course

What is Socialization?

Doob- the process by which a person

becomes a social being...
...the process through which people
acquire personality and learn the ways of a
society or group.

What do we as children learn

through the socialization
process?

Acceptable patterns of behavior

Social roles
Language
Values of our culture
When does socialization start?
When does socialization end?

Personality

...the pattern of thoughts, feelings, and

self-concepts that are the special qualities
of a person.

Clyde Kluckholm Anthropologist

Every man is in certain respects:

Like all other menLike some other menLike no other man.

Nature versus Nurture

Personality development
occurs as a consequence of
the interplay of:
Biological inheritance
Physical environment
Culture
Group experience
Personal experience

The Role of Socialization

Sociobiology

Sociobiology is the systematic study of the

biological bases of social behavior.
In its extreme form, sociobiology suggests that all
behavior is the result of genetic or biological
factors and places little emphasis on social
interaction.

Behaviorism
B.F. Skinner, one of the most famous behaviorists.
Behaviorists see the individual as a blank slate
that could be written upon through socialization
Behaviorism asserts that individual behavior is
not determined by instincts but rather, all
behavior is learned.

Instinct an unlearned, biologically determined

behavior pattern common to all members of a
species.

Reflex - an unlearned, biologically determined,

involuntary response to some physical stimuli.

Drives unlearned, biologically determined

impulses common to all members of a species
that satisfy needs such as sleep, food, water, or
sexual gratification.

The Role of Socialization

The Influence of Heredity

Studies of Identical Twins

Intelligence tests show similar scores when twins

are reared apart in roughly similar social settings.
Intelligence tests show quite different scores when
twins are reared apart in dramatically different
social settings.

Social Environment:
The Impact of Isolation

Interaction of heredity and environment

shape human development

The Cases of Isabelle and Genie

Emphasizes importance of earliest socialization

experiences for children
Early socialization experiences in normal
environments are important.
Primate Studies
Harlow showed isolation had damaging effect on
monkeys

The Self and Socialization

Self: Distinct identity that

sets us apart from others
The self is not a static phenomenon
It continues to develop and change

Theories of Socialization

Self- (At the core of the personality)

Doob- is ones perception of his or her
own person.
the individuals conscious experience of
a distinct, personal identity that is separate
from all other people and things.
Examples!!

The Self and Socialization

Cooley: Looking-Glass Self

We learn who we are by

interacting with others

Looking-glass self: The self is product of social interactions

with other people

Looking-Glass Self

Charles Horton CooleyLooking-Glass SelfThe Self is a social product developed

through encounters with others.
Shakespeareeach to each a looking-glass, reflects
the other that does pass.

Development of the
Looking-Glass Self

Doob-...
Imagining our own appearance
Doob-...
Interpreting the reaction of others
Doob-...
How we feel about those reactions,
(Developing self-concept)

Cooley argued that during interaction humans

serve as mirrors for one another
Our view of ourselves comes from not only our
contemplation of personal qualities, but also
from our impressions of how others perceive us
We base our perception of who we are on how
we think other people see us and on whether
this opinion seems good or bad to us

George Herbert Mead

According to Mead, in the early

months of life, children do not
realize that they are separate from
others .
Shortly after birth, infants start to
notice the faces of those around
them
Gradually, we distinguish
ourselves from our care givers
and begin to perceive ourselves in
contrast to them

George Herbert Mead

When we begin to represent ourselves in our

own minds as objects distinct from everything
else, our self has been formed.

Development of Self:
Contd

George Herbert MeadDivided the Self into two parts;

I-represents the spontaneous, unique,
and natural traits of the self.
me-represents the social part of the self,
the internalized demands of society and
the individuals awareness of these
demands.

Formation of the Self

The me forms during the socialization

process in a three-stage process:
Imitative StagePlay StageGame StageMead- The I is never completely under
the control of the me.

Mead: Stages of the Self

Preparatory Stage:
Children imitate people
around them
Symbols: Gestures,
objects, and words that
form basis of human
communication

George Herbert Mead

Preparatory Stage

Up to about the age of 3 kids mimic social

roles
children imitate significant others
They do not yet have a sense of self separate
from others

Mead: Stages of the Self

Play Stage: Children develop skill in

from
about age 3-5
communicating through symbols and
role taking occurs

Role taking:
Process of mentally
assuming perspective
of another and
responding from that
imagined viewpoint

George Herbert Mead

Children learn to use language and other

symbols which enable them to imitate the
actions of others
Learn the roles, not just significant others
including parents, teachers, and schoolmates.
The child at this stage is capable only of play
and cannot yet engage in the organized activity

George Herbert Mead

3. Game Stage

begins in the early school years

children understand not only their own social
position but also the positions of others around
them
At this stage, organized play, or team games
The significance for the self is that to play these
games the individual must be able to take
multiple roles

George Herbert Mead

Generalized others: Attitudes, viewpoints, and expectations
of society as a whole that a child takes into account

They understand the repercussions of their

behavior and the effect of them on others
anticipate actions of significant and
generalized others

Ervin Goffman: Presentation

of the Self

Impression Management: The

individual slants the presentation
of the self in order to create
distinctive appearances and
satisfy particular audiences
Dramaturgical Approach: People
resemble performers in action
The goal is to create distinctive
appearances and to satisfy
particular audiences.

Erving Goffman

this altering of the presentation of the self

impression management
Goffman argued that roles in life like those in
the theater, have both a stage and a
backstage.
Face-work is another aspect of the self.
Maintaining the proper image can be
essential to continued social interaction

Freudian Theory of
Socialization

Sigmund Freud - Emphasis on

Personality is divided into three parts:

idsuperegoego-

Freuds Psychosexual Stages

Oral StageAnal StagePhallic StageLatency StageGenital Stage-

Agents/Sources of
Socialization

The FamilyThe SchoolsThe Peer GroupThe Mass Media-

Socialization Through Life

Cycle

Primary SocializationAdult SocializationAnticipatory SocializationResocializationa part of Resocialization is the concept of

the Total Institution.

Psychological Approaches
to the Self

Freud

Self is a social product, however, natural

impulsive instincts in constant conflict with
societal constraints
Personality influenced by others (especially
ones parents)

Psychological Approaches
to the Self

Piaget

Emphasized stages that humans progress

through as the self develops
Cognitive theory of development identified
4 stages in development of childrens
thought processes
Social interaction key to development

Table 4-1: Theoretical Approaches

to Development of the Self
Scholar

Key Concepts
and Contributions

Major Points of Theory

Charles Horton Cooley

1864-1929
sociobiologist (USA)

Looking-glass self

Stages of development not distinct;

feelings toward ourselves developed
through interaction with others

George Herbert Mead

self
1863-1931
of
sociobiologist (USA)

The self

Three distinct stages of development;

Generalized other

develops as children grasp the roles

Erving Goffman
(1922-1982)
sociobiologist (USA)

Impression management
Dramaturgical approach
Face-work

others in their lives

Self developed through the impressions
we convey to others and to groups

Sigmund Freud
Psychoanalysis
inborn
(1856-1939)
psychotherapist (Austria)

Self influenced by parents and by

Jean Piaget
(1896-1980)
child psychologist
(Switzerland)

Four stages of cognitive development;

moral development linked to
socialization

Cognitive theory

drives, such as the drive for sexual

gratification

Socialization and the Life

Course
The Life Course
- Socialization continues throughout our
lives. In different cultures stages of
development are marked by specific
ceremonies.
Rites of passage are a means of dramatizing
and validating changes in a persons status.

These specific ceremonies mark stages of

development in the life course.

The Life Course

We encounter some of the most difficult

socialization challenges in later years

Assessing ones accomplishments

Coping with declining physical abilities
Retirement
Facing the inevitability of death

Table 4-2: Milestones in the

Transition to Adulthood
Percentage of People Who
View Event as Extremely

Live Event
Financial independence from
parents/guardians
80.9%

Expected Age

20.9 years

Separate residence from parents

57.2

21.1

Full-time employment
83.8

21.2

Completion of formal schooling

90.2
Capability of supporting a family
82.3
Source: T. W. Smith 2003.

Marriage
33.2

22.3
24.5
25.7

or Quite Important

Socialization and the Life

Course
Anticipatory Socialization and Resocialization
Two types of socialization occur throughout the
life course
1.

2.

Anticipatory Socialization - The processes of

socialization in which a person rehearses for future
occupations and social relationships
Resocialization: The process of discarding former
behavior patterns and accepting new ones as part of a
transition in ones life

Agents of Socialization

Family

Role of family in socializing a child cannot

be overestimated

Cultural Influences
The Impact of Race and Gender

Gender Roles: expectation regarding

proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of
males and females

Agents of Socialization

School

Schools teach children the values and customs of

the larger society.
Schools have traditionally socialized children into
conventional gender roles.

Agents of Socialization

Peer Group

As children grow older, peer groups increasingly

assume the role of Meads significant others.
Peer groups can ease the transition to adult
responsibilities.
Peer groups can encourage children to honor or
violate cultural norms and values.
Peer groups can be a source of harassment as
well as support.

Agents of Socialization

Mass Media and Technology

53 percent of all children ages 12 to 18 have their

own televisions.
Television permits imitation and role playing but
does not encourage more complex forms of
learning.
Technology is socializing families into multitasking
as the social norm.

Figure 4-2: How Young People

Use the Media

Source: Rideout et al. 2005:7.