Socialization

Sociology 101
A Look Ahead

█
How much of a person’s 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
█ Socialization: Lifelong process in which
people learn appropriate attitudes, values,
and behaviors
█ Personality: Person’s

typical patterns of
attitudes, needs,
characteristics,
and behavior
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

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
 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.
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
from about age 3-5

█ Play Stage: Children develop skill in

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
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
one’s 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 children’s
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 Looking-glass self Stages of development not distinct;

1864-1929 feelings toward ourselves developed
sociobiologist (USA) through interaction with others
George Herbert Mead The self Three distinct stages of development;
self
1863-1931 Generalized other develops as children grasp the roles
of
sociobiologist (USA) others in their lives
Erving Goffman Impression management Self developed through the impressions
(1922-1982) Dramaturgical approach we convey to others and to groups
sociobiologist (USA) Face-work
Sigmund Freud Psychoanalysis Self influenced by parents and by
inborn
(1856-1939) drives, such as the drive for sexual
psychotherapist (Austria) gratification
Jean Piaget Cognitive theory Four stages of cognitive development;
(1896-1980) moral development linked to
child psychologist socialization
(Switzerland)
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 person’s 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 one’s accomplishments
 Coping with declining physical abilities
 Retirement
 Facing the inevitability of death
 Table 4-2: Milestones in the
Transition to Adulthood
Live Event
Percentage of People Who
View Event as Extremely
Expected Age or Quite Important

Financial independence from

parents/guardians 20.9 years
80.9%
Separate residence from parents 21.1
57.2
Full-time employment 21.2
83.8
Completion of formal schooling 22.3
90.2
Capability of supporting a family 24.5
82.3
Source: T. W. Smith 2003.
Marriage 25.7
33.2
Socialization and the Life
Course
Anticipatory Socialization and Resocialization
Two types of socialization occur throughout the
life course
1. Anticipatory Socialization - The processes of
socialization in which a person “rehearses” for future
occupations and social relationships
2. Resocialization: The process of discarding former
behavior patterns and accepting new ones as part of a
transition in one’s 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 Mead’s 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.