SOCIALIZATION

self
vs.
social self
Nature
(Heredity
vs.
Nurture
(Environment)

Personality=
Heredity +
Environment
Theoretical approaches to the
development of social self
1. Charles Horton Cooley
 “Looking-Glass Self”
 Social self is developed through
processes:
a. we imagine how we appear to
others
b. we interpret their reactions
c. we develop a self-concept
 George Herbert Mead
2.

 2 Elements of self:
a. “I”-active, spontaneous
creative,and unorganized self
b. “me” – organized, socialized and
moralized self; product of
socialization
 3 Stages of Development of Self
a. preparatory stage
b. play stage
c. game stage
a. Preparatory Stage
◦ Children merely imitate people around them.
b. Play Stage
◦ Stage of role taking
◦ Children learn and internalize the values of
significant others as the former imitate the
behavior of the latter.
c. Game Stage
◦ Considers actual tasks and relationships
◦ Children learn not only the values of
significant others but also the values of
society as they imitate the generalized
others.
 Significant
others-
people who
significantly
influence
Significant others- people who significantly influence one’s life
one’s life
Generalized
others-
perception
of how
society
thinks of us
3. Sigmund Freud
 3 Elements of Personality
a. id- inborn drives
b. Ego- mediator
c. Superego- conscience or moral
component
4. Erving Goffman
 Dramaturgical approach- a view
in which individuals perform
their roles as actors/actresses in
a stage play(social situation)
 Impression management-
altering of the presentation of
the self to create distinctive
appearance and to satisfy a
particular audience
Socialization
A life-long process of
learning and relearning
characteristics (attitudes,
behavior, values) of one’s
group
Primary socialization – socialization with
the family or significant others;
emotionally charged
Secondary socialization- socialization
with people encountered outside the
home; role-specific
Anticipatory socialization - learning to
play new roles or rehearsing for future
social relationships, positions, and
occupations
Gender
socialization-
the ways in
which
society sets
children onto
different
courses of
life
depending
on their sex
Resocialization
 discarding former behavioral patterns and
accepting new ones
 e.g. religious conversion, entering military,
priesthood

Total institutions
 the place where resocialization takes place;
people are cut off from the rest of society
and controlled by the officials of the
institution
Agents of Socialization
Agents are:
family
school
church
peer group
mass media
workplace
reference group
state