LEARNING PERSONALITY, MORALITY, AND EMOTIONS

Sociology – Chapter 3 – Mrs. Madison

Freud & Personality Development Personality consists of three elements:

Id: Our inborn basic drives Cause us to seek pleasure or self-gratification Demands fulfillment of basic needs – food,

attention, safety

Ego: A balancing force between the id and the demands of society We realize we can’t have everything we want

Superego: Cultural values and norms internalized by an individual; the conscience. We realize why we can’t have everything we want Provokes feeling of guilt or shame when we break

rules or pride and satisfaction when we follow them

Freud & Personality Development What happens when the id gets out of

hand?

What happens when the superego gets out of hand?

Freud & Personality Development Conclusion:

The social group into which we are born transmits norms and values that restrain our biological drives.

Criticisms: Sociologists object to the view that inborn

and subconscious motivations are the primary reasons for human behavior.

Freud’s work presents humans in male terms and devalues women.

Kohlberg & Development of Morality Stages of Moral Development:

Young children begin in the amoral stage Focused on immediate self-gratification Little or no concern for others

Preconventional Stage (Ages 7-10) Have learned rules and how to avoid

punishment View right and wrong in terms of what pleases

others

Kohlberg & Development of Morality

Conventional Stage (Age 10) Morality means following norms and values they’ve

learned Begin to assess intention in reaching moral

judgments Ex: Stealing

Postconventional Stage People move beyond their society’s norms to consider

abstract ethical principles – liberty, freedom, justice Kohlberg believes most people never reach this stage

Gilligan – Gender & Morality

Women are more likely to evaluate morality in terms of personal relationships – how an action affects others.

Men tend to think more along the lines of abstract principles– formal rules to define right and wrong.

Researchers have found that both men and women use personal relationships and abstract principles when they make moral judgments.

Socialization into Emotions

Global Emotions Sociologist Paul Ekman concluded that

everyone experiences six basic emotions: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise.

We all show the same facial expressions when we feel these emotions

Socialization Into Emotions

Expressing Emotions Socialization affects how we express

emotion – gender, culture, social class, relationships.

Society Within Us

Both the self and emotions mold our behavior Desire to avoid shame and embarrassment

What would happen if I ….? What would ____ think if I…?

Summary

Socialization is essential for our development as human beings.

Interaction with others teaches us how to think, reason, and feel.

The “society within us” shapes our behavior- including thinking and emotions