SocializationA sociological perspective

Shaira Matin

Key ConceptsKey Concepts

Socialization Socialization Re socializationRe socialization

Nature vs. nurture Nature vs. nurture Theories of socializationTheories of socialization

Types of socialization:Types of socialization: Charles Horton Charles Horton Cooley-Looking Glass-Cooley-Looking Glass-SelfSelf

Primary socializationPrimary socialization George Herbert George Herbert Mead-Stages of self-Mead-Stages of self-developmentdevelopment

Developmental socializationDevelopmental socialization Sigmund Freud-Sigmund Freud-Elements of Elements of PersonalityPersonality

Anticipatory socializationAnticipatory socialization Erving Goffman- Erving Goffman- Dramaturgical Dramaturgical AnalysisAnalysis

Total InstitutionTotal Institution Agents of SocializationAgents of Socialization

Techniques of SocializationTechniques of Socialization

SOCIALIZATION

• Socialization – the process by which people learn the attitudes, values, and actions appropriate to individuals of a particular society.

NATURE AND NURTURE

• Nature-heredity-Human nature refers to nearly permanent qualities which humans' posses. They are also biologically based.

• Nurture-social environment

TYPES OF SOCIALIZATIONPrimary Socialization:• The most essential and basic type of socialization.• It takes place in the early years of life of the

newborn individual.• Language learning, internalization of cultural norms

and values, establishment of emotional ties etc.• Internalization of norms-by trial and error, by direct

and indirect observation and experience, the child gradually learns the norms relating to right and wrong behavior.

TYPES OF SOCIALIZATION

Anticipatory Socialization:• The process in which a person rehearses for

future positions, occupations and social relationships.

• Preparation for many aspects of adult life begins with anticipatory socialization during childhood and adolescence and continues throughout our lives.

TYPES OF SOCIALIZATION

Re socialization:• Process of discarding former behavior,

practice or habits and accepting new ones as part of transition in one’s life.

• The process of re socialization typically involves considerable stress for the individual, much more than anticipatory socialization.

Total Institutions• This term was coined in 1961 by Erving Goffman and was designed

to describe a society which is generally cut off from the rest of society but yet still provides for all the needs of its members. Therefore, total institutions have the ability to resocialize people either voluntarily or involuntarily.

Goffman lists four characteristics of such institutions: • All aspects of life are conducted in the same place and under the

same single authority. • Each phase of a members daily activity is carried out in the

immediate company of others. All members are treated a like and all members do the same thing together.

• Daily activities are tightly scheduled. All activity is superimposed upon the individual by a system of explicit formal rules.

• A single rational plan exists to fulfill the goals of the institution.

SELF AND SOCIALIZATION

• Three thinkers contributed a lot in explaining the development of self. They are:

• Charles Horton Cooley• George Herbert Mead• Sigmund Freud• Erving Goffman

Charles Horton Cooley:Looking glass self:• According to Cooley looking glass self, is the self results from

an individual’s imagination of how others view him or her. As a result we sometimes develop self-identity based on incorrect perceptions of how others see us.

CHARLES HORTON COOLEY

• Phases of self-development:The process of developing a self-identity has three

stages: • First phase- Imagination and preparation: We imagine

how we want to appear to others. • Second phase- Present and imagine response: We

imagine how others are viewing us. • Third phase- Self judgment and modify based on

interpretation: We develop some sort of feeling about ourselves on the basis of that imagined interpretation.

G.H. MEAD• According to mead self is composed of two

elements:• "I" is unsocialized, spontaneous, self-interested.

"ME" is identity that is aware of expectations and attitudes of society-"Our socialized Self"

• Preparatory/imitation stage: • Learn symbols, acquire behavior repertoire, awareness of others. Basic

communication skills. • Up to about the age of 3 kids mimic social roles • Children imitate significant others

• Play stage: • Identify with specific others, ROLE TAKING, start to realize the perspective of

others, conforming, gender roles. SIGNIFICANT OTHERS. • Role taking: process of mentally assuming the perspective of another and

responding from that imagined viewpoint

G.H. MEAD

• Game: Multiple roles and tasks, simultaneously, RULES and organization of activity.

• GENERALIZED OTHER: society/moral codes, people as multi-faceted: many roles/statuses.

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

SIGMUND FREUDElements of Personality:Id: • Impulsive, un socialized side of a person• Concerned with satisfying the animal impulses of man.• Exp: violent aggression, forbidden relation.

Ego:• The mediator between desire and action.• Represses the urges of id when necessary.• Arises through social experiences• Sensible part of the self.

Super Ego• A reflection of society’s standard of right and wrong.• Directly say No to the id.• The moral authority of the personality.

DRAMATURGICAL ANALYSIS: THE PRESENTATION OF SELF

• DRAMATURGICAL ANALYSIS– The study of social interaction in terms of theatrical

performance• People resemble performers in action

– Erving Goffman (1922-1982)– Analyzed social interaction– Explained how people live their lives like actors

performing on a stage• Goffman argued that roles in life like those in the

theater, have both a stage and a backstage.

Presentation of SelfImpression Management

• Impression Management: The individual slants the presentation of the self in order to create distinctive appearances and satisfy particular audiences– A person’s efforts to create specific impressions in the

minds of others

• Looking busy at work, -paying attention in class

Socialization techniques• Socialization is a learning process that begins shortly after

our birth. • Early childhood is the period of the most intense and the

most crucial socialization. • It is then that we acquire language and learn the

fundamentals of our culture. • It is also when much of our personality takes shape.

However, we continue to be socialized throughout our lives.

• As we age, we enter new statuses and need to learn the appropriate roles for them.

• We also have experiences that teach us lessons and potentially lead us to alter our expectations, beliefs, and personality.

Socialization techniques• Cultural Influences– How children develop sense of self can vary between cultures

• Looking around the world, we see that different cultures use different techniques to socialize their children.

• There are two broad types of teaching methods--formal and informal.

• Formal education is what primarily happens in a classroom. It usually is structured, controlled, and directed primarily by adult teachers who are professional “knowers”.

• In contrast, informal education can occur anywhere. It involves imitation of what others do and say as well as experimentation and repetitive practice of basic skills. This is what happens when children role-play adult interactions in their games.

Socialization techniques• During the 1950's, Margaret Mead led an extensive field

study of early socialization practices in six different societies. They were the Gusii of Kenya, the Rajputs of India, the village of Taira on the island of Okinawa in Japan, the Tarong of the Philippines, the Mixteca Indians of central Mexico, and a New England community that was given the pseudonym Orchard town. All of these societies shared in common the fact that they were relatively homogeneous culturally.

• Two general conclusions emerged from this study. • First, socialization practices varied markedly from society

to society. Second, the socialization practices were generally similar among people of the same society. This is not surprising since people from the same culture and community are likely to share core values and perceptions.

Socialization techniques

• In addition, we generally socialize our children in much the same way that our parents socialized us. Margaret Mead and her fellow researchers found that different methods were used to control children in these six societies.

• For instance, the Gusii primarily used fear and physical punishment.

• In contrast, the people of Taira used parental praise and the threat of withholding praise.

• The Tarong mainly relied on teasing and scaring.

Socialization techniques • Margaret Mead’s cross-cultural study of socialization

is provocative. • At some time in our lives, most of us will be involved

in raising children. Usually we do the same way that we were raised. Abusive parents were, in most cases, abused by their parents. Likewise, gentle, indulgent parents were raised that way themselves.

• Is there a right or wrong way to socialize children? To a certain extent the answer depends on the frame of reference. What is right in one culture may be wrong in another.

Agents of Socialization

FAMILY

▪ The family is the primary agent of socialization.▪ Socialization by the family begins shortly after birth.▪ Primary, informal introduction into formal society,

unconscious training, habit training.▪ GENDER ROLES--"Toys for Boys".

SCHOOL

• Functional--Formal, Mostly structured - VALUES.

• Conflict: Class and Success/ formal reward & punishment. • Interactionist: informal structures/peers, subcultural

formation.

• GENDER ROLES AGAIN

• Conflict theorists find schools foster competition through built-in systems of reward and punishment

• Functionalist note schools are agents of socialization and teach children values and customs of the larger society

PEER GROUP• Peers refer to people who are roughly the same

age and/or who share other social characteristics (e.g., students in a college class).

• Independence from any authority.• Significant in industrial society.• As children grow older, peer groups increasingly

assume the role of Mead’s significant others.

PEER GROUP

• 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.

• Importance of peer groups to young people shown when social lives are strained by war or disaster

MASS MEDIATelevision permits imitation and role playing but does not

encourage more complex forms of learning.Technology is socializing families into multitasking as the

social norm.

Imitation and role playing, yet lacks intimacy and involvement. Frequency of violence.

Gender Roles and display of others: typically distorted and under represented.

POSITIVE: Tribal people, children's programming, cultural diversity

WORKPLACE • Full-time and Adulthood • Introduction to Adult REALITY • Goals • Occupational: Career choice, Anticipatory

Socialization (inherit or choose) • Conditioning (accepting unpleasant) • Commitment (pleasurable) • Continuous Commitment-integration into identity.

STATE• Impact in industrial society • Decline of the family as sole socializing agent – Transferred family protective function to

hospitals, mental health clinics, and child care centers

– Religious organizations stipulate traditional rites that may bring together all members of an extended family

– Government regulations stipulate legal ages for drinking, driving, marriage, and retirement