SOCIALIZING THE INDIVIDUAL
Personality Development
The Social Self
Agents of Socialization
Read the following statements. Do Read the following statements. Do you think they are true or false?you think they are true or false?
It has been proven that people’s It has been proven that people’s personalities are not shaped by their personalities are not shaped by their environment.environment.
As long a child’s basic needs such as As long a child’s basic needs such as food and clothing are met, he or she food and clothing are met, he or she has no need for human contact to has no need for human contact to develop basic skills.develop basic skills.
People’s personalities are rarely shaped People’s personalities are rarely shaped by their families.by their families.
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Personality- the sum total of behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and values that are characteristic of an individual
Our personality traits determine how we adjust to our environment and how we react to situations
People’s personalities continue to develop throughout their lifetimes.
NATURE VS NURTURE
Heredity- the transmission of genetic characteristics from parents to children
Instinct- an unchanging, biologically inherited behavior pattern
Sociobiology- the systematic study of the biological basis of all social behavior
Nature Nurture
What is it?
In the "nature vs. nurture" debate, nature refers to an individual's innate qualities (nativism).
In the "nature vs. nurture" debate, nurture refers to personal experiences (i.e. empiricism or behaviorism).
Example Nature is your genes. The physical and personality traits determined by your genes stay the same irrespective of where you were born and raised.
Nurture refers to your childhood, or how you were brought up. Someone could be born with genes to give them a normal height, but be malnourished in childhood, resulting in stunted growth and a failure to develop as expected.
Factors Biological and family factors
Social and environmental factors
HEREDITYEveryone has certain
characteristics that are present at birth.Ex: body build, hair type, eye
color, skin color
Aptitude- a capacity to learn a particular skill or acquire a particular body of knowledgeEx: a natural talent for music or
art would be considered an aptitude
Even though identical twins share the same genetic makeup, environmental factors contribute a great deal to their
personalities and social behavior
BIRTH ORDER
The order in which we are born into our families influences our personalities.
First-born children are more likely to be achievement oriented and responsible
Later-born children tend to be better in social relationships and be more affectionate and friendly
PARENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
Personality development in children is also influenced by the characteristics of their parents.
Characteristics include: Parents Age Level of Education Religious Orientation Economic Status Cultural Heritage Occupational Background
CULTURAL ENVIRONMENTCulture has a
strong influence on personality development.
Each society has model personalities that are typical of members of that society.Ex: In the United
States competitiveness, assertiveness, and individualism are common
ISOLATION IN CHILDHOOD
Remarkably, several recorded instances exist in which children have been raised without the influence of a cultural environment.
Feral Children- wild or untamed children
Anna and Isabelle pg 102
Genie pg 103
THE SOCIAL SELF At birth, humans cannot talk, walk,
feed themselves, or protect themselves from harm.
Through interaction with their social and cultural environments, people are transformed into participating members of their society.
Socialization- the interactive process through which people learn basic skills, values, beliefs, and behavior patterns of a society.
Self- your conscious awareness of possessing a distinct identity that separates you and your environment from other members of society
LOCKE: TABULA RASA
John Locke, a philosopher from the 1600s insisted that each newly born human being is a tabula rasa, or clean slate.
He claimed that each of us is born without a personality.
Today few people have such an extreme view.
COOLEY: THE LOOKING GLASS SELF
Known for developing the idea of the primary group for his theory of explaining how individuals develop a sense of self
Looking Glass Self- the interactive process by which we develop an image of ourselves based on how we imagine we appear to others.
According to Cooley, our understanding of how others see us influences how we
view ourselves and forms part of our identity
MEAD: ROLE-TAKING
According to Mead, seeing ourselves as others see us is only the beginning. Eventually we take on or pretend to take the roles of others.
Role Taking- allows us to anticipate what others expect of us
School-age children participate in organized games to help further the socialization process. During these games children play specific roles
and anticipate others’ actions
AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
Agents of Socialization- the specific individuals, groups, and institutions that enable socialization to take place
In the United States, the primary agents of socialization include family, the peer group, the school, and the mass media.
AOS: THE FAMILY
The family is the most important agent of socialization in almost every society.
Its primary importance is its role in socializing young children.
Children first interact with others and first learn the values, norms, and beliefs of society through their families.
An example may be a mother teaching her children about the importance of
telling the truth
AOS: THE PEER GROUPPeer Group- a primary
group composed of individuals of roughly equal age and similar social characteristics
Peer groups are particularly influential during the pre-teenage and early teenage years.
Parents become alarmed if they believe that the norms and values of the peer group are more important to their children than the family
AOS: THE SCHOOL
For most young people, school occupies large amounts of time and attention, thus school plays a major role in socializing individuals
Class activities are planned for teaching various subjects
Extracurricular activities are intended to prepare students for life in the larger society.
Between the ages of 5 and 18, students spend some 30 weeks a year in school. Teachers may become role models that influence students through
regular academics as well as extra curricular activities
AOS: THE MASS MEDIA
Mass Media- instruments of communication that reach large audiences with no personal contact between those sending the information and those receiving itEx: books, films, internet,
magazines, newspapers, radio, and TV
98% of homes in the US have at least one TV
Children 6-17 average 28 hours of TV a week
Sociologists who study mass media have raised concerns about the
influence of violent programming on the behavior of children
AOS: RESOCIALIZATIONTotal Institution- setting in
which people are isolated from the rest of society for a set period of time and are subject to tight controlEx: prisons, military boot camps,
monasteries, and psychiatric hospitals
Resocialization- involves a break with past experiences and the learning of new values and norms
Once the person’s sense of self has been weakened, it is easier for those in power to convince that person to conform to new patterns of behavior
Prison attempts to resocialize individuals by removing all semblance
of personal identity. Prisoners wear the same uniform and have to give up
many freedoms
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