Socialization

Outcomes for the Unit

• Define and explain socialization ascribed and achieved roles, and means of socialization.

• Recognize and explain the relevance of perception, values, and traits as pertinent to socialization.

• Explain the nature vs. nurture debate.

Why is Socialization Important?

Socialization is the lifelong process of social interaction through which individuals acquire a self-identity and the physical, mental, and social skills needed for survival in society.

It teaches us how to get along with others and the skills to take care of ourselves.

Human Development

• As infants we can not care for ourselves

• We learn how to survive from members of our society

• Nature vs. Nurture

• Nature and biological make up: hair, eyes, height, etc

• Nurture dictates the way we react to things the way we act … learned from society

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Social Isolation

• Harlow’s experiment p. 107

• Anna and Genie p. 107

• Read these cases and discuss them in small groups– What does isolation mean?– What are some of the effects of isolation?– What does this say about the nature vs.

nurture debate?

Maltreatment

• There are many forms of abuse – Physical – Emotional – Sexual – Exploitation – Neglect

• Any child can be at risk for maltreatment no matter their ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic situation. But children form marginalized groups may be more venerable.

ie. Residential schools • Studies show that victims of abuse are

often the victims of more than one form of abuse.

Agents of Socialization

• Family

• School

• Peer groups

• Mass media

The Family

• The family is the most important agent of socialization.

• Initial love and nurturance are central to our cognitive, emotional, and physical development.

• We learn religion, values, norms, language, attitudes, and beliefs from our families

• What kind of things have you learned from your family?

• Discuss this with a partner and see how many things you can come up with ….

• Emotional support – Security– Support – Acceptance

– We receive this from our families and as young children what we receive at home is often all we see as we are some what isolated… as we get older we often see other situation that we can compare

Family --- Subculture

• Based on the family we grow up in we often inherit membership to specific subcultures.

• These may be based on religion, politics, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

The School

Schools are the second most influential socialization agent.

The objectives of our schools are:

1. Socialization: how to be a productive member of society (making good citizens)

2. Transmission of culture

3. Social control and personal development

4. The selection, training, and placement of individuals … where you fit into our society

• The hidden curriculum … making you all good citizens – Value competition – Materialism – Work over play – OBEDIENCE to authority… no hats in school,

asking to go to the washroom – Attentiveness

The BOX

Functionalist would argue that everyone needs to play a role in our society. And that that role can be determined early in life often based on one’s family’s socioeconomic status….

For example: If you come from a broken home and your parents are uneducated working class or below… then maybe you should be expected to do the same and maybe university is not for you.

What do you think about this? Discuss it with a partner

Do you think this argument is valid or completely outdated? Considering that the divorce rate in this country is 50% should the fact that you come from a broken home have any barring on your educational career?

Peer Groups

A peer group is a group of people who are linked by common interests, equal social position, and (usually) similar age.

Example: you and your classmates

More specifically ones you share interests with like sports, music, films

Peer pressure often makes people conform to their “group’s” way of thinking or behaving. This can be both positive or negative.

- attitudes, speech patterns, dress, music

Can you think of some examples?

Mass Media

The function of mass media as a socialization agent:

1. They inform us about events

2. They introduce us to a wide variety of people (reality tv, news, sitcoms)

3. They provide an array of viewpoints on current issues (CNN, Fox, The Comedy Network, CBC)

4. They make us aware of products and services that, if we purchase them, supposedly will help us to be accepted by others (Axe, CoverGirl, iPod, etc.)

5. They entertain us by letting us live vicariously through other people’s experiences (Paris Hilton, TMZ, The Hills)

Journal

• How do you think your family has helped to socialize you? Give 3 examples.

• How do you think your School has helped to socialize you? Give 3 examples.

• How do you think your peers have helped to socialize you? Give 3 examples.

• How do you think the mass media has helped to socialize you? Give 3 examples.

• Do you think they have all been positive?

Erikson

• Erikson identified 8 psychosocial stages of development

• Each stage comes with a crisis or potential crisis that one must deal with

• Each crisis involves transition in social relationships

8 Stages of Development

1. Trust vs mistrust 2. Autonomy vs shame and doubt 3. Initiative vs guilt 4. Industry vs inferiority 5. Identity vs role confusion 6. Intimacy vs isolation 7. Generativity vs self-absorption8. Integrity vs despair

Trust versus Mistrust

Birth until age 1

Hope/ feeding

A child will develop trust if they receive good care and nurturing from their parents/ caregivers – security, love, etc

A child will develop mistrust if they don’t receive such care- they will be mistrustful of others

Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt

Ages 1-3 years Will/ toilet training As children gain a feeling of control over their

behaviour and develop a variety of physical and mental abilities, they begin to assert their independence. If they are allowed to explore their environment, children will grow more autonomous. If parents disapprove of or discourage them, children begin to doubt their abilities.

Initiative vs Guilt

• Ages 3-5

• Purpose/exploration

• If parents encourage initiative during this stage, children develop a sense of initiative. If parents make children feel that their actions are bad or that they are a nuisance, children may develop a strong sense of guilt.

Industry vs Inferiority

• Ages 6-11 • Competency/ school • At this stage, children desire to manipulate

objects and learn how things work. Adults who encourage children’s efforts and praise the results- both at home and at school- produce a feeling of industry in children. Feelings of inferiority result when parents or teachers appear to view children’s efforts as silly or a nuisance.

Identity vs Role Confusion

• Ages 12-18• Fidelity/ social relationships • During this stage, adolescents attempt to

develop a sense of identity. As young people take on new roles, the new roles must be combined with the old ones to create a strong self-identity. Role confusion results when individuals fail to acquire an accurate sense of personal identity.

Intimacy vs Isolation

• Ages 18-35

• Love/relationships

• The challenge of this stage (which covers court-ship and early family life) is top develop close and meaningful relationships, intimacy ensues. If they fail to do so, they may feel isolated.

Generativity vs Self-absorption

• Ages 35-55• Care/work/parenthood • Generativity means looking beyond oneself and

being concerned about the next generation and the future of the world in general. Self-absorbed people may be preoccupied with their own well-being and material gains or be overwhelmed by “stagnation, boredom, and interpersonal impoverishment”

Integrity vs Despair

• Ages maturity and old age• Wisdom/ reflection on life • Integrity results when individuals have resolved

previous psychosocial crises and are able to look back at their life as having been meaningful and personally fulfilling. Despair results when previous crisis remain unresolved and individuals view their life as a series of disappointments, failures, and misfortunes.

Erikson believed…

• That in order to move on to the next stage of development one must first master they are currently in

• If one does not master the stage before moving on they will have difficulties in the future

• One can in some cases go back and relearn a stage

• Problem with this theory is that it was based on white middle class …

Piaget’s 4 Stages of Cognitive Development

• Sensorimotor Stage

• Preoperational Stage

• Concrete Operational Stage

• Formal Operational Stage

Sensorimotor Stage

• Birth to age 2• Children understand the world only

through sensory contact and immediate action; they cannot engage in symbolic thought or use language. Children gradually comprehend object permanence- the realization that objects continue to exist even when the otems are placed out of their sight.

Preoperational Stage

• Ages 2-7

• Children begin to use words as mental symbols and to form mental images. However, they are still limited by their ability to use logic t solve problems or to realize that physical objects may change in shape pr appearance but still not retain their physical properties.

Concrete Operational Stage

• Ages 7-11

• Children think in terms of tangible objects and actual events. They can draw conclusions about the likely physical consequences of an action without always having to try the action out. Children begin to take the role of others and start to empathize with the view points of others.

Formal Operational Stage

• Ages 12 through adolescence

• Adolescents have the potential to engage in highly abstract thought and understand places, things, and events they have never seen. They can think about the future and evaluate different options or courses of action.

Piaget Believed…

• That we are constantly building upon our knowledge and adapting it to what we already know … and changing our schema to accommodate new information

• In groups discuss the differences and similarities between Piaget and Erikson

Socialization Through the Life Course

• Throughout our lives we learn new things at different stages. As we going through different stages of our lives we learn new sets of rules, roles, and relationships.

• Anticipatory socialization is the process by which knowledge and skill are learned for future roles. These often come from age landmarks like driving, voting, etc

Infancy and Childhood

• Interaction at this age is important to the development of one’s self-concept

• Cultural ideal is that children grow up carefree and in a loving environment

• Cultural reality is that many grow up in abusive or neglectful situations which can lead to a negative self-concept

Adolescence

• This is a time of turbulence for many adolescence and the experience can be vastly different for different people

• It is a time of self discovery, added responsibility, and life choices (work, school, relationships)

• For some it is a time of added freedom for others it is a time to take on more responsibility for their family depending on financial situations

Adulthood

• Responsibility

• Independence

• Family

• Work (this is a whole new social situation)

• Goals and expectations (are they achieved?)

Gender Socialization

• Parents, schools, media, etc label male and female behaviours that are passed down to children

• Example: trucks are for boys and dolls are for girls

• These ideas are being challenged more and more by your generation … eg: boys wearing pink

Resocialization

Resocialization is the process of learning a new and different set of attitudes, values, and behaviours from those in one’s previous experience.

Voluntary Resocialization

• Is when one changes their “status” by their own free will

• This can happen when you change your life situation like go back to school, start working, quit drinking if you had a drinking problem, moving into a new culture, or dealing with past abuse

Involuntary Resocialization

• Done against one’s will • Usually takes place in isolation from the rest of

society • Example: in prison, military, cult • People are striped of their previous beliefs and

behaviours usually through a reward/ punish system

• Not always so extreme you can also see this with in our school system when children start school…. Raise your hand, wait your turn, line up, etc

Children’s Book Project

• cover

• introduction (what your story will talk about and what lesson it will teach)

• Use of 2 socialization agents (school, family, peers, mass media)

• 4 things to be learned from each agent

• conclusion (what did the story teach the reader?)

Test #3

• Vocabulary choose 6 of 11

• Matching 10

• Short answer 3 or 5

• Essay ….. HINT: Identity and role confusion

Vocabulary

• Isolation • Abuse • Maltreatment • Peer groups • Cognitive • Erikson • Piaget • Inherit • Inferiority • anticipatory socialization

• adolescence • resocialization • crisis • Maslow• Autonomous• physiological • Nature • Nurture • The Box