THEORIES of SOCIALIZATION

MSAN Sociology Seminar

Unit #3

FunctionalismConsensus Theory

Derived from Durkheim, Parsons & Merton

Stresses how socialization contributes to a stable society.

Based on premise that all aspects of society– institutions, roles, norms– all serve a purpose and that all are indispensible for the long term survival

Conflict TheoryPower & Conflict Theory

Derived from Karl Marx & Max Webber

Views Socialization as a way for the powerful to preserve the status quo.

Conflict is ongoing, persistent and a fundamental part of our society.

Symbolic Interactionism

Interaction & Interpretation Theory

Derived from Blumer, Mead, Goffman

Holds that socialization is a major determinant of human nature.

Human behavior is determined not only by the objective facts of a situation but also by how people define that situation– that is, by the meaning they attribute to it.

Erikson’s 8 Stages of DevelopmentErik Erikson= a psychoanalyst who believed that human development was determined by the interaction of the body (genetic) AND cultural influences.

Theory describes the physical, emotional and psychological stages of development and relates specific issues, or developmental work/tasks, to each stage.

Cycle of Socialization Developed by Bobbie Harro.

The socialization process if PERVASIVE (coming from all sides and sources), CONSISTENT (patterned and predictable), CIRCULAR (self-supporting), SELF-PERPETUATING (intra-dependent) and often INVISABLE (unconscious and unnamed).

Cycle of Socialization

Cycle of LiberationCycle of Socialization “teaches” us how to play our roles of oppression, and how to revere the existing systems that shape our thinking.

Cycle of Liberation describes a cyclical process that seems to occur in most successful social change efforts, leading to some degree of liberation from oppression for those involved.

Cycle of Liberation