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Lesson 3 Presentation 1

Chapter 4 discusses socialization as a lifelong process essential for becoming a member of society, emphasizing the roles of interaction and the development of the self. It explores the nature vs. nurture debate, the importance of socialization in childhood development, and the impact of various socializing agents such as family and media. The chapter also highlights different sociological perspectives on socialization, including structural-functionalism and conflict theory.

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Lesson 3 Presentation 1

Chapter 4 discusses socialization as a lifelong process essential for becoming a member of society, emphasizing the roles of interaction and the development of the self. It explores the nature vs. nurture debate, the importance of socialization in childhood development, and the impact of various socializing agents such as family and media. The chapter also highlights different sociological perspectives on socialization, including structural-functionalism and conflict theory.

Uploaded by

sulthanramiz
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 4:

Socialization:
Becoming Human and
Humane
Soc 100 Dr. Santos
Introduction
 Socialization- the lifelong process of
learning to become a member of the social
world
 Interaction - the basic processes of
socialization through which a child is shaped
into a human being, learns its culture, and
becomes a member of a society
 Social self - the changing perceptions we
have of who we are as a result of ongoing
socialization, from birth to death.
The Nature vs. Nurture
Debate
 The debate over whether biology
(genes, evolution) or socialization
explains the self and all human
behaviors
 Sociobiology (evolutionary
psychology)- is a bio-determinist theory
that claims our genetic make-up “wires”
us for certain social behaviors
– Not well accepted by most sociologists >
1920s
– Greatly abused in from 1850 (Social
Darwinism) all the way to 1945 (Fascism)
The importance of
socialization
 Children need human contact, affection,
and interaction in order to fully develop
– E.g., Anna, Isabelle, neglected orphan
children, the latter with deaf-mute mother
– Because these children were not socialized
at the proper time, their developmental
disorders persisted after attempts to
integrate them into society, Anna much
worse than Isabelle
Socialization and the social
world
 Mostof our experiences are a part of
our socialization experience
– Micro-level- e.g., parents, friends
– Meso-level- e.g., schools and religion
– Macro-level- e.g., national
advertisements
 Organizations and institutions are
dependent upon socialized people to
help them persist: school, boot camp,
internship, church school, etc.
 The Structural-functionalist perspective -
different socializing agents support one
another --> social harmony --> social
order
 The Conflict perspective - different
socializing agents have conflicting goals --
> social conflict --> social change
– Those who have power use socialization to
manipulate others into supporting the power
structure that benefits the elite --> “false
consciousness” among subordinate social
strata
– Most individuals have very little power to
decide or control their futures (not so if
organized & mobilized for collective action -
“consciousness”)
Development of the self
 Self - the perceptions we have of who
we are which are developed from our
perceptions of the way others respond
to us in our myriad interactions
 The development of the self begins at
birth and through infancy
 Biology and sociology both contribute
to the development of the self
The looking glass self
(Cooley)
1. We imagine how we appear to others
2. We interpret how others judge that
appearance and then respond to that
interpretation through behavior
3. We experience feelings of pride or
shame based on this imagined
appearance and judgment by others
4. We respond based on our
interpretation
Role-taking (Mead)
 We imagine ourselves from the point of view of
others and assume the role we think we are
 When humans can symbolically recognize
objects, they can then view the self as an object
 This process begins with having a name, which
differentiates the self from other objects
 Only humans use symbols
 We imagine ourselves being others: role-playing
Symbolic interaction theory
 We take the actions of ourselves
and others into account and take
mental notes accordingly
 The self can be passive (developed
by the way that others see us) and
active (an initiator of action - an
agent)
Parts of the self (Mead)
 The “I”- spontaneous, unpredictable,
impulsive; acts without considering
social consequences
 The “me”- knows the rules of society
and attempts to channel the
impulses of the “I” into socially
acceptable behavior that still meets
the “I’s” needs
 The “me” requires the ability to take
the role of the other
Stages in the development
of the self (Mead)
 Play - children actually take on the role
of particular others, but do not
understand complex relationships
 Game- children can take the role of
multiple others at once and understand
the generalized other
– Generalized other- a composite of societal
expectations
– Can now play complex games (e.g., baseball)
The connections of the self
to the meso-level
 Iowa school
– Our sense of self is defined by our
social positions within organizations
and institutions in society
– The self is relatively stable because a
core self develops
– Because those organizations are so
important to our core self, we have a
vested interest in their preservation
Socialization throughout
the life cycle
 Rites of passage occur at most
stages
– Important because they impact how
others perceive the individual, how the
individual perceives herself, and what is
expected of the individual

– Infant - Childhood - Adolescence


– Adulthood - Middle Adulthood
– Retired and the Elderly - Death and Dying
The process of
resocialization
 Resocialization- the process of
abandoning one or more social
positions in favor of others that are
more suitable for a newly acquired
status
 Can be voluntary or non-voluntary
Agents of socialization
 Agents are the mechanism through
which the self learns the beliefs,
values, and behaviors of the culture
 The importance of various agents
change over the life course
 Agents can be formal or informal
 Socialization differs by parenting
style, social class, race, sex, etc.
Families as agents of
socialization
 Families use positive and negative
sanctions to help teach right from
wrong
 The amount and type of sanctions
differ by family
 Family socialization differs by culture
 The number of children in a household
and birth order can influence
individual socializations
Social class and
socialization
 Social class- the wealth, power, and
prestige rankings individuals hold in
society
 Parents socialize their children to
enter into adult roles common to
other members of their social class
 The unequal distribution of
resources in society have an impact
on who we become
Electronic media: Meso-level
agents within the home
 Children in the U.S. spend more time
watching television than any other
waking activity
 What messages do these agents of
socialization send to children?

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