Society: the basics CHAPTER Eleventh Edition Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Socialization: From Infancy To Old age 3 This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: - Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; - Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; - Any rental, lease or lending of the program.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Socialization: From Infancy To Old Age Why is social experience the key to human personality? What familiar social settings have special importance to how we live and grow? How do our experiences change over the life course?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Social Experience: The Key To Our Humanity Socialization –The lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture Socialization is basic to human development

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Social Experience: The Key To Our Humanity Personality –A person's fairly consistent patterns of acting, thinking, and feeling –Built by internalizing our surroundings Humans need social experience to learn their culture and to survive Can personality develop without social experience?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Human Development: Nature And Nurture Is human behavior the result of nature or nurture? Humans depend on others to provide care –Physical growth –Personality development

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Biological Sciences: The Role of Nature Charles Darwin –Human behavior was instinctive – our “nature”  U.S. economic system reflects “instinctive human competitiveness”  People are “born criminals”  Women are “naturally” emotional and men are “naturally” more rational What damage could (can) be caused by explaining cultural diversity with a “nature” analysis?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Biological Sciences: The Role of Nature People trying to understand cultural diversity also misunderstood Darwin –European explorers linked cultural differences to biology –Viewed members of less technological societies as less evolved – “less human” –Ethnocentric view helped colonization

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Social Sciences: The Role of Nurture John B. Watson ( ) Behaviorism –Held that behavior is not instinctive but learned –People are equally human, just culturally different –Human behavior is rooted in nurture not nature

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Social Sciences: The Role of Nurture Why are social scientists cautious about describing any human behavior as instinctive? What is meant by the following statement? Give an example that applies. –“Whether you develop your inherited potential depends on how you are raised.”

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Social Sciences: The Role of Nurture Nurture matters more in shaping human behavior –Nurture is our nature

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Social Isolation Ethically, researchers cannot place humans in total isolation to study what happens

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Social Isolation Harry & Margaret Harlow (1962) –Studied rhesus monkeys –Found that complete isolation for even six months seriously disturbed development –What new understanding of the familiar ad campaign “Have you hugged your child today?” do you gain from the Harlow research?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Social Isolation What do studies of isolated children teach us about the importance of social experience?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Studies of Isolated Children What do studies of isolated children teach us about the importance of social experience? –Anna –Genie

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis CRITICAL REVIEW Evidence points to the crucial role of social experience in forming personality Humans can sometimes recover from abuse and short-term isolation There is a point at which isolation in infancy causes permanent developmental damage

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Understanding Socialization Socialization is a complex lifelong process Six researchers made lasting contributions to our understanding of human development

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Sigmund Freud’s Elements of Personality ( ) Lived at a time most Europeans considered human behavior biologically fixed Studied personality and eventually developed the theory of psychoanalysis

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Sigmund Freud’s Elements of Personality Basic Human Needs –Biology plays a major part in human development –Humans have two basic drives  Eros – need for bonding “life instinct”  Thanatos – aggressive drive “death instinct” –Opposing forces operating at an unconscious level, generating deep inner tension

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Sigmund Freud’s Elements of Personality Freud’s Model of Personality According to Freud, what are the three components of personality? –Id  Basic drives  Unconscious and demands immediate satisfaction  Society opposes the id, which is why one of the first words a child usually learns is “no”  To avoid frustration, the child must learn to approach the world realistically

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Sigmund Freud’s Elements of Personality Ego –A person’s conscious efforts to balance innate pleasure-seeking drives with the demands of society –Arises as we gain awareness of our distinct existence and understand that we cannot have everything we want

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Sigmund Freud’s Elements of Personality Superego –The cultural values and norms internalized by an individual –Operates as our conscience –Begins to form as a child becomes aware of parental demands and matures as the child comes to understand that everyone’s behavior should take account of cultural norms

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Sigmund Freud’s Elements of Personality Personality Development –To the id, the world is a jumble of physical sensations that bring pleasure or pain –As the superego develops, moral concepts of right and wrong are learned –Id and superego remain in conflict  Managed by the ego in a well-adjusted person

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Sigmund Freud’s Elements of Personality Personality Development (continued) –Conflicts not resolved in childhood might surface later on as personality disorders –Competing demands of self and society result in a compromise called “sublimation.”  Changes selfish drives into socially acceptable behavior

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Sigmund Freud’s Elements of Personality CRITICAL REVIEW Critics charge that Freud’s work present humans in male terms and devalues women Theories are difficult to test Influenced everyone who later studied human personality

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Sigmund Freud’s Elements of Personality THE ROLE OF SOCIALIZATION What is the importance of socialization in Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis? –We internalize social norms –Childhood experiences have a lasting effect on our personalities

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development ( ) Studied human cognition –How people think and understand –Identified four stages of cognitive development

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Stage –The level of human development at which individuals experience the world only through their senses –First two years of life –“Knowing” to very young children amounts to what their senses tell them

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development The Preoperational Stage –The level of human development at which individuals first use language and other symbols –Between ages 2 and 6, attach meanings only to specific experiences and objects –Lack abstract concepts  Cannot judge size, weight, or volume –About age 7, children are able to think more abstractly

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development The Concrete Operational Stage –The level of human development at which individuals first see causal connections in their surroundings –Between ages 7 and 11, focus on how and why things happen –Attach more than one symbol to an event or object

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development The Formal Operational Stage –The level of human development at which individuals think abstractly and critically –About age 12, begins to reason in the abstract rather than think only of concrete situations –As capacity for abstract thought is gained, young person also learns to understand metaphors

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development The Formal Operational Stage (continued) –Do you believe that everyone has the capacity to think critically and abstractly? What role does socialization play in achieving this potential?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis CRITICAL REVIEW Freud saw the ability to engage the world unfolding in stages as the result of biological maturation and social experience Do people in all societies pass through all four of Piaget’s stages? Living in a traditional society that changes slowly probably limits the capacity for abstract and critical thought

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development 1981 Are humans born with an understanding between right and wrong? Studied moral reasoning –How people come to judge situations as right or wrong –Development occurs in stages

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development Preconventional Level –Young children experience the world in terms of pain and pleasure –“Rightness” amounts to “what feels good to me”

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development Conventional Level –Appears in the teens –Young people lose some of their selfishness –Learn to define right and wrong in terms of what pleases parents and conforms to cultural norms

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development Postconventional Level –People move beyond society’s norms to consider abstract ethical principles –Think about ideas such as liberty, freedom, or justice  Might argue what is lawful might not be right

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development CRITICAL REVIEW –Kohlberg explains moral development in terms of distinct stages –Might not apply to people in all societies –All research subjects were boys  Research cannot be generalized

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development THE ROLE OF SOCIALIZATION –Why is it said that many people in the U.S. do not reach postconventional morality? What role does socialization play in this process?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Carol Gilligan’s Theory of Gender and Moral Development Compares the moral development of boys and girls

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Carol Gilligan’s Theory of Gender and Moral Development According to Gilligan, how do boys and girls differ in their approach to understanding right and wrong? –Girls have a care and responsibility perspective –Impersonal rules have long governed men’s lives –Personal relationships are more relevant to women’s lives

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis CRITICAL REVIEW Gilligan’s work sharpens understanding of human development and gender issues in research Work does not answer whether nature or nurture is responsible in gender differences

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis George Herbert Meade’s Theory of the Social Self George Herbert Mead ( ) –Developed theory of social behaviorism The self –The part of an individual’s personality composed of self-awareness and self-image –Are humans born with a sense of self?  Mead proposed seeing the self as the product of social experience

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis George Herbert Meade’s Theory of the Social Self The self develops only with social experience –Rejected the idea that personality is guided by biology (Freud) or biological maturation (Piaget) –Self develops only as individual interacts with others –Without interaction, body grows, but no self emerges

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis George Herbert Meade’s Theory of the Social Self Social experience is the exchange of symbols –Humans find meaning in action by imagining people’s underlying intentions

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis George Herbert Meade’s Theory of the Social Self Understanding intention requires imagining a situation from the other’s point of view –All symbolic interaction involves seeing ourselves as others see us  Taking the role of the other

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis George Herbert Meade’s Theory of the Social Self The “I” and the “Me” –By taking the role of the another, we become self-aware  Two parts of self –Subject – Active and spontaneous – “I” –Objective – the way we imagine others see us - “Me” What do you think? Do dogs or other animals have a sense of self? Why or why not?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis George Herbert Meade’s Theory of the Social Self Development of the Self –Key is learning to take the role of the other –Infants can only do this through imitation because of limited social experience –As children learn to use language and other symbols, the self emerges in the form of play  Assumes roles modeled on significant others –People who have special importance for socialization

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis George Herbert Meade’s Theory of the Social Self Development of the Self (continued) –Everyday life demands that we see ourselves in terms of cultural norms as any member of our society might  Generalized other –Widespread cultural norms and values we use as a reference in evaluating ourselves

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis George Herbert Meade’s Theory of the Social Self CRITICAL REVIEW Mead’s work explores the essence of social experience itself View is completely social – no biological element “I” and “me” work together, unlike the “id” and “superego”

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis George Herbert Meade’s Theory of the Social Self THE SELF AND SOCIALIZATION What is the role of socialization in the development of self?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development Broader view of socialization Face challenges throughout the life course Stage 1 –The challenge of trust versus mistrust  Birth to about 18 months  Gain a sense of trust that the world is safe

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development Stage 2 –Toddlerhood – The challenge of autonomy (versus doubt and shame)  Up to age 3  Failure to gain self control leads to doubt in abilities

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development Stage 3 –Preschool – The challenge of initiative (versus guilt)  Four- and 5-year-olds  Learn to engage their surroundings or experience guilt at having failed to meet expectations

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development Stage 4 –Preadolescence – The challenge of industriousness (versus inferiority)  Between ages 6 and 13  Feel proud of accomplishments or fear they do not measure up

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development Stage 5 –Adolescence – The challenge of gaining identity (versus confusion)  Teen years  Struggle to establish identity  Almost all teens suffer confusion in establishing identity

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development Stage 6 –Young adulthood – The challenge of intimacy (versus isolation)  Challenge of forming and keeping intimate relationships  Balancing the need to bond with the need to have a separate identity

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development Stage 7 –Middle adulthood – The challenge of making a difference (versus self- absorption)  Challenge of middle age is to contribute to the lives of others  Failing leads to self-centeredness or becoming caught up in own limited concerns

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development Stage 8 –Old age – The challenge of integrity (versus despair)  Near the end of life, people hope to look back on accomplishments with a sense of integrity  For the self-absorbed, old age brings a sense of despair over missed opportunities

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development CRITICAL REVIEW Personality formation as a lifelong process Success at one stage is preparing to meet the next challenge Not everyone faces these challenges in this exact order Nor is it clear that failure to meet a challenge means doom in later stages

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development In what ways does Erikson take a broader view of socialization than other thinkers presented in this chapter?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Agents Of Socialization Family School Peer group Mass media

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Image Bank

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Family Why might the family be considered the most important socializing agent? Nurture in early childhood –Intentional learning and the environment What role does race and social class play in shaping social identity, personality, and expectations?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Family What is meant by cultural capital? What role does it play in shaping a child’s confidence? –Enrichment activities represent cultural capital

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The School What can you remember from your early schooling experiences? How did these experiences shape your life and sense of self? Enlarges children’s social world Encountering people who are different, children come to understand –Race –Social-class position

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The School Are boys and girls treated differently in school? What role does this play in what a child learns about themselves and others? Gender –Schools socialize into gender roles –Continue right through to college

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The School What children learn –Schooling teaches a wide range of knowledge and skills –Also teach informally  Hidden curriculum –For most, school is the first encounter with bureaucracy

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Peer Group A social group whose members have interests, social position, and age in common Allows children to escape the direct supervision of adults

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Peer Group In a rapidly changing society, peer groups have great influence –Attitudinal difference might form a “generation gap” –Are peers or parents more influential in shaping an adolescent? –Peers affect short-term interests, but parental influence remains strong –Any neighborhood or school is made up of many peer groups

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Peer Group In a rapidly changing society, peer groups have great influence (continued) –Anticipatory socialization  Learning that helps a person achieve a desired position

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Mass Media The means for delivering impersonal communications to a vast audience –Powerful; Influence is different from family, school, or peers How glued are we to the TV? U.S. has highest rate of TV ownership in the world –People with lower incomes spend the most time watching TV. Why do you think this is?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Image Bank

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Mass Media Television and politics –Provokes much criticism –Liberal  Racial and ethnic minorities have been invisible or stereotyped throughout most of TV history  Recently, minorities have moved to center stage

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Mass Media Television and politics (continued) –Conservative  Television and film are dominated by liberal “cultural elite”  “Politically correct” media have advanced liberal causes  Not all agree – others suggest TV reflects a political “spin” from both sides

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Mass Media Television and politics (continued) –Do you believe that television watching creates a more violent character in society? What about video game playing? –AMA  Violence in TV and film are hazardous to our health –Study found strong link between aggression, TV time, and video-game-playing of elementary school children

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Mass Media Television and politics (continued) –1997: TV industry adopts rating system –Other spheres of social learning  Religion  Workplace  Military  Social Clubs

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Socialization and the Life Course Learning continues throughout our lives Society organizes human experience according to –Childhood –Adolescence –Adulthood –Old age

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Childhood Where were your shoes manufactured? Would it bother you to know that your shoes may have been made by children? Throughout the world, more than 160 million children work for about 50 cents an hour, half of them full-time (see map)

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Childhood Most North Americans view childhood as a carefree time of learning and play –This is a new idea Concept of childhood is cultural not biological

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Image Bank

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Adolescence Emerged as a buffer between childhood and adulthood What is meant by the following statement? Give examples. –“Teenage turbulence comes from cultural inconsistency.” Varies according to social background

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Adulthood The time of life when most accomplishments take place Personalities are formed and dramatic changes cause significant change to the self Early adulthood – until age 40

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Adulthood Middle adulthood – between 40 and 60 What are the differences when it comes to how men and women deal with growing older?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Old Age The later years of adulthood and the final stage of life Begins around the mid-sixties Elderly population is growing nearly as fast as the U.S. population as a whole Elderly people will be more visible in everyday life – young and old will interact more

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Old Age Gerontology –The study of aging and the elderly

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Old Age Aging and Biology –For most of our population, aging begins in middle age –Most older people are not disabled nor discouraged by their physical condition

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Old Age Aging and Culture –How are the elderly viewed in an industrialized society verse that of a preindustrial one? –Gerontocracy  A form of social organization in which the elderly have the most wealth, power, and prestige

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Old Age Aging and Culture (continued) –In industrial society  Older people live apart from their grown children  Rapid social change makes much of what seniors know obsolete –Ageism  Prejudice and discrimination against older people

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Old Age Aging and Income –Old age means living with less income –Today, elderly population is doing better  Better income, better health, more generous government programs

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Old Age The text claims that, in our society, death typically occurs in old age. How do you think class, and perhaps race, affect this pattern? Would you favor replacing the “senior discounts” found at many local businesses with discounts for low- income people? What about single parents with children?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Death and Dying Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Death as an orderly transition involving five stages  Denial – expected in a culture that doesn’t talk about death  Anger – a gross injustice to the one facing death  Negotiation – bargaining with God  Resignation – accompanied by psychological depression  Acceptance – complete adjustment to death

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Death and Dying Do you believe that people in the U.S. are comfortable with the idea of death?

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Life Course: Patterns and Variations Two major conclusions: –Life course is largely a social construction –Life course presents certain problems and transitions that involve learning something new and unlearning familiar routines

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis The Life Course: Patterns and Variations Two major conclusions: (continued) –Societies organize the life course according to age.  What other forces shape people’s lives? –Cohort  A category of people with something in common, usually age

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Resocialization: Total Institutions Total Institution –A setting in which people are isolated from the rest of society and manipulated by administrative staff –What are the three characteristics of a total institution?  Supervision  Control and standardization  Formal rules and daily routines

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Resocialization: Total Institutions Resocialization –Radically changing an inmate’s personality by carefully controlling the environment  Prisons  Mental hospitals –Two-part process  Break down existing identity  Build a new self through a system of reward and punishments

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Society: the basics, Eleventh Edition John J. Macionis Resocialization: Total Institutions Resocialization (continued) –Do you believe that prisons are effective at rehabilitating inmates? Why or why not? –Institutionalized  Living in a rigidly controlled environment without the capacity for independent living