CHAPTER 5 Socializing the Individual Sociology 9/11/2018 CHAPTER 5 Socializing the Individual Section 1: Personality Development Section 2: The Social Self Section 3: Agents of Socialization Chapter 5

if you were isolated from birth? Would you be “you” if you were isolated from birth? Nature v. Nurture “Nature is Our Nurture”

Then how do “you” become “you”? Nature v. Nurture “Nature is Our Nurture” We are partially products of our biology, but a far greater portion of who “you” are is a reflection of what those around you tell you you are.

Socialization lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential & learn culture Nature v. Nurture “Nature is Our Nurture” We are partially products of our biology, but a far greater portion of who “you” are is a reflection of what those around you tell you you are.

Objectives: Section 1: Personality Development Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 1: Personality Development Objectives: Identify the four main factors that affect the development of personality. Explain how isolation in childhood affects development. Chapter 5

Factors That Shape Personality Development Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 1: Personality Development Factors That Shape Personality Development Heredity – physical traits, aptitudes, inherited characteristics, biological drives Chapter 5

Factors That Shape Personality Development Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 1: Personality Development Factors That Shape Personality Development Parents – parental characteristics, such as age, education, religion, & economic status Chapter 5

Factors That Shape Personality Development Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 1: Personality Development Factors That Shape Personality Development Birth order – personalities are shaped by whether one has siblings Chapter 5

Factors That Shape Personality Development Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 1: Personality Development Factors That Shape Personality Development Cultural environment – determines the basic personality types found in a society Cultural Environment Influences Brain Function By Rick Nauert PhDSenior News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on August 4, 2010 A new study extends the debate between the behavioral effects of nature vs. nurture — whether your upbringing influences the food you eat, the clothes you wear, and surprisingly, even how your brain works. Researchers Denise C. Park and Chih-Mao Huang discuss ways in which brain structure and function may be influenced by culture in a report found in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science. According to the authors, there is evidence that the collectivist nature of East Asian cultures versus individualistic Western cultures affects both brain and behavior. East Asians tend to process information in a global manner whereas Westerners tend to focus on individual objects. There are differences between East Asians and Westerners with respect to attention, categorization, and reasoning. For example, in one study, after viewing pictures of fish swimming, Japanese volunteers were more likely to remember contextual details of the image than were American volunteers. Experiments tracking participants’ eye movements revealed that Westerners spend more time looking at focal objects while Chinese volunteers look more at the background. In addition, our culture may play a role in the way we process facial information. Research has indicated that when viewing faces, East Asians focus on the central region of faces while Westerners look more broadly, focusing on both the eyes and mouth. Examining changes in cognitive processes (how we think) over time can provide information about the aging process as well as any culture-related changes that may occur. When it comes to free recall, working memory, and processing speed, aging has a greater impact than does culture—the decline in these functions is a result of aging and not cultural experience. Park and Huang note that, “with age, both cultures would move towards a more balanced representation of self and others, leading Westerners to become less oriented to self and East Asians to conceivably become more self-focused.” While numerous studies suggest that culture may affect neural function, there is also limited evidence for the effect of cultural experiences on brain structure. A recent study conducted by Park and Michael Chee of Duke/National University of Singapore showed evidence for thicker frontal cortex (areas involved in reasoning) in Westerners compared to East Asians, whereas East Asians had thicker cortex in perceptual areas. Park and Huang observe that using neuroimaging to study the impact of culture on neuroanatomy faces many challenges. They write, “The data are collected from two groups of participants who typically differ in many systematic ways besides their cultural values, rendering interpretation of any differences found quite difficult.” In addition, for each study, it is important that the MRI machines use identical imaging hardware and software. The authors conclude, “This research is an important domain for understanding the malleability of the human brain and how differences in values and social milieus sculpt the brain’s structure and function.” Source: Association for Psychological Science http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/08/04/cultural-environment-influences-brain-function/16380.html Chapter 5

Isolation in Childhood and Development Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 1: Personality Development Isolation in Childhood and Development Research shows a healthy cultural environment essential for child’s full development Isolation can lead to severe effects such as causing children to waste away & die, or to have stunted development safeshare link http://safeshare.tv/w/coyQLBuUrj My Original source - Nova video clip (8 minutes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEnkY2iaKis Click to watch clip Genie Chapter 5

Objectives: Section 2: The Social Self Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 2: The Social Self Objectives: Explain how a person’s sense of self emerges. Identify & describe the theories that attempt to explain the process of socialization. Chapter 5

How Sense of Self Emerges Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 2: The Social Self How Sense of Self Emerges Through interaction with social & cultural environments people are transformed into members of society The interactive process through which people learn basic skills, values, beliefs, & behavior patterns of a society = socialization Chapter 5

Three Theories of Socialization Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 2: The Social Self Three Theories of Socialization John Locke – The Tabula Rosa Charles Horton Cooley – The Looking Glass Self George Herbert Mead – Role-Taking Chapter 5

John Locke – The Tabula Rosa Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 2: The Social Self John Locke – The Tabula Rosa blank slate at birth; no personality develop personality as a result of social experiences infants can be molded into any type of person Chapter 5

Charles Horton Cooley – The Looking Glass Self Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 2: The Social Self Charles Horton Cooley – The Looking Glass Self Infants have no sense of person or place. Children develop an image of themselves based on how others see them. People act as a mirror, reflecting back the image a child projects through their reactions to the child’s behavior. Chapter 5

Reflect on how it’s perceived “Me” Initiate the action Reflect on how it’s perceived The subject part of ourself, active & spontaneous The objective side, we think of ourselves as other see us

George Herbert Mead – Role-Taking Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 2: The Social Self George Herbert Mead – Role-Taking People not only come to see themselves as others see them, but also take on, or pretend to take on, the roles of others through imitation, play, and games. enables people to anticipate what others expect of them. Chapter 5

Agents of Socialization Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 3: Agents of Socialization Objectives: Identify the most important agents of socialization in the United States. Explain why family and education are important social institutions. School Grammar Rules Social setting values Clubs/ Social Groups Social interaction rules governing activites Ethnic Background Beliefs Values Customs Work Employment Money Rules Roles Media Stereotypes Trends How to act Government Laws, sense of security, Sanctions of punishment Religion Values, love for others, meaning of life, Guidelines on how to live Peers Activities trends Family Language acquisition, relationships, rules, initial social interactions, morals, role models, behaviour Agents of Socialization There are a number of things that can affect an individual’s socialization process. The amount of impact that each of the agents has on an individual will depend on the situation, the individuals experiences, and the stage of life the individual is in. What specific forces shape our personality? Chapter 5

Agents of Socialization Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 3: Agents of Socialization Agents of Socialization Family – the most important agent Chapter 5

Family Loving family produces happy well-adjusted child Parental attention is very important bonding & encouragement Household environment stimulates development Social position race, religion, ethnicity, class

Agents of Socialization Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 3: Agents of Socialization Agents of Socialization Peer group primary group composed of individuals of roughly equal age & social characteristics particularly influential during pre-teenage & early teenage years Chapter 5

Peer Groups Developing sense of self - goes beyond family Young & old attitudes - “generation gap” Peers often govern short-term plans while parents influence long-term goals. Anticipatory socialization Practice toward gaining desired positions

Agents of Socialization Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 3: Agents of Socialization Agents of Socialization School – plays a major role Chapter 5

School Experience diversity Hidden curriculum First bureaucracy Sociology 9/11/2018 School Experience diversity Racial & gender clustering Hidden curriculum Informal, covert lessons First bureaucracy Rules & schedule Gender socialization begins Gender-linked activities from grade school through college School is the first time children encounter people different from them and learn to understand the importance of factors such as race & social position. (Macionis, p. 80) Hidden curriculum – students learn about competition and cooperation, etc. Bureaucracy – impersonal rules and strict time schedules, similar to industry/work Chapter 5

Importance of Family and Education Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 3: Agents of Socialization Importance of Family and Education Teach life skills Teach values, norms & beliefs Chapter 5

Agents of Socialization Sociology 9/11/2018 Section 3: Agents of Socialization Agents of Socialization Mass media – books, films, Internet, magazines, TV; not face-to-face Chapter 5

Mass Media TV in the USA Hours of viewing 98% of households have at least 1 2/3 households have cable or satellite Hours of viewing Average household = 7 hours per day Almost ½ an individuals’ free time Children average 5 ½ hours per day. TV, videotapes, video games

What do we learn here?

And then there are commercials & ads. What do we learn here?

Criticisms About Programming concerns regarding race & gender inequality conservative concerns about advancing liberal causes–“politically correct” Violence in mass media A 1998 survey: 2/3 of TV programming contains violence characters show no remorse characters aren’t punished In 1997, the television industry adopted a rating system.

Sociology 9/11/2018 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2376056,00.asp Stop here to parse and read article Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 Socializing the Individual Sociology 9/11/2018 CHAPTER 5 Socializing the Individual Section 1: Personality Development Section 2: The Social Self Section 3: Agents of Socialization Chapter 5