Sociology 1301: Introduction to Sociology Socialization & Media Sociology 1301: Introduction to Sociology Week Four

Socialization Socialization: the process through which individuals internalize the values, beliefs, and norms of a society and learn to function as its members Values: moral beliefs Norms: how values are put into play Human Nature: a blend of “organic equipment” and social interaction

Agents of Socialization Family School Peers Media Resocialization Total Institution Socialization

Theories of Socialization Charles Horton Cooley Self: the individual identity of a person as perceived by that same person. George Mead I: one’s sense of agency, action or power Me: the self as a distinct object to be perceived by others Other: someone or something outside of oneself Generalized Other: an internalized sense of the total expectations of others in a variety of settings regardless of whether we’ve encountered those people or places before Erik Erickson 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development

Erickson

Culture Culture: a set of beliefs, traditions, and practices. Nonmaterial culture: values, beliefs, behaviors, and social norms. Material culture: everything that is part of our constructed environment, including technology. Cultural Relativism: taking into account differences across cultures without passing judgment or assigning value. Cultural scripts: modes of behavior and understanding that are not universal or natural. Subculture: the distinct cultural values and behavioral patterns of a particular group in society; group having social, economic, or ethnic traits distinctive enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or society.

Reflection Theory Three limitations Culture is a projection of social structures and relationships into the public sphere, a screen onto which the film of the underlying reality or social structures of our society is shown. Three limitations It does not explain why some cultural products have staying power, whereas others fall by the wayside. If reflection theory is true, why do some products change their meaning over time? Reflection theory is unidirectional, and states that culture has no impact on society, but culture is an interactive process between culture and social structure.

Media Media: formats or vehicles that carry, present, or communicate information Hegemony: a historical process in which a dominant group, by virtue of its moral and intellectual leadership in society, secures the voluntary "consent" of the masses

Impact of the Media

Works Cited Conley, D. (2008). You may ask yourself: An introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Massey, G. (Ed.) (2006). Readings for sociology (5th Ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.