Introduction to Sociology, 5/e © 2012 BVT Publishing

Nature/Nurture Role of instincts in human behavior Some sociologist ignore the important of biology

Introduction to Sociology, 5/e © 2012 BVT Publishing

Feral Children Wild Boy of Aveyron Rejected most food Winter without clothes Taught to eat, sleep reg hrs., wear clother Learned to make a sound for “milk”; never learned to talk Cried occasionally No interest in sex

Feral Children Traian Caldarar 2002-Romania 4 years old-fled abusive father Lived with dogs Discovered at age 7; displayed animalistic characteristics Size of a 3 yr. old; couldn’t speak

Introduction to Sociology, 5/e © 2012 BVT Publishing

Skeels & Dye 13 children; ages 1-2; avg. IQ=64; placed with young women at a mental institution Women-given basic instructions on child care; were labeled mentally retarded 12 children left at orphanage were the control group; under 3 yrs. of age; avg. IQ=86; minimal contact with staff

Skeels & Dye End of 1 yr.: experimental group improved considerably; gained IQ points Control group: IQs went down 2 ½ yr. follow-up: experimental group gained an average of 28 IQ points; control group lost average of years later-all subjects were found

Skeels & Dye Most in experimental group completed school (avg. 12 years); 11 of 13 married; all gainfully employed Control group: avg. of 4 years of school; lower-level jobs; 4 were still institutionalized

Spitz Observed children living in a foundling home for approx. 2 years Facilities were suitable; physician saw every child Physical needs were taken care of; little other interactions 34% of 91 children died within 2 yrs. of the study; 23 %-slow phys. & soc. development

Spitz Some couldn’t talk at all Another institution-mothers were delinquents; played with babies; development of the children-normal

Introduction to Sociology, 5/e © 2012 BVT Publishing

George Herbert Mead Self-not present at birth; language is the key to its development Language is symbolic Symbolic interaction-a social process that occurs among individuals because of internalization of meanings and language Human need to interact with others

George Herbert Mead Infants-eventually learn to differentiate themselves from their surroundings (ex. Knows that mom is paying attention to her by bringing bottle) Children learn to differentiate themselves from other objects in their environments Develop expectations about parent’s behaviors

George Herbert Mead Role Taking: the process of figuring out how others will act Play: a way of practicing role-taking; take the role of significant others-leads to better understanding of own roles 3 processes in role-taking: Preparatory Stage, Play Stage, & Game Stage

George Herbert Mead Preparatory Stage: only able to imitate others; not yet aware of sense of self Play Stage: take role of significant others (mother, father, teacher, etc.) Game Stage: can understand the role of several others simultaneously; can put themselves in the place of others-Mead called this taking the role of the generalized other

George Herbert Mead Child must learn to see others not as individuals but as generalized others; ex: baseball game positions-develop expectations of positions regardless of who is playing We begin to develop a personality once an idea of the generalized other occurs The “I” and “Me”

George Herbert Mead “I” – the acting person; ex. “I go to class” “Me” – part of the self concerned with society’s expectations; ex. “Society expects me to go to class” We develop our own mind: our own ability to think based on the expectations of the generalized other

George Herbert Mead Mead believed the mind is entirely social; don’t use our mind until we learn the expectations of our society Expectations of society are learn primarily through language

Applying Mead’s Role-Taking Important for self-development and professional relationships Clinical sociologists and therapists must be able to imagine how others feel; need to see things from another person’s view; verstehen

Introduction to Sociology, 5/e © 2012 BVT Publishing

Charles Horton Cooley Based on perception and effect: the perception we believe others have of us and the effects of these perceptions on our self-image We compare and contrast ourselves with others

Applying Cooley’s Looking- Glass Self Self-fulfilling prophecy (Robert Merton)-the evaluations of other directs our behaviors We behave in ways that we believe others expect us to act

Introduction to Sociology, 5/e © 2012 BVT Publishing

Infant and Childhood Experiences Children who are touched and talked to cling to their mothers Parents teach boys and girls different techniques for solving problems-give girls specific advice; encourage boys to learn problem solving strategies

Introduction to Sociology, 5/e © 2012 BVT Publishing