Socialization From Infancy to Old Age Chapter 3 Socialization From Infancy to Old Age

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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Social Sciences: The Role of Nurture John B. Watson (1878-1958) Behaviorism Held that behavior is not instinctive but learned People are equally human, just culturally different © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Isolation Harry & Margaret Harlow (1962) Studied rhesus monkeys Found that complete isolation for even six months seriously disturbed development © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Studies of Isolated Children What do studies teach us about the importance of social experience? Anna Genie © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Understanding Socialization Socialization is a complex lifelong process Six researchers made lasting contributions to: Our understanding of human development © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sigmund Freud’s Elements of Personality 1856-1939 Lived when most Europeans considered human behavior biologically fixed Studied personality and eventually developed the theory of psychoanalysis © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sigmund Freud’s Elements of Personality Freud’s Model 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” © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development (1896-1980) Studied human cognition How people think and understand Identified four stages of cognitive development © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Stage The level of human development individuals experience the world through their senses First two years of life “Knowing” to very young children amounts to what their senses tell them © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development The Preoperational Stage The level of human development: At which individuals first use language and other symbols Lack abstract concepts Cannot judge size, weight, or volume © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Attach more than one symbol to an event or object © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development The Formal Operational Stage The level of human development at which individuals think abstractly and critically Do you believe that everyone has the capacity to think critically and abstractly? What role does socialization play in achieving this potential? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development 1981 Are humans born with an understanding between right and wrong? Studied moral reasoning Preconventional Level Young children experience the world in terms of pain and pleasure © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Carol Gilligan’s Theory of Gender and Moral Development How do boys and girls differ in their approach to understanding right & wrong? Girls have a care and responsibility perspective Impersonal rules have long governed men’s lives (Justice Perspective) Personal relationships are more relevant to women’s lives © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Carol Gilligan – Critical review Gilligan’s work sharpens understanding of human development and gender issues in research Does not answer whether nature or nurture is responsible in gender differences © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

George Herbert Meade’s Theory of the Social Self 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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Objective What do you think? Do dogs or other animals have a sense of self? Why or why not? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

George Herbert Meade’s Theory of the Social Self Building on Social Experience George Herbert Mead described the development of the self as a process of gaining social experience. That is, the self develops as we expand our capacity to take the role of the other. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 25

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” © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development Toddlerhood – The challenge of autonomy (versus doubt and shame) Stage 3 Preschool – The challenge of initiative (versus guilt) © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development Preadolescence – The challenge of industriousness (versus inferiority) Stage 5 Adolescence – The challenge of gaining identity (versus confusion) Teen years © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development Young adulthood – The challenge of intimacy (versus isolation) Stage 7 Middle adulthood – The challenge of making a difference (versus self-absorption) © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development 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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Agents of Socialization Family School Peer group Mass media © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Family Why might the family be considered the most important socializing agent? Nurture in early childhood Intentional learning and the environment What is meant by cultural capital? What role does it play in shaping a child’s confidence? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Racially Mixed People across the United States This map shows, for 2010, the county-by-county distribution of people who described themselves as racially mixed. How do you think growing up in an area with a high level of racially mixed people (such as Los Angeles or Miami) would be different from growing up in an area with few such people (for example, in upstate New York or the Plains States in the middle of the country)? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The School Enlarges children’s social world Encountering people who are different, children come to understand Race Social-class position © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The School Gender What children learn Schools socialize into gender roles Continue right through to college What children learn Schooling teaches a wide range of knowledge and skills Also teach informally © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Peer Group Allows children to escape the direct supervision of adults In a rapidly changing society, peer groups have great influence Attitudinal difference might form a “generation gap” © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Peer Group 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 Anticipatory socialization © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Television Ownership in Global Perspective Television is popular in high- and middle-income countries, where almost Every household owns at least one TV. Sources: TVB (2011), World Bank (2011). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Conservative © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Other Agents Other spheres of social learning Religion Workplace Military Social clubs © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Socialization & the Life Course Learning continues throughout our lives Society organizes human experience according to: Childhood Adolescence Adulthood Old age © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Childhood Where were your shoes manufactured? Would it bother you to know that your shoes may have been made by children? Most North Americans view childhood as a carefree time of learning and play This is a new idea © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Child Labor in Global Perspective Sources: UNICEF (2011). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Adulthood The time of life when most accomplishments take place Personalities are formed Dramatic changes cause significant change to the self Early adulthood – until age 40 Middle adulthood – between 40 and 60 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Gerontology The study of aging and the elderly © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Graying of U.S. Society The proportion of the U.S. population over the age of sixty-five tripled during the last century. The median age of the U.S. population has now passed thirty-five years and will continue to rise. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2010). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Old Age Aging and Biology Aging and Culture For most of our population, aging begins in middle age Most older people are not disabled nor discouraged by their physical condition Aging and Culture Gerontocracy © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Old Age Aging and Income In industrial society Ageism Prejudice and discrimination against older people Aging and Income Old age means living with less income Today, elderly population is doing better © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Death and Dying Denial – expected in a culture that doesn’t talk about death Anger – a gross injustice to the one facing death Negotiation – bargaining with God © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Death and Dying Resignation – accompanied by psychological depression Acceptance – complete adjustment to death Do you believe that people in the U.S. are comfortable with the idea of death? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Life Course: Patterns and Variations Life course is largely a social construction 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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Resocialization: Total Institutions 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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Resocialization: Total Institutions 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 punishment © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.