Sociology Chapter 6

AGENDA 1. What are Sociology and Social Psychology? 2. How do societies shape the personal social development of children? 3. How does Socialization occur? 4. What is personality? 5. How does personality development continue over a lifetime? 6. How can we assess personality traits.

Key Terms Sociology Social Psychology Socialization Isolates Agents of Socialization Gender Personality Sense of Self Cognitive Development

Sociology is the scientific study of people in groups the relationships between people and the social structures they develop Social Psychology is the study of individuals within their social and cultural setting. The social psychologist examines how society influences human mental process. Scope of Sociology

Approaches to Sociology Expert Groups Exercise Mr. Adjetey will split all of you into groups of 4. Each group will be given 20 minutes to learn an approach to sociology. After the allotted time students will be separated into expert groups that will have experts from all 4 approaches to Sociology 1.Structural Functionalism 2.Conflict Theory 3.Symbolic Interactionism 4.Feminist Sociology

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Pg Leader Encourager Time person Supplies Notetaker

Approaches to Sociology Structural Functionalism Major Theorist : If I was a Structural Functionalist my perception of the world would be….

Approaches to Sociology Structural-functionalism is a consensus theory; a theory that sees society as built upon order, interrelation, and balance among parts as a means of maintaining the smooth functioning of the whole. Structural-Functionalism views shared norms and values as the basis of society, focuses on social order based on tacit agreements between groups and organizations, and views social change as occurring in a slow and orderly fashion. Functionalists acknowledge that change is sometimes necessary to correct social dysfunctions (the opposite of functions), but that it must occur slowly so that people and institutions can adapt without rapid disorder.

Approaches to Sociology Conflict Theory: Major Theorist : If I was someone who believed in Conflict Theory my perception of the world would be….

Approaches to Sociology In sociology and biology, conflict theory states that the society or organization functions so that each individual participant and its groups struggle to maximize their benefits, which inevitably contributes to social change such as changes in politics and revolutions. The theory is mostly applied to explain conflict between social classes in ideologies such as socialism and communism. The theory refutes functionalism, which considers that societies and organization function so that each individual and group plays a specific role, like organs in the body. There are radical basic assumptions (it is only conflict, which might explain social change), or moderate ones (custom and conflict are always mixed).

Approaches to Sociology Symbolic Interacitonism: Major Theorist : If I was someone who believed in Symbolic Interactionism my perception of the world would be….

Approaches to Sociology The theory consists of three core principles: meaning, language and thought. These core principles lead to conclusions about the creation of a person’s self and socialization into a larger community (Griffin, 1997). Meaning states that humans act toward people and things according to the meanings that give to those people or things. Symbolic Interactionism holds the principal of meaning to be the central aspect of human behavior. Language gives humans a means by which to negotiate meaning through symbols. Humans identify meaning in speech acts with others.

Approaches to Sociology Thought modifies each individual’s interpretation of symbols. Thought is a mental conversation that requires different points of view. With these three elements the concept of the self can be framed. People use ‘the looking-glass self’: they take the role of the other, imagining how we look to another person. The self is a function of language, without talk there would be no self concept. People are part of a community, where our generalized other is the sum total of responses and expectations that we pick up from the people around us. We naturally give more weight to the views of significant others.

Approaches to Sociology Feminist Sociology: Major Theorist : If I was a Feminist my perception of the world would be….

Approaches to Sociology Feminist theory is distinct from other theoretical perspectives in that it is woman-centered and interdisciplinary, and it actively promotes ways to achieve social justice. Three core questions inform feminist theory: (1) "What about the women?" (2) "Why is the social world as it is?" and (3) "How can we change and improve the social world so as to make it a more just place for women and for all people?" Feminist theorists have also started to question the differences between women, including how race, class, ethnicity, and age intersect with gender. In sum, feminist theory is most concerned with giving a voice to women and highlighting the various ways women have contributed to society

Socialization: all human beings grow up in a social environment. Through social contact, individuals learn to think and act in certain ways. Sociologists call this type of learning socialization. Socialization allows new members to learn the accepted ways of behaving within a specific culture. Dr. Money…. Socialization

Isolates: These children have been physically, socially and emotionally deprived. Researchers have found that they have severe developmental problems Socialization

Agents of Socialization: The types of social contacts or influences we experience. At various stages of life different agents will exert their influence in varying degrees. In the 1 st few years, the family will be the chief agent of socialization, During adolescence, peer groups, school, culture and media will play increasing roles as socializing agents. Later in life, clubs, social or political groups, religious institutions and workplaces become other agents of socialization. Socialization

Neglect is the failure to provide the physical or emotional necessities of life. Physical abuse involves assault or inflicting physical harm; emotional abuse may include repeatedly criticizing the child or subjecting the child to an unhappy or disturbing environment. Where do we draw the line: between Abuse and discipline? Socialization

The family: The first and most significant socializing agent is known as the primary agent of socialization. The family socializes children in both intentional and unintentional ways. Any examples? Socialization

The Peer Group: begins to act as an agents of socialization in the backyard sandbox with neighborhood friends, but it later expands in kindergarten and primary school. From these early contacts, children begin to gain an awareness of how they appear to other people. These new expectations place pressure on young children to conform to the peer group; children who do not conform are often ignored, or they frequently quarrel with their friends and classmates. Socialization

During Adolescence, peer-group influence grows in importance. Young people have more knowledge and skills than the previous generation. On the other hand, children continue to learn basic values from people of all ages, especially those with more life skills and experience Adults tend to actively chose our peer groups since we are no longer restricted by chance or location The influence of peers continues throughout life! Socialization

The School enters a child’s life as an agent of socialization around the age of four or five and remains an important influence for the next 12 to 20 years. The formal curriculum of schools teaches the technical and cultural heritage of society and helps prep students for careers. The informal or hidden curriculum teaches attitudes and habits such as organization reliability, promptness, co- operation and respect for authority. Socialization

The Peer Group: begins to act as an agents of socialization in the backyard sandbox with neighborhood friends, but it later expands in kindergarten and primary school. From these early contacts, children begin to gain an awareness of how they appear to other people. These new expectations place pressure on young children to conform to the peer group; children who do not conform are often ignored, or they frequently quarrel with their friends and classmates. Socialization

Does Culture influence Socialization? Socialization

The sex of an individual whether biologically male or female is determined at conception. Gender on the other hand is learned from birth and throughout life. Gender includes the social roles and psychological characteristics that a society recognizes as appropriate for a man or a woman; Socialization

The Peer Group: begins to act as an agents of socialization in the backyard sandbox with neighborhood friends, but it later expands in kindergarten and primary school. From these early contacts, children begin to gain an awareness of how they appear to other people. These new expectations place pressure on young children to conform to the peer group; children who do not conform are often ignored, or they frequently quarrel with their friends and classmates. Socialization

The Media: It is a powerful agent of socialization. Moreover, the media often presents information as absolute and unquestionable, especially in matters of values taste and culture. Although some images of acceptable lifestyles represent stereotypes, they can still have the power to shape the opinions of a receptive audience Socialization

Personality: Socialization is one of the factors that contributes to personality. Personality is a usually way of thinking, feeling and acting that is unique to an individual. There are 4 major personality theories Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory Charles Horton Cooley and the Looking-Glass Self George Herbert Mead and Role Taking Erik Erikson and Lifelong Development Unstable,, Extroverted, Stable, Introverted Personality

Piaget and Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Stage: Occurs between birth and age 2, Babies look, touch, taste and listen. They know the world, not through thought, but only by direct experience Pre- Operational Stage: occurs between age 2 and 7 Children can experience the world mentally by using forms of communication such as speech and print. Children begin to think about things they are not immediately experiencing. However they still view the world tfrom their own point of view and cannot see things from the point of view of others.. Personality

Piaget and Cognitive Development Concrete Operational stage: Develops between the ages of These children can do complex operations. Such as arithmetic and measurements, as long as the physical objects are present. They learn to think in terms of cause and effect, they can see things from others point of view. Formal Operational Stag begins to develop in adolescence Adolescents can think abstractly that is manipulate ideas without physical objects being present. At this stage they use logic to see what evidence is available to support different ideas. They can also imagine alternative to reality other posibilities in life. Personality

Monday What is Socialization

Thursday How is socialization important to gender classification?