Socialization Chapter 4

Socialization Definition Process where people learn attitudes, values, and actions appropriate for members of a particular culture  It occurs through human interaction. We can’t stop or control it!!

Socialization Definition  It shapes our personality & self image  PERSONALITY – a person’s typical pattern of attitudes, needs, characteristics, & behavior  Effects of isolation – extreme social deprivation  Harry Harlow Experiment & Feral Children

Harry Harlow Experiment  Harry Harlow’s Monkey Experiment – infant rhesus monkeys separated from real mothers  Exposed to wire dummies – one bare and one covered with soft terry cloth  Even when wire “mothers” gave food, babies preferred soft terry cloth “mothers”

Harry Harlow’s Monkey Experiment

Isolation  Anna and Isabelle – 2 girls who were socially and emotionally abused  Both girls were isolated by their families for being born to unmarried mothers  Learning disabled, physically disabled, socially backward  More on these 2 later!!

The SELF  The total of people’s conscious perceptions of their own identity as distinct from others  It continues to DEVELOP and CHANGE throughout one’s life  Cooley & Mead studied the SELF

THE “LOOKING GLASS SELF” Our Self is a product of our social interactions with other people TThree phases of Developing Self 1. We imagine how we present ourselves to others (friends, family) 2. We imagine how others react to our imagined appearance (attractive, shy, smart)

3. We develop some sort of feeling about ourselves (such as shame or respect) based on these impressions  Not a conscious process  We can develop self-identities based on incorrect perceptions of how others see us!!

THE “LOOKING GLASS SELF”  EXAMPLE – If a student is criticized by a teacher, they might wrongly decide that the teacher thinks he/she is stupid. 1. The teacher criticized me. 2. The teacher must think I’m stupid. 3. I am stupid.

GEORGE MEAD Best known for his theory of the SELF  The Self is the central position of a person’s world  Young children picture themselves as the focus of everything

GEORGE MEAD  As people mature, the Self changes & reflects greater concern of the reactions of others  3 distinct Stages of Self – Role Taking 1. IMITATION – children imitate the people around them without understanding (ages 1-2 yrs. old)

GEORGE MEAD 2. PLAY – child pretends/imagines to be other people, acting & thinking like them (age 3 or 4) 3. GAME – begins to consider several tasks & relationships simultaneously; understands rules and expected roles (age 8 or 9)

GEORGE MEAD  GENERALIZED OTHER – when an individual acts he/she takes into account an entire group of people, i.e. society, community  SIGNIFICANT OTHER – people who are most important in the development of the Self & whose judgments matter the most to us

ERVING GOFFMAN Believed our daily activities attempt to convey impressions of who we are (called the dramaturgical approach) IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT – we may change our Self to please different audiences EX: appear busy when one thinks boss is watching them

ERVING GOFFMAN FACE-WORK – if the Self suffers embarrassment or rejection they try to “save face” to maintain a proper image EX: You don’t get picked up in a singles bar so you say “There isn’t anyone interesting here anyway”

RITES OF PASSAGE Validate changes in a person’s status

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION FAMILY Ex: Girl-pink…..Boy-blue SCHOOL Ex: “Hidden curriculum” – discipline, order, cooperation, conformity Ex: “Sexism in the Classroom-1992 Study” found schools in the U.S. favor boys over girls due to the way they are treated differently

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION Boys are praised for the intelligent content of their work while girls are praised for their neatness Teachers reward boys for their assertiveness/aggressiveness while reprimand girls for the same behavior

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION PEER GROUP As child grows older, family becomes less important Peer groups serve useful purposes. -assist adolescents in gaining some degree of independence from parents. -ease the transition to adult responsibilities.

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION Teenagers imitate their friends because the peer group maintains a meaningful system of rewards and punishments EX: Males spend more time in groups of males Females are more likely to interact with a single other female

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION This pattern reflects differences in levels of emotional intimacy – teenage males are less likely to develop strong emotional ties than females MEDIA Often distorts reality; displays role models for children to imitate

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION WORKPLACE The type of job we decide on is shaped by our culture (female jobs vs. male jobs)

ASCRIBED vs. ACHIEVED status STATUS – socially defined positions within a large group or society. A person holds more than one status simultaneously ASCRIBED – “assigned” to a person by society without regards for the person’s unique talents or personality

ACHIEVED – we earn through our own efforts. You must do something to achieve the status.

Other Vocabulary TOTAL INSTITUTIONS – places where people are isolated & separated from the rest of society (Ex: military, mental hospital, prison) DESOCIALIZATION – process by which people give up old norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors

Other Vocabulary RESOCIALIZATION – the process in which people adopt new norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors Anticipatory Socialization – process of preparing (in advance) for new norms, values, attitudes, & behaviors (usually voluntary) EX: moving from one stage of life to another