1. Social Relationships: Self, Groups, & Socialization
Domain 3
Social Relationships:
Self, Groups, & Socialization

2. The Process of Socialization

3. Sociologists use the term agents of socialization to describe the specific individuals, groups, and institutions that enable socialization to take place.

4. Primary Agents of Socialization

5. The Family Most important in almost all societies
Main job: socialize young children
Kids learn values, norms, and beliefs

6. Variances in Family Socialization
Deliberate: intended socialization activities
Unintended: sometimes more important
There is so much variety in family, the socialization process varies
Family size, race, parents, ethnicity, religion, etc.

7. The Peer Group
The older you get, the more important influences are outside the family
Includes your peer group: people of equal age and similar social characteristics

8. Influence of Peer Groups
Most important during pre-teen and early teen years
Many try to gain acceptance and try to be the kind of person their peer groups expects
Can battle with the norms and values of the family

9. The School A huge influence between the ages of 5 and 18
Deliberate: relate academic skills, social skills, and cultural values
Any unintended lessons:

10. The Mass Media Socialization without face-to-face interaction
Includes books, films, the Internet, magazines, newspapers, radio, and television

11. Which form of Mass Media has the most influence on children?

12. Television 98% of American homes have TVs
The average house has at least two TVs
Most children watch 28 hours of TV a week (4 hours a day)

13. Deviance & Conformity
Deviance: behavior that violates significant social norms
Conformity: behavior that complies with society’s expectations
Which is the most important?

14. The Nature of Deviance Violation of norms is inevitable
Can depend on the situation
Can depend on the society

15. Deviance Helps Society!
Clarifies norms
Unifies the group
Promotes social change
Provides jobs

16. Who Doesn’t Conform?
Most criminals are white males, aged

17. Social Construction of the Self

18. I & Me
Me: what we learn from interacting with others; our knowledge of right and wrong
I: how we react to society; our individuality
George Herbert Mead

19. Role-taking: another Mead theory
The Preparatory Stage: birth to age two; we mimic those around us
The Play Stage: age two to six; make up the rules as you go
The Game Stage: age seven and up; understand rules and consequences

20. Generalized Other Refers to the viewpoint of the social group at large
Sometimes we act a certain way because it is expected by…who?

21. Identity
The qualities, beliefs, personality, looks, and expressions that make a person or group.

22. Social Construction of Groups

23. Reference Groups
Any group used to evaluate and determine the successes or failures of an individual or group

24. Primary & Secondary Groups
Primary: typically small groups whose members share close, personal, enduring relationships (family and friends)
Secondary: large groups whose relationships are impersonal and goal oriented; tend to be temporary

25. In-Groups & Out-Groups
There are a ton of different groups we can identify with (our in-groups) and those that we don’t identify with (out-groups)