1. Part 1: Intro to Socialization

2. What is Socialization?
DEFINITION: the process by which individuals learn the ways of society and culture (basic skills, values, beliefs and appropriate behavior)
Necessary for a successful existence
Lifelong process

3. The Big Questions of Socialization
How do we learn to get along with others?

4. The Big Questions of Socialization
How do we learn to view ourselves as one among others?
How do others influence us?

5. Part 2: The Social Experience

6. What is Personality?
DEFINITION: the sum total of behaviors, attitudes, beliefs & values that are characteristic of an individual
Determines how we adjust to our environment & how we react in certain situations

7. Personality Development: Nature v. Nurture
Charles Darwin (SOCIOBIOLOGY; NATURE):
All human behavior is instinctive; inherited behavioral patterns
John B. Watson (BEHAVIORISM; NURTURE):
All human behavior can be taught and learned

8. Nature or Nurture? Brown eyes Enjoys bungee jumping 6’ tall Red hair
IQ of 150

9. Nature or Nurture?
Weighs 500 pounds
Depressed
Alcoholic
Has cancer

10. Personality Development: Nature v. Nurture
Twin Studies:
Used to determine heritability; VERY important in understanding the role of genes and environment in forming an individual

11. Personality Development: Nature v. Nurture
Premise:
Since identical twins have identical genes, differences between them are solely due to environmental factors

13. Personality Development: Nature v. Nurture
Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein
A classic twinning study

14. The Sociological View
Sociologists believe personality development, or a fairly consistent pattern of acting, thinking and feeling is shaped by BOTH biology and social experience

15. Personality Development: Nature v. Nurture
4 Factors That Influence Personality:
Heredity
Birth Order
Parents
Cultural Environment

16. Heredity
Definition:
Transmission of genetic characteristics from parents to children
Includes aptitude – capacity to learn a particular skill or acquire a particular body of knowledge

17. Birth Order
Research indicates that birth order DOES have an influence on personality development
ONLY CHILDREN: tend to endure pressure to achieve & excel; overactive and socially involved ; many are leaders; often worrisome

18. Birth Order
OLDEST CHILDREN: tend to share traits with only children; cautious & achievement oriented
SUBSEQUENT CHILDREN: better in social relationships; more affectionate; friendly & creative; more sensitive & humorous

19. Silverman’s Class: Birth Order & Average GPA
Oldest/Only Child: 15
Average GPA: 3.58
Youngest Child: 14
Average GPA: 3.35

20. Parents A child’s FIRST attachment is to his or her mother
Later, both parents serve as role models & shape perception of sex roles & family members
Parental characteristics can influence level of education, religious affiliation, cultural heritage, economic status and occupation

21. Cultural Environment
A society’s cultural environment may determine which personality traits are emphasized
For example, American culture emphasizes competition and success

22. Social Isolation Effects on Nonhuman Primates:
The Harry Harlow Experiments
Results?

23. Social Isolation: Effect on Children
Feral Children:
Wild or untamed children
Raised in isolation
Case Studies:
Anna & Isabelle
Genie, “The Wild Child”
Results?

24. Part 3: The Process of Socialization
Much research forms the basis for our understanding of human development…

25. The Concept of Self
Definition: your conscious awareness of possessing a distinct identity that separates you and your environment from other members of society
How do you develop a sense of self?

26. Charles Horton Cooley: The Looking Glass Self
Developing an image of oneself based on how we think others see us
“I am, who I think, you think I am.”

27. George Herbert Meade: The Social Self
Role Taking:
Take roles of others in society to better understand what YOUR expectations are
Usually starts with your closest relationships -“significant others”
We internalize the attitudes, expectations, and viewpoints of society – the “generalized other”

28. George Herbert Meade: The Social Self
I and ME
I is the unsocialized spontaneous, self-interested component of personality & self-identity
ME is the part of ourselves that is aware of the expectations and attitudes of society – the socialized self
In childhood, the I component is stronger than the ME

29. Part 4: Agents of Socialization

30. Agents of Socialization
Family
Peer Group
School
Mass Media

31. Agents of Socialization
The FAMILY: Structured
Principal agent of ALL children (0-adolescense)
Can be deliberate or unconscious
EXAMPLES:
Deliberate socialization?
Unconscious socialization?
Deliberate – honesty; Unconscious – profanity

32. Agents of Socialization
The PEER GROUP: Loose
Primary group; composed of those similar in age & background
Increasing importance during adolescence; focuses on the skills necessary to “fit in” to subculture
Group goals are often at odds with societal goals

33. Agents of Socialization
The SCHOOL: Highly Structured
Deliberate socialization
EXAMPLES:
Class activities/academic subjects
Values education
***Peer groups present; family involvement

34. Agents of Socialization
The MASS MEDIA: Loose
TV, radio, magazines, internet, newspaper, etc.
Unconscious socialization (debatable)
Most influential form of mass media?
Television (98% of homes; 7 hours/day)

35. Agents of Socialization
Positive Impact of Mass Media:
Exposure to certain elements of society that one might not otherwise be exposed to
Negative Impact of Mass Media:
Exposure to violence
Impact of “popular” culture

36. Agents of Socialization
Secondary Agents of Socialization:
Clubs & Organizations (Boys Scouts, etc.)
Religious Affiliation
Government
Ethnic Group
Work

37. Agents of Socialization
Total Institutions:
Isolates members from the rest of society
EXAMPLES:
Prisons, psychiatric hospitals, monasteries
Generally, the primary goal of total institutions is to RESOCIALIZE, or the break with past experiences & learn new values

38. Part 5: Socialization & the Life Course

39. Stage 1: Childhood Childhood: First 12 years of life
Characterized by a certain level of freedom from responsibilities
Must acquire key life lessons

40. Stage 2: Adolescence Definition:
The period between the normal onset of puberty and the beginning of adulthood
Puberty:
The physical maturing that makes an individual capable of sexual reproduction
In the U.S., generally considered ages 12 to 19…now 25?

41. Stage 2: Adolescence Adolescence is NOT universal
In many preindustrial societies, young people go directly from childhood to adulthood
In the U.S. 3 factors create this distinct life stage
Education (mandatory until age 16)
Child Labor Laws
Juvenile Justice System

42. Stage 2: Adolescence Characteristics of Adolescence:
Biological Growth & Development
Changes can cause anxiety or embarrassment, especially if individual is physically way ahead or behind peers
Undefined Status
Some adults treat adolescents as children, others treat them as adults

43. Stage 2: Adolescence Increased Decision Making
Making many of their own decisions for the first time
Increased Pressure
From multiple sources: parents, friends, school, society

44. Stage 2: Adolescence Search for Self
Determining personal values and priorities, & figuring out role he/she will play in society
Anticipatory Socialization
Learning the rights, obligations, and expectations of a role to prepare for assuming that role in the future
Examples?

45. Stage 3: Adulthood
Jobs, finance, marriage, pregnancy, health, fitness, stress, divorce, physical changes, death, etc.

46. Stage 3: Adulthood (Men)
Issues:
Tough Trap
Accidents
Violence
Suicide

47. Stage 3: Adulthood (Women)
Issues:
Beauty Trap
Eating Disorders
Depression
Double Standards

48. Stage 3: Adulthood Later Years
Issues:
Young-Old (ages 65-74)
adjustment to retirement
Middle-Old (ages75-84) & Old-Old (ages 85+)
adjustment to physical and mental functioning, adjustment to dependency and impending death