1. Socialization

2. Aim: Students will be able to:
define socialization and personality and understand and explain the significance of social experience to the development of personality.
define nature theory and nurture theory (inclusive f behaviorism) and explain what these theories convey about a human’s biological evolution.
explain the impact of isolation on socialization.
Explain Freud’s theory of human development, including:
Elements of Personality (basic needs – Eros & Thanatos)
Model of Personality (Id, Ego, and Superego)
Personality Development and Sublimation
Aim:

3. Socialization and Personality
Socialization = The lifelong social experience through which human beings develop their human potential and learn culture; the process by which people are taught to be proficient members of a society
Human beings need to socialize (social experiences) to learn their culture and to survive
Social experiences are the foundation of personality
Helps people understand:
Non-material Culture - a society’s values, beliefs, expectations, and norms
Material Culture – the tangible objects a culture uses
Personality = a person’s pattern of acting, thinking, and feeling
Our internalization of external experiences helps personality to develop
Socialization and Personality

4. Darwin’s study of evolution led to the belief that human behavior was a result of instinct (nature):
Genetic; determined by one’s biology
Nature Theory:
Argues that people’s temperament, interests, and aptitudes are ingrained prior to birth
Ignored the impact of culture on a person’s development
Led to the belief that simple societies are less biologically evolved
Became a justification of colonialism
Nature

5. Watson’s theory of behaviorism held that behavior is learned, not instinctive
Humans differ not in how biologically evolved they are, but in their cultural patterns and in how they were nurtured
Nurture Theory:
How a person is cared for
The environment a person exists in
The experiences a person has
Nurture

6. Certain biological traits are inherited from parents
Our personalities are mostly created by learned behaviors
How a person is raised determines whether or not inherited potential is achieved
People can recover from short-term isolation but there is a point at which isolation causes permanent and irreversible damage
Nature and Nurture

7. Understanding Socialization
Important Contributions

8.
Vienna
Social belief = human behavior was biologically fixed
Neurologist
Studied personalities and personality disorders
Founder of psychoanalysis
Psychology
Conscious vs unconscious
Repressed fears
Free association/dream interpretation
Freud

9. Elements of Personality
Biology is important to human development in terms of basic needs (not instinct)
Humans have 2 basic needs:
Eros (life instinct) – sexual bonding and emotional bonding
Thanatos (death instinct) – aggressive drive
These needs demand immediate satisfaction
These needs exist on an unconscious level
These needs are in competition with one another; there is tension between the two
Elements of Personality

10. Id: Humans’ basic drive for pleasure/positive physical sensations
Manifests in self-centeredness
Biological need
Present at birth
Inconsistent with the demands of society
In direct conflict with the superego
Ego: Humans’ conscious effort to balance innate, pleasure-seeking drives with the demands of society
Attempts to avoid frustration
Comes with self-awareness and understanding that we can’t always have what we want
Model of Personality

11. Model of Personality, continued …
Superego: The cultural values and norms internalized by individuals
Acts as a “conscience;” reminds us why we cannot have it all
Learns morality (right vs. wrong)
In conflict with the Id
The journey from Id to Superego takes a person from feeling good/bad physically to feeling good/bad morally
Feeling good morally requires judging one’s behavior against social norms
Model of Personality, continued …

12. Personality Development
Unresolved childhood conflicts result in personality disorders
Sublimation – redirects selfish drives into socially acceptable behavior
Personality Development

13. Reflection:
What social experiences shaped the development of your personality?
What biological traits have you inherited from your parents?
Describe one instance that occurred today during which your Id was in direct conflict with your Superego.
Homework