Transcript Socialization - Reading Community Schools

Socialization
Chapter 3
What is Human Nature?
Nature(heredity) versus nurture
(social environment)
Social Environment- the entire
human environment, including
direct contact w/ others
Feral Children
Def- children assumed to have been
raised by animals, in the wilderness,
isolated from other humans
‘The wild boy of Aveyron’ was found in
the forests of France, taken to a lab &
studied
He ‘walked’ on all fours, growled at
small animals & devoured them
uncooked
Isolated Children
Children who grow up isolated from
human contact
Isabelle was locked in the attic w/ her
deaf mother. She was found at 6 & a half
(with no language skills) & went through
intense therapy, able to live out the rest
of her life normally
Without language, there can be no
culture- no shared way of life-& culture is
the key to what people become
Institutionalized Children
What else is necessary for healthy
development?
Studies were done on children in
orphanages
They had difficulty establishing close ties & had
lower than average I.Q.s
The study showed that those infants who were
assigned someone to care for & love them had
higher IQs & had more success in life. Whereas
those left at the orphanage did far worse
The study was repeated in India
w/ the same results. They added
play & interaction to the activities
for the children which increased
the IQs even more
The Case of Genie
Genie was locked in a small room, by her
father, from the time she was 20mths to the
age of 13. (her father may have caused the
death of 2 of her siblings)
When found she couldn’t speak, didn’t know
how to chew, was unable to stand upright, &
couldn’t straighten her hands or legs. She
had the intelligence of a 1 yr. old
After intense training she learned to walk,
learned primitive language, took what ever
she wanted, & went to the bathroom
wherever she wanted. She was moved to an
institution.
What does Genie tell us?
Language & human bonding MUST
take place before age 13 for it to
effect their intelligence, ability to be
sociable, & follow norms
Studies w/ animals showed that
isolation for more than 6 mths. had
a profound negative effect on
animals.
There is a critical stage of learningif it is missed it may be impossible
to overcome
Socialization into the Self
& Mind
Socialization- the process of which
people learn that characteristics of their
group- the knowledge, skills, attitudes,
values, & actions thought appropriate
for them
Self- the unique human capacity of
being able to see ourselves ‘from the
outside’; the views we internalize of
how others see us
Looking-Glass Self
Def- refers to the process by which our self
develops through internalizing others’
reaction to us. Developed by Cooley
3 Elements
We imagine how we appear to those around us
We interpret others’ reactions
We develop a self-concept
Although the self-concept begins in
childhood, its development is an ongoing,
lifelong process
Mead & Role Taking
Take the role of the other- putting oneself
in someone else’s shoes; understanding
how someone else feels & thus anticipating
how that person will act. Developed in
childhood
Significant others- individuals who
significantly influence our lives. First
people that children role pay as.
Generalized Other- the norms, values,
attitudes, & expectations of people, ‘in
general’; the child’s ability to take the role
of the generalized other is a significant step
in the development of a self
3 stages in taking the role of others
1. Imitation- children under 3
2. Play- from age 3-6 - take on the role
of a specific person (Superman, Wonder
Woman, etc) using costumes
3. Games- Organized play, learn to take
multiple roles. ex. Baseball
The I and me
The I is the self as subject- the active,
spontaneous, creative part
The me is the self as object- made up of
attitudes we internalize from our
interactions w/others
Ex. I shoved him. He shoved me.
Piaget & Development
Studied the ability to reason & how
we learn it
4 stages of development of reasoning
1. Sensorimotor Stage (birth to 2)
Understanding limited to direct contact
w/ environment with the senses. Do not
recognize cause & effect
2. Preoperational Stage (2-7)
Develop the ability to use symbols, do
not understand size, speed, perspective
Concrete Operational (7-12)
Understand numbers, causation,
speed, able to take they role of
others, participate in team games.
Cannot describe things w/out
concrete examples
Formal Operational (>12)
Capable of abstract thinking,
concepts, come to conclusions based
on general principles & use rules to
solve abstract problems
Piaget’s theory is not as distinct as
he concluded it is being refined
A basic structure underlies the way
we develop reasoning, and
children all over the world begin
with concrete & move to the
abstract
Social experiences can modify
these stages. Some argue that
those who attend college can think
more abstractly than those who do
not
Freud & Personality
Development
Id- Freud’s term for our inborn basic
drives that cause us to seek selfgratification
Runs into roadblock- the needs of others
Ego- Freud’s term for a balancing force
b/w the id and the demands of society
Superego- Freud’s term for the
conscience, the internalized norms &
values of our social groups
The moral component of the personality
The Superego provides feelings of
guilt or shame when we break
social rules, or pride & selfsatisfaction when we follow them
If a person is maladjusted the id or
superego dominates the person
leading to internal confusion &
problem behaviors
Sociological Evaluation of Freud
Freud’s theory deny that factors like
social class & interaction underlie
behavior
Development of Morality
Kohlberg’s Theory1. Amoral stage (no right or wrong just
personal needs)
2. Preconventional stage- ages 7-10learned the rules & follow them to stay
out of trouble, concern is to avoid
punishment, right & wrong is based on
what pleases or displeases parents,
friends, adults;
3. Conventional stage- over age 10,
morality is defined as following norms &
values;
"Heinz Steals the Drug
In Europe, a woman was near death from
a special kind of cancer. There was one
drug that the doctors thought might save
her. It was a form of radium that a
druggist in the same town had recently
discovered. The drug was expensive to
make, but the druggist was charging ten
times what the drug cost him to make. He
paid $200 for the radium and charged
$2,000 for a small dose of the drug.
The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to
everyone he knew to borrow the money,
but he could only get together about $
1,000 which is half of what it cost. He told
the druggist that his wife was dying and
asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay
later. But the druggist said: "No, I
discovered the drug and I'm going to make
money from it." So Heinz got desperate
and broke into the man's store to steal the
drug-for his wife. Should the husband have
done that? (Kohlberg, 1963)."
4. Postconventional Stage- most
people never reach- individuals
reflect on abstract principles of
right & wrong & judge a behavior
according to these principles
Gender Differences in
Morality
Since Gohlberg used only boys,
Gilligan decided to find out if there
were differences b/w men & women
in how they looked at morality
Women were more likely to evaluate
morality in terms of personal
relationships- how actions affect
others, more concerned w/ personal
loyalties & w/ the harm that might
come to loved ones
Men tend to think more along the lines of
abstract principles that define what is right
or wrong. An action either matches or
violates a code of ethics & personal
relationships have little to do w/ it
When her research was tested it was found
that both men & women use personal
relationships & abstract principles to make
moral judgments- causing her to change
her original position
However, some researchers have found
differences in how men & women make
moral judgments- so the debate goes oneno one has used sociological research with
morality
Socialization into Emotions
Facial expressions to emotions are
universal- linked to biology
Expressing Emotions are a matter of
socialization
Ex. In the US it is more acceptable for
women to express their emotions than for
men. People of different classes have
different greetings in seeing a long absent
friend. You are more likely to show emotions
when you are with people you are closer to
rather than w/strangers
Socialization also affects what we
feel. Other cultures have different
or more emotions or different
words for these emotions
Social Mirror- the result of
socialized into a self and emotions
Your experiences in life results in
thinking along certain lines &
feeling certain emotions
Ex. You think about how others will
react if you do certain things
Socialization into Gender
Gender socialization- the ways which
society sets children onto different
courses in life because they are male &
female
By expecting different attitudes &
behaviors b/c of gender groups nudge
boys & girls in separate directions in life
Gender messages from parents
Parents tend to be more protective of
girls, allow/expect boys to get dirtier
& roam further
Gender Messages from Peers
Peer group- a group of individuals of
roughly the same age who are linked
by common interests
Reinforces the process set up by
parents
Ex. It isn’t ‘cool’ for boys to play w/
Barbies
Gender Messages from the
Mass Media
Mass Media- forms of
communication such as radio,
newspapers, and TV that are
directed to mass audiences
Gender Roles- the behaviors &
attitudes considered appropriate
b/c one is a male or female
Advertising- average US child
watches 20,000 commercials a
year. Those aimed a children show
cooperative girls at home &
aggressive boys in other places.
Girls are more likely to be
portrayed as giggly & less capable.
Adult men are portrayed as
dominate & rugged, women as
sexy & submissive. Results in
stereotyping.
Television- TV reinforces
stereotypes. In primetime male
characters outnumber females.
Males are portrayed in higher-status
positions. Women athletes receive
less coverage than men.
Stereotype-breaking charactersXena: Warrior Princess, Buffy, the
Vampire Slayer, Alias, Kim Possible,
Powerpuff Girls. However these
‘powerful’ female characters are all
skinny, pretty, & fashion conscience
sending a mixed message
Video Games- the average American
spends 75 hrs. a year playing video
games. The influence of gender in
video games is currently being studied.
However, most women in video games
are seen a sexual first all else is
secondary
Social inequality- a social condition in
which privileges & obligations are given
to some but denied to others.
Gender still serves as the primary basis
for social inequality.
Agents of Socialization
Def- people or groups that affect our
self-concept, attitudes, behaviors, or
other orientations towards life.
The Family- the 1st group to have a
major lifelong impact on us. Most of
the ways parents teach children about
expected differences in gender involves
nonverbal cues.
The Family & Social Class
Researchers discovered that
socialization depends on a family’s social
class
Ex. Working-class parents are mainly
concerned about their kids staying out of
trouble & use physical punishment. Middleclass parents focus on developing curiosity,
self-expression & self-control. They are
more likely to use reasoning rather than
punishment. The differences may be based
on how the parents are treated at work
The Neighborhood
Children from poor neighborhoods are
more likely to get in trouble w/ the law,
become pregnant, drop out of school,
even have worse mental health.
Residents in more affluent
neighborhoods are more likely to watch
out for the kids- not b/c they are better
but b/c there is less transition in
wealthier neighborhoods
Religion
Influences values, the difference
b/w right & wrong
Participation in religious services
teaches us what is expected at
formal events (dress, speech,
manners)
Even people in non-religious homes
are affected by religion b/c it is so
significant in society
Day Care
Def- as care by anyone other than the
mother- including other relatives & the
father
Children who spend more hours in day
care have weaker bonds w/ mom, more
likely to fight, to be cruel, & to be
‘mean’
Those who spend less time in day care
are more cooperative & more
affectionate towards mom
Why? The study was not designed
to determine this. Could be less
contact w/ mom, mom’s less
concerned or less familiar w/ their
kids
Positive side of Day Care
Higher scores on language tests
School
Manifest function- to transmit knowledge &
skills
Latent Functions- socialization, attitudes &
values needed to take a place in the world
Hidden curriculum- values that are not
explicitly taught but are part of the schools
‘message’ ex. Patriotism, democracy,
justice, honesty
Corridor Curriculum- what students teach
one another outside the classroom
Peer Groups
As you age the influence of the family
lessens & the influence of peers increases
Going against the group is almost
impossible since the golden rule of peer
groups is conformity or rejection
Anyone who doesn’t do what the others
want becomes an ‘outsider’ or an ‘outcast’
The standards of our peer group dominate
our lives- music, clothing styles, dating
standards, etc.
Sports & Competitive
Success
What do boys learn from sports?
Success in sports = masculinity
Encourages instrumental
relationships- those based on what
you can get out of people
What girls learn?
Less likely to base self-concept on
competitive success
Workplace
Anticipatory socialization- because
one anticipates a future role, one
learns parts of it now.
Sort of a rehearsal for a future role
The more you participate in a line
of work, the more the work
becomes part of your self-concept
Resocialization
Def- the process of learning new
norms, values, attitudes, &
behaviors
Ex. Newly divorced, entering college
or high school, AA
Total Institutions
Def- a place in which people are cut off
from the rest of society & are almost
totally controlled by the officials who run
the place
Rare for most people to encounter
Ex. Boot camp, prisons, concentration
camps, convents, religious cults, some
boarding schools
Degradation ceremony- term coined by
Harold Garfinkel to describe an attempt to
remake the self by stripping away an
individual’s self-identity & stamping a new
identity in its place
Sometimes involves giving up the
personal identity kit (jewelry,
hairstyles, clothing). May also
include fingerprinting, photographing,
shaving the head. Can include
undergoing a semi-public physical
exam, stripping down & receiving a
uniform
Eating, sleeping, showering,
recreation are standardized
No one leaves a total institution
unscathed
Socialization through the
life course
Life course- the stages of our life
as we go from birth to death
1. As you pass through a stage it
affects your behavior & orientations
2. Your life course differs by social
location- social class, race-ethnicity,
& gender
Childhood (birth to 12)
The experiences in childhood are
affected by social location, geography &
history. Technology is an increasingly
important aspect of childhood- TV
shows children images of murder, war,
other violence
Social locations are as vital as biology,
for they determine what childhood will
be like for us
Adolescence (13-17)
Adolescence is a social invention
Developed during the 1900s. Before
adulthood followed childhood
Develop their own subculturedistinctive clothing, hairstyles,
language, gestures, music
Initiation rites- mark the transition into
adulthood. Used by many tribal
societies
Transitional Adulthood
(18-29)
Def- a term that refers to a period
following high school when young adults
have not yet taken on the
responsibilities ordinarily associated w/
adulthood; aka adultolescence
Ex. College students
Only after living on your own- with all adult
responsibilities are you ‘officially’ an adult
The Middle Years (30-65)
The Early Middle Years (30-49)
People are more sure of themselves
in this stage
Are major jolts- divorce, loosing job
Special problems for women- the
idea of being ‘super’- supermom,
superwife, etc.
The Later Middle Years (50-65)
Health & mortality become issuescloser to death than birth
May have to care for
children/grandchildren & aging
parents
Sometimes called the ‘sandwich
generation’
Can be the most comfortable stagejob security, house paid off, no kids at
home, etc.
The Older Years (65+)
The Early Older Years
‘newer’ stage since people in the past
died by this point
Retirement stage
If health is good- stage is goodalthough death is on the horizon
The later Older Years
Marked by growing frailty or failing
health
Can start at any age- since it is based
on health
Significance of Life Course
Although biology is an important factor
in the life course so are social factors
When you were born can determine
how far in your life course you go
Where you were born (social location)
also determines how far you go or when
you move from stage to stage (ex.
Transitional adolescence)