Transcript personality
SOCIALIZING THE INDIVIDUAL Personality Development PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT What comes to mind when you hear the word personality? Personality – the sum total of behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and values that are characteristic of an individual Our personality determines how we adjust to our environment and how we react in specific situations No two individuals have the same personality PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT People’s personalities continue to develop throughout their lifetime Personality development is more obvious during childhood…why? Rapid physical, emotional, and intellectual growth During adulthood, personality traits change at a slower pace Personality development varies from person to person NATURE VERSUS NURTURE For many years, sociologists have debated what determines personality and social behavior…heredity or environment? Heredity – the transmission of genetic characteristics from parents to children Social Environment – contact with other people This debate is usually referred to as “Nature vs. Nurture” Inherited genetic characteristics vs. environment and social learning NATURE VERSUS NURTURE What do you think? Nature Nurture NATURE VERSUS NURTURE The nature viewpoint states that behavior is instinctual in origin Instinct – an unchanging, biologically inherited behavior pattern The nurture viewpoint states that a person’s behavior and personality are the result of their social environment and learning Pavlov’s Dogs Psychologist John B. Watson believed that he could take a dozen healthy babies and train them to become anything he wanted… FACTOR #1 – HEREDITY Everyone has certain characteristics that are present at birth: Body build Hair type Eye color Skin pigmentation Hereditary characteristics also include certain aptitudes Aptitude – a capacity to learn a particular skill or acquire a particular body of knowledge Example – Natural talent for music, art, or athletics FACTOR #2 – BIRTH ORDER Our personalities are influenced by whether we have brothers, sisters, or neither The order in which we are born into our families also influence our personalities How might the order in which you were born impact your personality? BIRTH ORDER Firstborn Children: Later-born Children: Achievement-oriented Better social relationships Responsible More affectionate Conservative More friendly Defend the status quo Risk-takers FACTOR #3 – PARENTAL CHARACTERISTICS Personality development in children is also influenced by the characteristics of their parents The age of parents can impact their children’s development Parents in their 20’s >>>>>>>>>> Parents in their 40’s Other parental characteristics that can influence a child’s personality development Level of education / occupation Religious orientation Economic status Cultural heritage FACTOR #4 – CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT The cultural environment can determine basic types of personalities that will be found in a society Each culture gives rise to a series of personality traits that are typical of members of that society…model personalities United States = Competitiveness, Assertiveness, and Individualism CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT How we experience our culture also influences our personality Experiences differ depending on whether you are male or female Subcultures affect personality: Growing up in an Italian family Growing up in an Irish family Having a family with no heritage Different regions of the country Different types of neighborhoods ISOLATION IN CHILDHOOD Several instances exist in which children have been raised without the influence of a cultural environment Feral children – Wild or untamed children Sometimes found living with animal Sometimes found isolated in their own homes Other than appearance, they have few human characteristics: No ability to control their bodily functions No reasoning ability No manners EXAMPLES OF CHILDHOOD ISOLATION Anna and Isabelle Anna was born to an unmarried woman (enraged her father) Forced to live in isolation in the attic She was not spoken to, held, bathed, or loved Discovered by a social worker at the age of 6 She could not walk, talk, or feed herself Over time she learned simple tasks Anna died at the age of 10 EXAMPLES OF CHILDHOOD ISOLATION Isabelle’s grandfather kept her and her deaf mother confined to a dark room Isabelle did have the advantage of her mother’s company Mom and daughter only communicated through gestures Isabelle was found at the age of 6 Crawled on her hands and knees Made grunting, animal – like sounds Ate with her hands ISABELLE’S STORY…CONTINUED Isabelle was originally thought to be incapable of speech Began speaking after several months of intensive training After two years, she reached a level of social and mental development consistent with her age group Experts believed Isabelle’s constant contact with her mother allowed her to overcome her early social deprivation ISOLATION IN CHILDHOOD…GENIE Genie was discovered in 1970 at the age of 13 Confined to a small bedroom from the age of 20 months Spent her days tied to a potty-chair She was beaten if she made noise When Genie’s father interacted with her, he would behave like an angry dog (barking, growling, baring his teeth) When Genie was found she had the social and psychological skills of a one-year-old Genie did learn basic social norms Never able to function as a social being INSTITUTIONALIZATION Sociologists have studied the human development of children living in institutions Institutions include hospitals and orphanages These children show some of the same characteristics as isolated children Children received food and shelter but little or no contact These cases show the importance of human interaction for social and psychological development THE SOCIAL SELF At birth…babies cannot talk, walk, feed themselves, or protect themselves People are transformed into participating members of society through: Interactions with their social environment Interactions with their cultural environment Socialization – Interactive process through which people learn the skills, values, beliefs, and behavior patterns of a society THE SOCIAL SELF Many theories exist to explain how people become socialized and develop a sense of self Self – Conscious awareness of possessing a distinct identity that separates your and your environment from other members of society We will look at three theories of socialization: John Locke Charles Horton Cooley George Herbert Mead LOCKE: THE TABULA RASA English philosopher from the 1600s Thought that each newborn was a tabula rasa…or clean slate Locke felt we were born without personalities We acquire our personalities from social experiences Believed he could shape a newborn’s personality (Watson) Most sociologists believe socialization is a process Through socialization, we develop a sense of society COOLEY: THE LOOKING-GLASS SELF Looking – glass self – The interactive process by which we develop an image of ourselves based on how we imagine we appear to others Other people act as a mirror, reflecting back the image we project through their reactions to our behavior The looking – glass self is a three-step process: First, we imagine how others see us Second, we imagine how others are judging us Finally, we use perceptions of how others judge us to develop feelings about ourselves COOLEY: THE LOOKING – GLASS SELF The process of identity development begins very early in childhood Newborn babies have no sense of person or place Members of the child’s primary group interact with the infant They provide the child with a mirror that reflects his or her image…they talk to the child, they reward or punish behavior This theory puts a lot of responsibility on parents: Parents who think little of a child’s ability = inferiority in the child Parents who treat their child as capable and competent = capable and competent children MEAD: ROLE – TAKING Seeing ourselves as others see us is only the beginning Mead visualized role – taking as a three step process: Imitation, play, and games Children under three lack a sense of self…therefore, they can only imitate the actions of others At around three, children begin to play and act out roles This is the first time children see the world through someone else’s eyes ROLE – TAKING CONTINUED By the time children reach school age, they play organized games Organized games require children to take on roles The game stage of role-taking most closely resembles real life Through role-taking, an individual develops a sense of self I = The unsocialized, spontaneous, self-interested component of personality and self-identity Me = The part of ourselves that is aware of the expectations and attitudes of society ROLE – TAKING CONTINUED In childhood, the I component is stronger than the me component Through socialization, “me” acts together with “I” This socialization brings a person’s actions in line with the expectations of society “Me” never dominates “I” A well-rounded member of society is a person with both aspects of self AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION Agents of socialization – Specific individuals, groups, and institutions that enable socialization to take place Agents of socialization: Family Peer Group School Media FAMILY Most important agent of socialization Children learn the values, norms, and beliefs of society through their families Socialization in a family can be both deliberate and unintended Deliberate = Importance of telling the truth, How to save money Unintended = Important to be polite…parents not always polite Socialization process differs from family to family PEER GROUP As children get older, they relate more and more to peer groups Peer group – A primary group composed of individuals or roughly equal age and similar social characteristics Extremely influential during pre-teen and teenage years Parents become worried that the norms and values of the peer group are more important than those of the family or society SCHOOL School occupies large amounts of time and attention The majority of socialization in school is deliberate Schools transmit cultural values, patriotism, and responsibility Unintentional socialization can occur MASS MEDIA Mass media involves no face-to-face interaction Mass media – Instruments of communication that reach larger audiences with no personal contact between those sending and receiving the information Mass media includes books, television, movies, and the Internet Which form of mass media do you feel has the most influence? Television probably has the most influence (98% of homes) NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF MEDIA What are some negative socialization effects of mass media? Research indicates: By the age of 18, most children have witnessed 200,000 fictional act of violence This includes 16,000 murders Can fictional violence create aggressive individuals? Media can include positive socialization: Introduces viewers to new subjects and places Informs the viewers RESOCIALIZATION Total Institution – A setting in which people are isolated from the rest of society for a set period of time and are subject to tight control Examples of total institutions: Prisons Military Boot Camp Monasteries Psychiatric Hospitals RESOCIALIZATION Total institutions are concerned with resocializing their members Resocialization – A break with past experiences and the learning of new values and norms Most total institutions are concerned with changing an individual's personality and behavior People in total institutions are denied freedoms enjoyed by the outside world