SOCIALIZATION

• Personality- unique pattern of thoughts,

characteristics and behaviour
• How society effects human development,
nature v. nurture, are we prisoners of
socialization?
Socialization is the
process by which
people learn the
characteristics of
their group-
knowledge, skills,
attitudes, values
and actions
appropriate for them
Also…
Socialization may be
broadly defined as the
learning of skills and
attitudes necessary for
playing given social
roles within a social
group
• The process through which
the individual acquires
culture, (knowledge, value,
etc.).
• The socialization process is
the way through which an
individual learns as a result
of interaction w/ the
environment
The given social roles as well as the
attitudes and skills will vary from one
social group to another..

• Does being a woman mean being able to build a house?

• No one set of attitudes and skills is better than any other
but is adapted to that particular social context
• Humans learning to be humans
• To be “made social”
• Socialization is developmental stages +
learning/exposure
– Potty training, reading, playing soccer…
– My wife vs. me… reading interesting example
Different social groups will also have
different theories of learning as well as
different ideas about child development
and the roles children should play

• Nature and nurture effect human

development

• Societal interaction is a key to human

development- shown in studies of feral
and isolated children

• Language, social contact and

interaction allow humans develop in
emotionally “healthy” human beings.
This is known as the social environment
(entire human environment including
direct contact with others)

• Language is not natural it is learned

• The family is the primary agent of

socialization
Playing a social role in a social group is
about assuming a particular identity within
that particular social context

• A big sister
• A class clown
• A bully
Although there may be general things all
people in a social group should learn,
people will learn different skills and
attitudes as they participate in different
social groups
Learning different skills and attitudes is
about access to participating in a particular
social role in a particular social group

• Learning is therefore always fused to

power relations
• Getting access, excluding access are
often being negotiated and under conflict
 One learns across the lifecourse,
not just as a child
• When one enters
a new job
• When one enters
a new phase of
life: toddlerhood
vs. elderhood
People participate in different social groups
across their everyday lives and lifespans, and
switch roles across those contexts.
Socialization is linked to a social group’s
social continuity and transformation
reciprocally.
 Types of Socialization
• Deliberate Socialization
• Unconscious Socialization
 Deliberate Socialization
• Refers to the socialization process
when there exists a deliberate and
purposeful intent to convey values,
attitudes, knowledge, skill, etc.
(culture).
 Examples of Deliberate
Socialization
a) School situation
b) Parents telling a child to always say
"please."
 Unconscious Socialization

• Socialization which occurs as a

result of spontaneous interaction
w/no purposeful or deliberate
attempt on the part of anyone
involved to train, educate, etc.
 Example of Unconscious
Socialization:
• The child learning to use vulgarity in
a frustrating traffic situation by
observing parents.
How do people learn?

How did you learn to be a

man/woman? How did you learn the
skills and attitudes associated with
being your gender?
How do people learn?
• By participating
in that social
group!
• Observation
• Some direct
instruction, but
much less than
one would get in
a school
 Learning as participation in a
social group
• “Legitimate peripheral
participation”
• One never fully masters the role
one plays in that group; one is
always learning: being a good
mother, for instance.
• Over time, one’s participation
increases gradually in
engagement and complexity
Why do people want to learn the
attitudes and skills of the roles
appropriate to a given social
group?
 Aims of Socialization:
1. To instill disciplines
– Ex. Don't walk in front of a moving car
2. To develop aspirations and ambitions
– Ex. I want to be a nun, rock star, great sociologist.
3. To develop skills
– Ex. Reading, drving, etc.
4. To enable the acquisition of social roles
– Ex. Male, student, etc.
 THEORIES of
SOCIALIZATION
 Functionalism
• Consensus Theory
• Derived from Durkheim, Parsons & Merton
• Stresses how socialization contributes
to a stable society.
• Based on premise that all aspects of
society– institutions, roles, norms– all
serve a purpose and that all are
indispensible for the long term survival
Source: http://www.elcivics.com/esl/bicycles/lesson-2.html
 Conflict Theory
• Power & Conflict Theory
• Derived from Karl Marx & Max Webber
• Views Socialization as a way for the
powerful to preserve the status quo.
• Conflict is ongoing, persistent and a
fundamental part of our society.
 Symbolic Interactionism

• Interaction & Interpretation Theory

• Derived from Blumer, Mead, Goffman
• Holds that socialization is a major
determinant of human nature.
• Human behavior is determined not only by the
objective facts of a situation but also by how
people define that situation– that is, by the
meaning they attribute to it.
 Mujahideen
• A mujahid is one who strives or struggles
on behalf of Islam; mujahideen is the
plural of the same word. The word mujahid
is an Arabic participle drawn from the
same root as the Arabic word jihad, to
strive or struggle.
• Source:
• http://terrorism.about.com/od/m/g/Mujahideen.htm#&newsissues
accessed: Sept. 5, 2014
 WHAT JIHAD IS

• The Arabic word "jihad" is often translated as

"holy war," but in a purely linguistic sense, the
word " jihad" means struggling or striving.
• In a religious sense, as described by the Quran
and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (s),
"jihad" has many meanings. It can refer to
internal as well as external efforts to be a good
Muslims or believer, as well as working to inform
people about the faith of Islam.
 Continuation…
If military jihad is required to protect the faith
against others, it can be performed using
anything from legal, diplomatic and economic to
political means. If there is no peaceful
alternative, Islam also allows the use of force,
but there are strict rules of engagement.
Innocents - such as women, children, or invalids
- must never be harmed, and any peaceful
overtures from the enemy must be accepted.
Source:
http://islamicsupremecouncil.org/understanding-islam/legal-rulings/5-jihad-a-misundersto
od-concept-from-islam.html?start=9 Accessed: Sept. 5, 2014
http://www.chronicle.co.zw/suicide-bomber-kills-30-at-funeral/
http://lolsnaps.com/news/26294/0/
http://theuglytruth.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/debunking-th
e-suicide-for-72-virgins-myth/
 Theories of Human
Development
• Humans develop reasoning skills, personality,
emotions, morals and a sense of self through
social observation, contact and interaction.
• Major theories- Cooley’s “looking glass self”,
Mead and role taking, Piaget and stages of
development, Kohlberg’s stages of
development, and Carol Gilligan’ stages of
development.
 Looking Glass Self and Role
Taking
Looking Glass Self (1902)
❑ Each to a looking glass reflects the other that doth
pass.

• Charles Cooley- coined the term. It is the process by

which a person’s sense of self develops from
interactions with others.

• 1-Imagine how we appear to those around us

2-Intrperet others reactions 3- develop self- concept

• The self is never a finished product, it is always a

process
 Generalized others theory
Mead and Role Taking (1934)
• In order to take the role of the other the
person needs to put themselves in the
other persons shoes

• Not born with this ability- during childhood

this is developed through play

• Children first learn to take on the role of

the significant other eventually take the
role of the “generalized other”
 Three Stages of Role Taking
• Three and Under-
mimic gestures and
words of others
• Three to Six- Take
role of others,
firefighter, superhero
• Games- play
organized games
that require them to
take multiple roles
 “I” and “Me” and the Mind as a
Product of Society
• Self is divided into two parts-”I” and the “Me”
• I is the self as subject, creative, active part of
self
• Me is the self as an object

• Mead drew the conclusion that not only the self

but the human mind is a social product
✔ We think using symbols.
✔ Symbols come from societies, like language. If society did not
provide symbols we could not think
✔ The mind is a product of society
 “I” and “Me” and the Mind as a
Product of Society
• Self is divided into two parts-”I” and the “Me”
• I is the self as subject, creative, active part of
self
• Me is the self as an object

• Mead drew the conclusion that not only the self

but the human mind is a social product
✔ We think using symbols.
✔ Symbols come from societies, like language. If society did not
provide symbols we could not think
✔ The mind is a product of society
 Piaget and the Development of
Reason
• Sensorimotor Stage
• understanding limited to direct contact.
• Can’t recognize cause and effect-
• birth to age two
 Sensorimotor Stage

https://blogs.ubc.ca/etec512piagetgroup/what-are-you-thinking/sensorimotor-stage/
• Preoperational Stage
• do not understand common concepts like
size and speed, do not understand
numbers.
• Can’t take the role of the other
• Two to age seven
http://slideplayer.com/6938240/24/images/11/Preoperational+Stage+Time+Period%3A+T
oddlerhood+%2818-24+months%29+through+early+childhood+%28age+7%29.jpg
 Piaget and the Development of
Reason
• Concrete operational stage
• Reasoning ability remains concrete
• Children can understand causation
• Take the role of others and participate in
games
• Need concrete examples to talk about
concepts
• Ages seven to twelve
https://img.aws.livestrongcdn.com/ls-article-image-673/ds-p
hoto/getty/article/3/119/166623172.jpg
 Piaget and the Development of
Reason
• Formal Operational Stage
• Children capable of abstract
thinking
• Can talk about concepts
based on general principles
• Children know right from
wrong without needing https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3GVbl4UcAACWWs.jpg

concrete examples
• After age twelve
 Freud and the Development of
Personality
• Along with development of the mind is the
development of the personality
• Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychologist
theory of the three elements of
personality
o The id
o The ego
o The superego
 Freud and the Development of
Personality
• Id- all people are born with it.
The inborn drive that leads us to
seek self gratification.

• Ego- the id is blocked by the

needs of others. To adapt to
these needs the ego develops. It
is the balancing force between
the id and societies needs to
suppress it.

• Superego- the culture within us.

The norms and values we have
internalized from our social
groups. The moral component of
our personality.

• Freud does not take into

account the fact that social
class and roles in groups
underlie our behavior
 Eric Erikson
• ..\erikson eight life stage presentation.ppt
 Agents of Socialization pp.78-85
• Groups that influence our orientation toward
life- our self concept, emotions, attitudes and
behavior- are called agents of socialization.
• Major Agents of Socialization
• The Family
• The Neighborhood
• Religion
• Day Care
• School
• Peer Groups
• Sports and Competitive Success
• The Workplace
 The Family
• Study of how working class families and middle
class families raise their children.
• Job type is a defining characteristic of child
rearing style.
 The Neighborhood
• Parents try to move to better
neighborhoods
Children from low income neighborhoods
are more likely to get into trouble, get
pregnant, drop out of school and have a
disadvantaged life.
More affluent neighborhoods people watch
out for each other more because the
population is more stable. This keeps
children out of trouble and safe
Religion
• Religion influences
values
• 40% of Americans
attend church regularly
• Even people who do not
go to church regularly
religion provides a
framework for morality
• Teaches ideas about
dress, speech, manners
that are appropriate for
formal occasions
 Latent and Manifest Functions
• Latent functions- unintended
consequences of people’s actions

• Manifest functions- intended beneficial

consequences of people’s actions
 Day Care
• A study that followed children from age infancy
to kindergarten reported that children that spent
more time in day care than with their mothers
were more uncooperative and unaffectionate
toward their mothers. This was regardless of
social class or the families social status
• A positive finding was the children scored
higher on language tests regardless of income
or social status. This is probably due to the
social interaction with other children at day
care.
 School and Peer Groups
• As children enter school the influence of the parents
and family lessens
• When this occurs there is a transfer of values too those
of the peer group
• Children separate themselves by sex group
 School and Peer Groups
• School gives children a broader perspective
that helps them prepare for the world beyond
the family
• Children learn universality- the same rules
apply to everyone regardless of how special
they may be at home
• Corridor Curriculum-What students teach each
other outside of classroom
• Schools around the world reflect and reinforce
their nation’s social, economic and political
systems
 School and Peer Groups
• Boys Norms • Girls Norms
• Athletic Ability • Popularity based on
• Coolness family background
• Toughness • Physical appearance
• Academic • The ability to attract
Achievement for popular boys
boys lowered their • Academic
popularity achievement
increased standing
among peers
 School and Peer Groups
• It is almost impossible to go against your peer
group
• Those who conform are “insiders”. Those that
don’t are “outsiders”.
• Standards of peer groups dominate our lives
and influence our choices
Sports and Competitive
Success
• Sports teach values-
“how to be a team
player”
• Boys learn to achieve in
sports to gain prestige
• Encourages boys to
develop instrumental
relationships- those
based on what you can
get out of people
• Girls construct their
identities on meaningful
relationships, not
competitive success
 The Workplace
• We learn different perspectives about the world
from our co-workers and workplace
• Before we become engaged in a career we
become involved in anticipatory
socialization-learning to play a role before
entering it. This allows us to become familiar
with a role and become aware what is expected
of us
• The more we participate in a line of work the
more it becomes part of your self concept,
people describe themselves by their line of work
 Resocialization
• Occurs when people learn new norms, values
and attitudes to match their new situation.
When new ideas become incorporated into the
person, they view life as fundamentally
different.

• Examples of Resocialization
• Divorce
• Going to college
• Joining fraternities/sorrorities
 Total Institutions
• A place where people are cut off from the
rest of society and are totally controlled by
the officials that run the place.

• Examples
• Boot Camp
• Prison
• Concentration Camps
Total Institutions
• When a person enters a total
institution they go through a
degradation ceremony
• This is an attempt to strip
away the persons identity-
shaved head, take away
personal items, undergo
examination in public, given a
uniform
• All routine is standardized,
takes away individuality
• This experience brands a
person for life
Sociological Significance of the Life
Course
• When you live and your social location
determine your life course.
• Being born ten years later or earlier can change
the direction your life takes
• Social Location- your gender, social class and
race- is also significant. Societies events will
have similar effects on people of the same
social location
• Individual factors also influence your life course.
examples – marrying early, entering college late
 Are we Prisoners of
Socialization?
• We are not completely products of socialization- socialization does
not go in and behavior comes out.

• Socialization effects us all, but we each have a self.

• The self is dynamic not a passive sponge, we are each actively

involved in the construction of the self.

• Some social institutions, like the family, provide us with the basic
elements of our personality. We voluntarily join other social groups
that have an effect on our self. People can change the self and
social location along with the options available within society.