The process of learning and

socialisation

Sociology Grade 11
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Understand that the culture, roles, norms, values, beliefs, customs,
ideology, power and status as elements in the social construction of
reality.
 Understand the concepts of nature and nurture in the context of
socialisation.
 Analyse the roles of genetics and environmental factors in human
development.
 Socialisation and Identity
Socialisation is the life-long Socialisation play crucial part in
process of learning the culture of forming the ‘identity’
any society

Identity will be formed through the

process with the agencies of
Culture refers to language, beliefs, socialisation:
values, norms, custom, roles,  Family
knowledge and skills  combine to  Friends (peers)
make up the ‘way of life’ in any society.  School
 The mass media
 The workplace

However,…
Individuals also have a free to shape their own personality, and influence how
other see them; individuals are not passive during the process of socialisation.
 Socialisation and Identity

The Mass media Nationality

Ethnicity Family

The region lived in Friends / peers

 What influences, how I come

The religion to see and define my self? Leisure activities
 How do others influence the
way I see and define myself?
Gender  How do I influence, how Occupation / workplace
others see and define me?

Age Income /Social Class

Health
Education
Sexual preferences (able/disable, long-term sick, etc)
 Roles, Norms, Beliefs, Customs, Ideology, Power and Status
Roles and Role conflict
Roles are the pattern of behaviour
which are expected from people in
different positions in society.
and role refers to the specific
functions that one is supposed to
do in that social group.
One person plays many roles at the
same time, this may lead to role
conflict.
Norms
Norms are social rules which define
Customs
correct and acceptable behaviour in
Customs are norms which have
society, everyone are expected to
existed for a long time, become part
conform.
of society’s tradition.
Beliefs
Beliefs are the general behavioral
guidelines, include ideas, opinions,
convictions and attitudes.
Beliefs may or may not be true;
what matters is that they are
believed to be true.
 Roles, Norms, Beliefs, Customs, Ideology, Power and Status
Ideology
Ideologies are patterned of
normatively ideas and concepts,
including particular representations
of power relations.
Power
The ability to command obedience
is defined as power.
functionalists: power is a system
that decisions are obeyed because
society recognise them as
collective good.
Status
Status refers to the position or the
rank one holds in a social group,.
Characterised by certain benefits
and responsibilities as determined
by an individual’s rank and role.
 Social Construction of Reality
The idea that our perception of what is real is
created through a variety of historical and
cultural processes rather than something that is
fixed and naturally occurring

The Social Construction of Reality is

part of Socialisation process.

Merton (1957) suggests that objects (material

 Things in our social world are socially constructed.
 Such as marriage, education, status, identity.
 Religion, the polity, gender, race,.. etc
culture) such as cars, houses and clothes can
function in two ways.
1. Their manifest function refers to the
purpose for which they exist.
2. Their Latent function, however, may be
hidden, material objects might function as
status symbols.
‘Nature’ or ‘Nurture’?
 ‘Nature’ or ‘Nurture’?

Nature vs Nurture debate

A complex interaction between the
– examines the relative importance two:
of cultural and biological factors, in
the developmental process of Biology – provides us with large
human beings. brains that allow us to think
abstractly

Learning (Conditioning) begins at

the moment individual were born
 ‘Nature’ or ‘Nurture’?

Instincts are fixed human features,

Biology, rather than culture, may
influence some of the ways people Cultural environment plays little or
behave. no role in the development of these
instincts,
Humans seem to be programmed
by their genes to some extent, for example; many females have a
‘mothering instinct’.
for example; there seem to be
‘drives’ for reproduction and for
self-preservation.

Genetics suggests that behaviour

may be guided by instincts based on
biological instructions that can be
seen as part of ‘human nature’.
‘Nature’ or ‘Nurture’?

according to Functionalists

‘gender role socialisation’.

If primary socialisation is done

correctly then..

Boys learn to adopt the

‘instrumental role’ (also known
as the ‘breadwinner role)

Girls learn to adopt the

‘expressive role’ – doing all the
‘caring work’, housework and
bringing up the children.
 ‘Nature’ or ‘Nurture’?

Criticism
A complex interaction between the
‘Nature’ gives a strong hint about two:
behavioural rules, but people are
free to ignore those hints. Biology – provides us with large
brains that allow us to think
If women have greater child-caring abstractly
capabilities than men, then it makes
genetic sense for them to take on a Learning (Conditioning) begins at
caring role within a family. the moment individual were born

However, this is not something their

genes force them to do.
 ‘Nature’ or ‘Nurture’?

Humans (and animals) need physical

contact with others; therefore, it is
essential to meet social and emotional
needs.

Survival of the individual in the society

and culture, depends on members
being properly socialised.

Pines (1997): Genie had been ‘isolated in a small

room and had not been spoken to by her parents
since infancy. …”

in fact, feral children will not quickly pick up normal

human behaviours, once they returned to human
society.
 ‘Nature’ or ‘Nurture’?

Podder and bergvall (2004)

argue, that ‘culture isn’t Fact: different cultures develop
something we’re born with, it is different ways of doing things
taught to us’.

Cultural differences are relatively

trivial (insignificant)

Billikopf (1999) and wojtczak

(2009)
… If human behavior was
instinctive, it would be much
the same, regardless of place or
time.
 ‘Nature’ or ‘Nurture’?

Describe the nature vs. nurture debate.

Which do you think has a greater influence

on humans, - nature or nurture?
Explain your reasoning.
‘The family is the most important influence on social class identity.’
(a) Explain this view. [10]
(b) Using sociological material, give one argument against this view. [6]