What is Socialization

Socialization: process by which an individual is

taught to live among others
It is an active process whereby individuals:
Learn how to become members of society
Develop a self or sense of individual identity, and
Learn to participate in social relationships with
others
Primary socialization: occurs in childhood and
lays foundation that influences self-concept and
involvement in social life
What is Socialization
Secondary socialization: learning that occurs
after people have undergone primary socialization
and continues throughout life
Benign socialization: individual learning to
conform to the values, norms, and roles associated
with a particular society
Coercive socialization: pressuring individuals to
obey the values, norms, and roles associated with a
particular society
Nature versus nurture
Debate: whether biology or socialization explains
behaviour
Nature theory: belief that one’s biological makeup
is the primary cause of human behavior
Nurture theory: belief that one’s environment is the
primary cause of human behavior
Interactions among individuals are mediated by
symbols that shape the self
Self: perceptions we have of ourselves developed
from our perceptions of the way others respond to
us
Cooley’s Looking Glass Self
Looking-glass self:
one’s personality
develops through a
process of reflection
Based on the
perception of how
others view us
Looking-glass self
provides us with an
identity
Cooley’s Looking Glass Self
Step One: we imagine how our personality and
appearance appears to others
Attractive/unattractive, heavy/slim, friendly/unfriendly
Step Two: we imagine how other people judge the
appearance we think we present in step one
How do we think they feel about us
Step Three: we react accordingly based on step two
If we feel we are judged positively, we have a favourable
self-concept
If we feel we are judged negatively, we have an
unfavourable self-concept
Mead’s I-Me Self
“me”- attempts to channel
the impulses of the “I” into
socially acceptable
behaviour
 Objective Self
Gollum
“I”- spontaneous,
unpredictable, impulsive;
acts without considering
social consequences
 Subjective self
Smeagol
Mead’s Three Stages of the Self
Preparatory Stage: children imitate those around
them, especially family members
Play Stage: children develop skill in communicating
through symbols and role taking occurs
 Roletaking: process of mentally assuming the
perspective of another and responding from that
imagined viewpoint
Game Stage: children are able to consider several tasks
and relationships simultaneously
 Generalized Other: attitudes, viewpoints, and
expectations of society as a whole that a child takes into
account
Goffman’s Dramaturgy
Impression Management: attempt to actively
control the way others perceive you
Front Stage: area where people maintain
appropriate impressions during interactions
Part of ourselves that we present to others
Back Stage: area where people allow themselves to
violate their appropriate impression management
performances
Demeanor that incorporates our true feelings/beliefs
Face-saving work: a reaction to embarrassment in
the form of either humor, anger, or retreat
Erikson’s Development Stages
Psychosocial Crisis:
occurs during each stage
which will be resolved
either positively or
negatively with the
outcome effecting one’s
ability to deal with the
subsequent stage
Piaget’s Cognitive Development
Cognitive Development: an individual’s ability to
think and reason
Sensorimotor Stage: infants learn to experience and
think about the world through their senses and motor
skills (birth to 2 years)
Preoperational Stage: ability to speak grows rapidly
(ages 2 through 7 years)
Concrete Operational Stage: children think about
objects in the world in more than one way and start to
make causal connections (ages 7 through 12)
Formal Operational Stage: individuals are able to
comprehend abstract thought (ages 12 onward)
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral
Development
Kohlberg: moral reasoning occurs on three specific
levels
1. Pre-conventional Level (to elementary school):
children make their moral judgements within a
framework of the hedonistic principle
2. Conventional Level (before puberty): children use
the lens of norms and rules to determine right and
wrong
3. Post-conventional Level (puberty onward):
individuals make their moral choices based on
abstract principles
Gilligan’s Morality of Care
Kolberg’s theory is valid, though only when
discussing the development of male morality
Boys generally follow the Morality of Justice:
morality based on the rule of law
Girls generally follow the Morality of Care: morality
based on how best to help those in need
Orientations arise from rational experiences of
inequality and attachment (i.e., girls are attached to
and identify with their mothers whereas boys are
attached to their mothers but identify with their
fathers)
Agents of Socialization
Agents of socialization: individuals, groups, and
institutions that impart a range of information
needed for individuals to interact effectively and
participate in society. There are four major agents
of socialization:
Families
Peers
Schools
Mass Media
Agents of Socialization - Family
Primary agent of socialization
First and longest lasting agent
Provide a child his/her identity and socio-
economic status: individual's or family’s economic
and social position in relation to others, based on
income, education, and occupation
Provides role models for acceptable behaviour
Passes on norms, values, traditions
Learns gender roles
Agents of Socialization - Peers
Peers are individuals who are similar in age, who
share many common interests, and who enjoy
approximately equal status
Secondary agent of socialization
Only agent of socialization in childhood and youth
not controlled mainly by adults
Provides a reference group for children
Provides the setting for children to develop close
relationships with others
Provides opportunities to experience independence
and develop social skills
Agents of Socialization -
Schools
Schools: have the formal task of passing on the
dominant’s culture’s knowledge, values, and beliefs
Secondary agent of socialization
Helps to organize social relationships
Prepares child for adult life through occupation
preparation
Further teaches societal norms, behaviour, and values
(e.g., democracy, fairness, patience, cooperation)
Usually the first setting in which the child is under the
control of an adult other than a parent/family member
Agents of Socialization - Media
Mass media: forms of communication such as
television, newspapers, radio, and magazines that
are designed to reach a large audience
Secondary agent of socialization
Teaches functions of society, norms, values, ideals
(both positive and negative)
Social media: forms of electronic communication
through which users create and share
Citizen media: content produced, collected, and
shared by private citizens
Re-socialization
Re-socialization: process of learning new norms, values,
attitudes, and behaviours and abandoning old ones
Total institutions: places in which the most effective
forms of re-socialization occur. These institutions have
several characteristics:
1. There is one authority and activities take in one place
2. Carefully structured activities control participants
3. Authorities carefully screen all information from outsiders
4. Rules and roles are clearly defined
5. A strict hierarchy exists within the institution
6. Individual choice is restricted
Theoretical Perspectives
Symbolic interactionist: views socialization through
interactions in which individuals learn about their culture
and create a sense of self
Functionalist: stresses the importance of groups working
together to create a stable society
Conflict: socialization as a way to maintain the status quo
(i.e. keeping things the same) and to produce/reproduce
inequality
Feminist: maintains patriarchy through gender
socialization: taught attitudes/behaviors considered
appropriate to each sex