Socialization - Illinois State University



Socialization

Social Experience: The Key to Our Humanity

socialization: the lifelong social experience by which individuals develop human potential and learn patterns of their culture

social experience is also the basis of personality

a person’s fairly consistent patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting

effects of social isolation

Isabelle, Genie, institutionalized children, primate studies

The Socialization Process

Mead: development of the self, role taking

self: a dimension of personality composed of individual’s self-awareness and self-concept

develops over time through exchange of symbols and ability to take the role of the other

influenced by significant others and the generalized other

Cooley: looking-glass self

development of self-concept based on interaction with others and how we think others perceive us (lifelong process)

Piaget: cognitive development

progress through stages in developing the ability to reason

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational (may not apply to all societies)

Freud: personality results from combination of basic biological drives and the influence of society

id, ego, superego

Gender Socialization

conveying values and norms which set different expectations of attitudes and behaviors (gender roles) for males and females

sex-linked behaviors in the family

different gender messages in the mass media

television, music, etc.

beyond primary and secondary sex characteristics (anatomical differences), biological differences between the sexes are relatively limited

most of the “differences” between men and women are culturally based

Agents of Socialization

people and groups which influence our self-concept, emotions, attitudes, and behaviors

family

religion

1. day care

school

peer group

workplace

Socialization through the Life Course

stages of the life course in contemporary America

childhood: birth to 12

adolescence: 13 to 17

young adulthood: 18 to 29

middle adulthood: 30 to 65

old age: over 65

although each stage is linked to the the biological process of aging, the life course is largely a social construction (and therefore varies among societies)

the stages in the life course present problems and transitions that require learning something new and unlearning familiar routines

people’s life experiences vary depending on when, in the history of society, they are born

age cohort

Resocialization

resocialization: learning new norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors to match a new situation in life

total institution: setting in which people are isolated from the rest of society and under the total control of administrative staff

two step process

“degradation ceremony” to remove previous identity and autonomy

systematically rebuild a different self through rewards and punishments

What about free will?

Socialization demonstrates the power of society to shape our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Yet, as free humans, we also have the capacity to act upon society and, in so doing, shape ourselves and our world. (Macionis)

Each of us is actively involved in the social construction of the self. Although socialization is powerful, we are not merely the sum of our socialization experiences. We can act on our environment and change it. (Henslin)

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