Socialization - Introductory Sociology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Introduction to Sociology

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Chapter 4: Socialization

Why is Socialization Important?

• Socialization

– The lifelong process of social interaction through which

individuals acquire a self-identity and the physical, mental,

and social skills needed for survival in society

– It is the link between individual and society

• If culture is the “toolkit”, socialization is the “manual”

– What we become, how we act, think, and believe all

comes from the socialization we receive

• Human beings are the most social creatures on Earth; and because

of this, socialization is extremely important to the individual’s, as

well as society’s, well being

Social Isolation and Maltreatment

• In order for humans (as well as other social animals) to develop properly,

social contact early on is crucial

– See Harlows’ non-human primate experiment (pg.

• Ultimately, social isolation was detrimental to the

psychological growth of the Rhesus monkeys

– Cases of (extreme) social isolation and maltreatment

in humans

• See Anna and Genie (pgs. 109-110)

• Without socialization, and nurture, both children were devoid of language, cleanliness, upright movement; and in essence, their humanity
• Without a social catalyst during our core stages of development, we are

nothing more than animals

Human Development: The Psychoanalytic Perspective

• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
  • His premise for human existence rested

on two basic tendencies; the urge to survive,

and the urge to procreate

• Consisted of three states that reflected different levels of personality
  • The Id
    • Most basic biological drives and demand for immediate gratification
  • The Superego
    • The sense of conscience, the moral and ethical aspects of ones actions
  • The Ego
    • The rational, reality oriented self that imposes restrictions on the Id
• Conscious Awareness: The iceberg analogy
• Both the Id and the Superego are unconscious states of awareness, whereas the

ego is conscious

• i.e. the “tip of the iceberg” is the ego, whereas the rest of all of our

unconscious thoughts and desires are “submerged”

Human Development- Piaget and Kohlberg

• Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
  • Cognitive Development
  • Sensorimotor Stage
    • (birth to age two ) Children understand the world only through contact and immediate action
  • Preoperational stage
    • (age two to seven) Children begin to use words and mental symbols
  • Concrete-operational stage
    • (age seven to eleven) Children think in terms of tangible objects, begin empathizing
  • Formal-operational stage
    • (age twelve through adolescence) potential to engage in highly abstract thought, can think of future options and actions - Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987) - Cognitive and Moral Reasoning - Preconventional Level - (age seven to ten) Behavior is based on punishment or obedience, good and evil - Conventional Level - (age ten through adulthood) Concerned with perception by peers, conformity to rules - Postconventional Level - (few adults reach this stage) Morality in terms of individual rights, human rights transcend government and laws

Self-Concept and Self-Identity

• Self-Concept is the totality of our beliefs and feelings about ourselves

– Consists of four components

• The physical self (“I am tall”)

• The active self (“I am good at sports”)

• The social self (“I am nice to others”)

• The psychological self (“I believe in world peace”)

• Later in childhood the focus shifts from physical and active to social and

psychological self

• Self-Identity is our perception about what kind of person we are
• Self-Concept and Self-Identity are both components of the Symbolic-

Interactionist perspective of socialization

Agents of Socialization

• The persons, groups, or institutions that teach us what

we need to know in order to participate in society

– The most influential are the family, the school, peer

groups, and the mass media

• A peer group is a group of people who are linked by common

interests, equal social position, and typically similar age

• The mass media as an agent of socialization?

– Students on average spend 1,000 hours per year at school,

while they spend roughly 1,600 hours per year subjected

to the mass media…

Gender and Racial-Ethnic Socialization

• Gender Socialization refers to the specific messages and practices

concerning the nature of being female or male in a specific group or

society

• Such as color coded, or gender based toys, clothes, and activities
• Racial-Ethnic Socialization is the socialization aspect that contains

specific messages and practices, concerning the nature of one’s

racial or ethnic status

• Relates to personal and group identity, inter-group and inter-individual

relationships, and position in the social hierarchy