SOCIOLOGY Richard T. Schaefer

1. SOCIOLOGYRichard T. Schaefer 4 Socialization

2. 4. Socialization • The Role of Socialization • The Self and Socialization • Socialization and the Life Course • Agents of Socialization • Social Policy and Socialization

3. The Role of Socialization • Social Environment:The Impact of Isolation • Interaction of heredity and environment shape human development • The Case of Isabelle • Primate Studies

4. The Role of Socialization • The Influence of Heredity • Studies of Identical Twins • Intelligence tests show: Similar scores when twins are reared apart in roughly similar social settings Quite different scores when twins are reared apart in dramatically different social settings

5. The Self and Socialization • Sociological Approaches to the Self • Self: distinct identity that sets us apart from others • Cooley: Looking-Glass Self • We learn who we are by interacting with others • Our view of ourselves comes from contemplation of personal qualities and our impressions of how others perceive us • The self is the product of our social interactions with other people

6. The Self and Socialization • Sociological Approaches to the Self • Mead: Stages of the Self Play Stage: children develop skill in communicating through symbols and role taking occurs Game Stage: children of about 8 or 9 consider several actual tasks and relationships simultaneously Preparatory Stage: children imitate people around them. Continued...

7. The Self and Socialization • Sociological Approaches to the Self • Mead: Stages of the Self Symbols: gestures, objects, and language that form basis of human communication Generalized Others: attitudes, viewpoints, and expectations of society as a whole that child takes into account Role Taking: process of mentally assuming the perspective of another

8. The Self and Socialization • Sociological Approaches to the Self • Mead: Stages of the Self • Self begins as privileged, central position in a person’s world • As person matures, the self changes and begins to reflect greater concern about reactions of others Significant Others: Individuals most important in the development of the self

9. The Self and Socialization • Sociological Approaches to the Self • Goffman: Presentation of the Self • Impression Management: individual learns to slant the presentation of self to create distinctive appearances and satisfy particular audiences Goffman’s view sometimes called Dramaturgical Approach: people resemble performers in action Face-work: Need to maintain proper image of self to continue social interaction

10. The Self and Socialization • Psychological Approaches to the Self • Freud • Self is a social product, however, natural impulsive instincts in constant conflict with societal constraints • Personality influenced by others (especially one’s parents

11. The Self and Socialization • Psychological Approaches to the Self • Piaget • Piaget emphasized the stages humans progress through as the self develops. • Cognitive theory of development identified 4 stages in development of children’s thought processes • Social interaction key to development

12. Socialization and the Life Course • The Life Course • Ceremonies mark stages of development in life course • Rites of Passage: Means of dramatizing and validating changes in a person’s status Life-course Approach: Looks closely at social factors that influence people throughout their lives

13. Socialization and the Life Course • The Life Course • We encounter some of the most difficult socialization challenges in later years

14. Socialization and the Life Course Table 4-1. Theoretical Approaches to Development of the Self

15. Socialization and the Life Course Table 4-2. Milestones in the Transition to Adulthood Source: T. Smith 2003

16. Socialization and the Life Course • Anticipatory Socialization and Resocialization • Anticipatory Socialization: processes of socialization in which person “rehearses” future occupations and social relationships • Resocialization: process of discarding former behavior patterns and accepting new ones as transition in one’s life

17. Socialization and the Life Course • Anticipatory Socialization and Resocialization • Total Institution: institution—prison, military, mental hospital, or convent—that regulates all aspects of a person’s life under a single authority Degradation Ceremony: ritual where individual becomes secondary and rather invisible in overbearing social environment

18. Agents of Socialization • Family • Role of family in socializing a child cannot be overestimated • Cultural Influences • The Impact of Race and Gender Gender Roles: expectation regarding proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and females

19. Agents of Socialization • School • Teach children values and customs of the larger society • Traditionally socialized children into conventional gender roles • Peer Group • As children grow older, peer groups increasingly assume the role of Mead’s significant others

20. Agents of Socialization Table 4-3. High School Popularity Source: Suitor et al. 2001:445

21. Agents of Socialization • Mass Media and Technology • Technology socializes families into multitasking as the social norm 47% of parents reported at least one child has a TV in his/her bedroom

22. Agents of Socialization Figure 4-1. Internet Usage, Ages 10—17 Source: Kaiser Family Foundation/San Jose Mercury News 2003

23. Agents of Socialization • Workplace • Learning to behave appropriately within occupational setting is fundamental aspect of human socialization • Socialization in workplace involves four phases: • Career choice • Anticipatory socialization • Conditioning • Continuous commitment

24. Agents of Socialization • Religion and State • Government and organized religion impacted life course by reinstituting some rites of passage

25. Social Policy and Socialization • Child Care Around the World • The Issue • In 2002, 55% of women who had given birth the previous year were back in the labor force • 35% of all preschoolers with employed mothers attend group child care programs

26. Social Policy and Socialization • Child Care Around the World • The Setting • Finding the right kind of day care challenges parents and pocketbook • Researchers found high-quality child care centers do not adversely affect socialization of children

27. Social Policy and Socialization • Child Care Around the World • Sociological Insights • Studies assessing quality of child care outside of home reflect micro-level of analysis favored by interactionists • Functionalists study child care from perspective of macro-level analysis of the family as a social institution

28. Social Policy and Socialization • Child Care Around the World • Sociological Insights • Conflict perspective notes child care costs are an especially serious burden for lower-class families • Feminist perspective raises questions about the low status and wages of day care workers

29. Social Policy and Socialization • Child Care Around the World • Policy Initiatives • Policies regarding child care outside of the home vary throughout the world • When policymakers decide that child care is desirable, they must determine degree to which taxpayers should subsidize it