Socialization Theories and Agents

Socialization

• Agents of socialization include family, schools, peer groups, and mass media.
• Sociologists debate which agent is most important and whether individuals control their development.
• Possible resocialization is also a consideration.

Objectives

• Students will be able to identify and outline three general types of socialization approaches.
• They will also identify and discuss the three components of the conflicted mind (according to Freud).
• Lastly, students will identify and discuss the three components of the social self (according to Mead).
• The definition of dramaturgy will also be included.

Theories of Socialization

• Wilson: researched sociobiology and how biology influences social behavior. War, peace, envy, and cooperation are believed to be rooted in genes.
• The Harlows: studied the effects of social isolation on rhesus monkeys, finding isolation led to fear and hostility when interacting with others later. Also studied isolated children, like Anna and Genie.

Freud

• Freud believed that personality is largely hidden in the unconscious mind.
• Freud II: The Id demands immediate gratification (pleasure principle).
• Freud II: The Superego internalizes societal norms (conscience).
• Freud II: The Ego balances the Id and Superego (reality principle).
• Freud III: A desire example for a candy bar demonstrates the interaction of the Id, Superego, and Ego.
• Freud IV: Freud's significance is in drawing attention to sexuality and development, highlighting the complexity of the human mind. Dreams, slips of the tongue, and introspection are possible pathways to understanding the mind.
• Freud V: Stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latent, genital) are influential but failures could lead to personality disorders.
• Freud VI: Freud's work identified personality characteristics linked to stages (oral, anal, phallic) with examples including dependency, orderliness, and tendencies towards homosexuality.

Additional theories

• Piaget: Children develop through stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.
• Kohlberg: Stages of moral development: preconventional, conventional, and postconventional.
• Gilligan: Criticized Kohlberg's theory as gendered, suggesting that males focus on law and order while females consider social consequences.
• Cooley: Introduced the looking-glass self concept, emphasizing the importance of significant others.
• Mead: Social self development with "I" (subjective) and "Me" (objective). "Generalized other": How individuals internalize societal norms. Three stages: egocentric, imitative, play and game stages.
• Goffman: Introduced the dramaturgical approach, suggesting that individuals are actors in a social play.

Conclusion

• Sociologists focus on social causes of behavior, recognizing how the social self changes throughout life.
• Psychologists focus on a somewhat consistent personality throughout a person's life (self-esteem, self-control, etc.)

This quiz explores the key agents of socialization such as family, schools, and media, and evaluates their impact on individual development. It will also cover major theories by Wilson and the Harlows regarding social behavior and isolation. Students will engage with concepts from Freud and Mead to deepen their understanding of socialization.