AIA 1005 Introduction to Anthropology & Sociology - Socialization PDF

5 AIA 1005: Introduction to Anthropology & Sociology SOCIALIZATION 1 Definition Socialization is the lifelong process of social interaction through which individuals acquire a self-identity and the physical, mental, and social skills needed for survival in...

5 AIA 1005: Introduction to Anthropology & Sociology SOCIALIZATION 1 Definition Socialization is 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 seems natural like something you always knew. It’s these ideas that need questioning. We become human through interaction. In other words, socialization is the process by which we learn the ways of our society. In essence, it is society and social interaction that truly 'makes us 2 human.’ Genes or Environment? Central to the study of the human experience is the 'nature versus nurture' debate. The two competing approaches grapple with the fundamental question of the origin of human behavior. Ultimately, are an individual's destiny, preferences and actions inborn or biological in nature? Or, are they a product of socialization, derived from the influence of culture, historical era and an individual's social groups? Social scientists tend to take the position that social relationships and the social environment are key to normal human development, as well as a complete understanding of human actions and motivations. 3  NATURE NURTURE vs (Heredity) (Environment) The transmission of The surroundings in which characteristics from ancestors a person finds him/herself. to their descendants by means These surroundings affect of genes (what is “built into a the development of the person” from the beginning. person. 4 Babies do not ‘naturally’ develop into human adults; although their bodies grow, human interaction is required for them to acquire the traits we consider normal for human beings. These crucial characteristics include the use of symbols and language, as well as the ability to develop and sustain social relationships & interactions. 5 Human behavior and culture depend on language, a shared system of communication, whether in the form of spoken, written or signed symbols. The possession of language skills allows humans to connect with others, to share complex experiences, to cultivate thoughts and ideas, and to develop a sense of self- awareness. It allows for the sharing of a cultural heritage, the specific behaviors, attitudes and values that combine with our biological potential to form fully functional, social human beings. 6 Two types of socialization process: 1. Primary socialization is what we get taught our attitudes/values/morals etc. by our immediate family and friends. When we are born we are not aware of our 'self'. 2. Secondary socialization is the behavioral patterns reinforced by socializing agents of society (school/religion/media, etc.). It teaches us how to behave as human beings by helping us to learn the values, norms, statuses and roles of our culture. 7 Mortimer and Simmons (1978) outline three specific ways these two parts of socialization differ: 1. Content – Socialization in childhood is concerned with the regulation of biological drives. -In adolescence, socialization is concerned with the development of overarching values and the self-image. -In adulthood, socialization involves more overt and specific norms and behaviors, such as those related to work role. 8 2. Context – In earlier period, the socializee more clearly assumes the status of learner within the context of the family orientation, the school or peer group. In adulthood, though the socializee takes the role of students at times, much socialization occurs after the socializee assumed full incumbency of the adult role. 3. Response – The child and adolescent may be more easily malleable than the adult. Much adult socialization is self-initiated and voluntary, adults can leave or terminate the process at any time. 9 Social Isolation ❑Studies of animals raised in isolation also support the importance of socialization in development. In Harlow Research (1971), Harry Harlow conducted tests with rhesus monkeys that had been raised away from their mothers and away from contact with other monkeys. They became fearful and easily frightened. They did not mate, and the females who were artificially inseminated became abusive mothers. Isolation had had a damaging effect on the monkeys. 10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrNBEhzjg8I 11 Isolated children show what humans might be like if isolated or separated from society at an early age. Cases like Genie, the 13-year-old who had been kept locked in a small room for years, demonstrate the importance of early social interaction for proper human development and language acquisition. For despite intensive rehabilitation and language training, Genie was never able to fully acquire language or reach the normal intellectual level for a person her age. ALEA 1109 12 Genie Was born as Susan M. Wiley. For 13 years she was locked inside a room and strapped to her potty chair, other times she was bound in a sleeping bag and put inside a crib. Her father, the one behind the abuse, would hit her with a stick if she ever spoke and he would bark and growl at her to keep her quiet. He also forbade his other children and even his wife from speaking. Because of this, Genie had a very small vocabulary, consisting of about 20 words. The phrases she did know included “stop it” and “no more.” She was discovered in 1970 and today she is considered to be one of the worst cases of social isolation known. However, she still held onto her learned behavior, including a “bunny walk” where she held her hands up in front of her as if they were paws. She also scratched and even clawed at things. He and his family taught Genie sign language as well as ways to express herself without speaking; drawing was a method. 13 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjZolHCrC8E Feral (wild) children, supposedly lost or abandoned by their parents at a very early age and then raised by animals, act like wild animals. Most social scientists believe that such children were raised by their parents as infants, but then abandoned because of real or perceived mental deficiencies. They may also include children who were subjected to extreme abuse while in the care of their parents. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV6LEf7EDAQ 14 Oxana Malaya Oxana Malaya (Оксана Малая) (born November 1983) was found as an 8-year-old feral child in Ukraine in 1991, having lived most of her life in the company of dogs. She picked up a number of dog-like habits and found it difficult to master language. Oxana’s alcoholic parents were unable to care for her. They lived in an impoverished area where there were wild dogs roaming the streets. She lived in a dog kennel behind her house where she was cared for by dogs and learned their behaviours and mannerisms. She growled, barked and crouched like a wild dog, sniffed at her food before she ate it, and was found to have acquired extremely acute senses of hearing, smell, and sight. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93HymGXC_wM 15  Vanya Yudin One of the more recent cases of a feral child is Vanya Yudin (referred to by news agencies as ‘the Russian Bird Boy’). It is said that when he was found by Russian caseworkers in 2008, he was 7 years old and unable to speak. He did nothing but chirp and flap his arms as if he had wings, and exhibited a lot of the behavior that you would expect from a bird. He was kept in a two-room apartment with bird cages filled with dozens of birds that were owned by his mother. Galina Volskaya, she never spoke to him and she simply treated him like another one of her pets. When Volskaya attempted to talk to the boy, he didn’t speak, just chirped. While he was never abused physically, the boy was still treated with similar methods to others on the list due to the lack of human interaction. He was put into an asylum where he received treatment to allow him to become more human-like. After, he was sent to a center for psychological care to further his journey to becoming more socially aware and accepted. 16 Child Maltreatment Child maltreatment, sometimes referred to as child abuse and neglect, includes all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development or dignity. Within this broad definition, five subtypes can be distinguished – physical abuse; sexual abuse; neglect and negligent treatment; emotional abuse; and exploitation. 17 Anna’s case: Anna was born in 1932, a child of a farm girl with a disapproving father. Anna was put up for adoption, but after 5 ½ months she was taken back to her family. They put her in the attic and paid very little attention to her. She was removed from the house when she turned six. At this time she could not walk, talk, or do anything that showed intelligence. She was extremely malnourished. While under her mother’s care she was pretty much only fed cow’s milk. 18 Isabella’s case: They discovered Isabella about 9 months after Anna. Again, this child was born to an illegitimate mother that was forced to keep her. Isabella had no chance to learn to speak or to communicate because the time spent with her mother was in the dark, plus her mother was deaf. Isabella was afraid of strangers and made croaking sounds. Since she spent her time in the dark and she had an improper diet, she had rickets. Her legs were also extremely bowed. 19 Sociological Approaches to Socialization 1. ‘The Looking-Glass Self’ by Charles Horton Cooley (early 1900s).We learn who we are by interacting with others. The process of developing a self-identity or self-concept has three phrases: i. First, we imagine how we present ourselves to others. ii. Second, we imagine how others evaluate us. iii. Third, we develop some sort of feelings about ourselves such as respect or shame, as a result of these impressions. 20 20 2. ‘Stages of the Self’ by George Herbert Mead (1934). The self develops only with social experience (the exchange of symbols). Stages by which the self emerges: i.The preparatory stage – child imitate the people around them especially family members. ii.The play stage – As children develop skill in communicating through symbols, they begin to pretend to be other people. iii.The game stage – at about 8 or nine years old, the children no longer just plays roles but begins to consider several actual tasks and relationship simultaneously. 21 Agents of Socialization The Family ❑ Is the most important socializing agent during the first few years of life ❑ The family has changed over time, impacted both by historical and structural factors (such as the dramatic increase of women in paid employment, as well as divorce). ❑ Parenting is also influenced by ethnic and cultural background, socioeconomic status, and the extent to which extended family and community resources 22 exist to support the family unit. 23 School ❑Schools serve many manifest (intended) functions for society, including teaching skills and values thought to be appropriate. Schools also have several latent (unintended) functions. ❑At school children are placed outside the direct control of friends/relatives and exposed to new values and ways of looking at the world. They learn the idea of universality, or that the same rules apply to everyone. ❑Schools also have a hidden curriculum: values not explicitly taught but inherent in school activities. 24 25 ‘Peer-Group’ ❑ A peer group is a group of persons of roughly the same age who are linked by common interests. Next to the family, peer groups are the most powerful socializing force in society. 26 Mass Media and Technology ❑ Includes popular books, magazines, newspaper, radio, movies, television, internet etc. ❑ Becoming children’s major sources of information and found to affect children in certain ways. ❑ Can have positive and negative effect. 27 Other Agents ❑ Religion ❑ Workplace ❑ Sports 28 Gender Socialization Biological sex is one of the most significant categories into which society members are 'sorted.' By expecting different behaviors from people because they are male or female, society nudges boys and girls in separate directions from an early age. From a number of sources, children learn gender roles, the behavior and attitudes considered appropriate for each sex. This early foundation carries over into adulthood. 29 30 Re-Socialization Re-socialization refers to the process of learning new norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors. Re- socialization in its most common form occurs each time we learn something contrary to our previous experiences, such as going to work in a new job. It can be an intense experience, although it does not have to be. In other words it is a process of ‘discarding former behavior patterns and accepting new one’. Occurred through voluntary involvement like marriage, army and work. 31 Erving Goffman coined the term “total institution” to refer to a place (such as boot camps, prisons, concentration camps, or some mental hospitals, religious cults, and boarding schools) in which people are cut off from the rest of society and are under almost total control of agents of the institution (involuntary resocialization). A person entering the institution is greeted with a degradation ceremony through which his or her current identity is stripped away and replaced (e.g., fingerprinting, shaving the head, banning personal items, and being forced to strip and wear a uniform). 32 Total institutions are quite effective as a result of isolating people from outside influences and information; supervising their activities; suppressing previous roles, statuses, and norms, and replacing them with new rules and values; and controlling rewards and punishments. 33 Conclusion ❑Issue of ‘nature’ vs. ‘nurture’, sociologist will focus on the aspect of ‘nurture’. ❑Family is an important agent of socialization. ❑Television and internet are becoming more important in socialization process. ❑Re-socialization can happen voluntarily or by forced by taking into consideration the aspect of ‘total institutions’. 34