Chapter 2.Socialization through the life course.pdf

Chapter 2 Socialization through the Life Course The process whereby people acquire the rules of behaviors and the systems of beliefs and attitudes that equip them to function effectively as a member of a particular society  Occurs primarily through Social interaction So...

Chapter 2 Socialization through the Life Course The process whereby people acquire the rules of behaviors and the systems of beliefs and attitudes that equip them to function effectively as a member of a particular society  Occurs primarily through Social interaction Socialization scope of socialization Nature or nurture? Nature: *children are inherently nasty and brute The task of society is to regulate these impulses and teach responsibility (Hobbes) *children are noble , pure. They achieve optimal development through self-directed discovery in environments which allowed for natural inquisitiveness and sense of moral equity (Rousseau) Historical influences on concepts of socializations Nature or nurture? Nurture: *children are “blank slates” upon which society writes its message. Locke described the infants as tabula rasa who were innately neither good nor bad. **children were shaped by the influence of the social environment they happened to join ***nature makes minimal contribution. children are molded and taught the accumulated learning of earlier generations Historical influences on concepts of socializations Perspectives on Socialization The Developmental Perspective The Social Learning Perspective The Interpretive Perspective The Impact of Social Structure Perspectives on Socialization  The Developmental Perspective  Views the development of many social behaviors as primarily due to physical and neurological maturation, not social factors 4 weeks Infants respond to close physical contact by relaxing 16 weeks Smile at human face; responds to caregiver’s voice; demands social attention 28 weeks Respond to variation in tone of voice; differentiate people; fear strangers 1 year Engages in responsive play; shows emotions; shows preferences for some persons 2 years Solitary play; rudimentary concept of ownership 3 years Can play cooperatively with older child; strong desire to please; gender differences in choice of toys Perspectives on Socialization  The Developmental Perspective “Anatomy is Destiny” Men vs. Women: Who is the stronger sex?  Muscular strength -male bodies are designed to move faster, jump higher, carry more load -female body is strong in reproductive area Perspectives on Socialization  The Developmental Perspective Homosexuality gay men are more likely to have older brothers than either gay women or heterosexual men. It may be that a first male fetus triggers an immune reaction in the mother, altering the expression of key gender genes during brain development in a way that boosts a boy’s attraction to his own sex Perspectives on Socialization  The Developmental Perspective Is God in our genes?  Molecular biologists located one of the genes responsible for the profound feelings of God-experience—ecstacy, transcendence, self-forgetfulness, feeling of connectedness to the universe Neuroscientists found that the frontal lobe and the limbic system becomes active when people are in deep prayer or meditation Perspectives on Socialization  The Developmental Perspective The truth about lying: Has lying gotten a bad rap?  Part of normal growth and development  Certain lies play positive roles in a child’s emotional and mental development  First lies are essential for individuation  Provides children a more realistic view of others  The ability to lie is a natural product of children’s psychological growth: independence, intellectual talents, abilities to plan ahead, take the other person’s perspectives; capacity to control emotions  2-4 years old mark a crucial period for children mastering the art of the lie Perspectives on Socialization  The Developmental Perspective Sex:  Sexual behavior is instinctual  Masturbation important for emotional and sexual development of adolescent Perspectives on Socialization  The Social Learning Perspective  Emphasizes the processes by which social influences alter human thought, affect and action  Uses the principles of reinforcement  Puts emphasis on the cognitive, vicarious, self- regulative, and self-reflective process in human functioning Perspectives on Socialization  The Social Learning Perspective Perspectives on Socialization  The Social Learning Perspective  God  Lying  Sex Perspectives on Socialization  The Interpretive Perspective  Development is a process of interpretive reproduction  The child’s task is to discover the meanings common to social group Communication with significant others and participation to cultural routines are essential for the child’s development  Children through interaction acquire and reproduce the culture Perspectives on Socialization  The Interpretive Perspective Perspectives on Socialization  The Interpretive Perspective  God  Lies  sex Perspectives on Socialization  The Impact of Social Structure  Sociological  Socialization is not a random process  Views socialization as a product of group life  Emphasizes “rights of passage” -menstruation -circumcision  Institutionalizes socialization by designating social groups to teach members their corresponding roles in society Perspectives on Socialization  The Impact of Social Structures Perspectives on Socialization How are we socialized? Agents of Socialization School Peers Family Commu - nity Media Church State  Family  Parent-child bonds establishes the child’s personality and sense of others  Source of the child’s social, linguistic and cognitive skills later in life Infants form strong emotional attachments to the caregiver Agents of Socialization  Peers  Composed of persons equal in status  provides the basis for the formation of friendship  Offer children their first experience in exercising choice over whom they relate to  Contribute to the development of the child’s identity  For adolescents, relying on peers as attachment figures is a way of seeking independence from the parents  Reliance from parents to peers encourages adult attachment styles to fully develop Agents of Socialization   Intentionally designed to socialize children  Socialization process is based on instrumental learning techniques  Provide children their first experience of formal and public evaluation  Civilize children  An important aspect of the self is developed through social comparison Agents of Socialization  Mass Media  Portrayals of men and women on television shows reinforce traditional gender roles  Men were portrayed as independent, athletic, ambitious and aggressive, whereas, women were shown as dependent, emotional, domestic and romantic (Thompson & Zerbinos, 1995)  Superheroes are defined in masculine terms(Baker & Raney, 2007) Agents of Socialization  Mass Media  Fiction stories reinforced traditional messages. Adult male characters are typically doctors, lawyers and bankers, whereas, women characters are nurses, clerical workers and secretaries (Peirce, 1993)  Analysis of music videos found that men engaged in more dominant, aggressive behavior, whereas, women engaged in subservient behavior; women were frequently the object of explicit, implicit, and aggressive sexual advances (Sommers-Flanagan, Sommers-Flanagan, & Davis, 1993)  Research is now focusing on the impact of these portrayals on young media consumers (Aubrey & Harrison, 2004; Ward, Hansbrough, & Walker, 2005) Agents of Socialization Processes of Socialization Instrumental Conditioning Observational Learning Internalization  Instrumental Conditioning  A process of learning wherein a response is made on a situation to obtain a positive reinforcement or to avoid a negative reinforcement  The person’s behavior is instrumental in the sense that it determines whether he or she is rewarded or punished  Shaping-a learning process whereby a desired behavior is produced through successive approximation of reinforcements Processes of Socialization  Observational Learning (modeling)  Behavior is acquired by observing another person’s behavior and of its consequences for that person  Observational learning does not lead directly to the performance of the learned behavior  An important influence is the consequences experienced by the model following the performance of the behavior.  Negative consequences following a model’s behavior may prevent the observer from performing the behavior. Processes of Socialization  Internalization  the process by which initially external behavioral standards become internal and subsequently guide the person’s behavior  Children are more likely to internalize the standards held by more powerful or nurturing adult caregivers  Results in the exercise of self-control Processes of Socialization Outcomes of Socialization Gender role Linguistic and Cognitive competence Moral development Work orientations Gender role  the internalization of culturally recognized attitudes, behaviors, beliefs and values that complement one’s gender identity (Bolin and Whelehan, 1999).  Men-competent, competitive, logical, able to make decision easily and ambitious  Women-high in warmth and expressiveness—gentle, sensitive, tactful  Parents, relatives and other social groups-important influence on the learning of gender role  schools  Mass media Outcomes of Socialization Linguistic and Cognitive Competence Language  Mothers and fathers differed in the way they talked to sons and daughters. Mothers were more supportive and less directive compared to fathers  Language learning occurs in the routine, everyday interaction of children and adults Cognitive Competence  Learning of schemas the ability to group or categorize objects, persons and situations so that one can determine how to behave toward them  Schemas and their associated meanings and feelings are influenced by the social class, religious, ethnic and other subcultural Membership of the socializing agents Outcomes of Socialization Moral Judgment  The process through which children become capable of making moral judgment.  Kohlberg’s Model of Moral Development Outcomes of Socialization Work Orientations  from an early age, children are taught the social meaning of work  The meaning of work depends on the type of job the individual has  Adults in different occupations have different orientations toward work and these orientations influence how they socialize their children  Both parents and teachers influence adolescents' job expectations at 16  These expectations in conjunction with educational attainment were associated with adult occupational attainment at ages 23, 33, and 42 (Brown, Sessions, &Taylor, 2004) Outcomes of Socialization