Copyright ©2013 W.W. Norton, Inc. 1 What Is Socialization? Socialization is the process by which a society transmits its cultural values to its members,

Copyright ©2013 W.W. Norton, Inc. 1

What Is Socialization?• Socialization is the

process by which a society transmits its cultural values to its members, and the way in which individuals internalize the values, beliefs, and norms of a given society and learn to function as a member of that society.


Limits of Socialization• However, socialization cannot explain

everything about a person’s development and personality. – Biology is also a very important

component.– It is a combination of biology and social

interactions that makes us who we are.


Important Concepts in Socialization• Anticipatory Socialization (rehearsals

for adult life).• Play and roleplaying

You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like a Sociologist, 3rd Edition Copyright ©2013 W.W. Norton, Inc. 4

How does a small child playing peekaboo demonstrate the social process of creating the self?


Norms and Values• Values are moral beliefs. • Norms are how values tell us to act.• Socialization is the process by which a

person internalizes the values, beliefs, and norms of society and learns to function as a member of that society.


Agents of Socialization• Families, school, peers, the media, and total

institutions are all important socializing agents or environments.

• A total institution is an institution in which one is totally immersed that controls all the basics of day-to-day life.


Statuses and Roles• A status is a position in society that

comes with a set of expectations. – An ascribed status is one we are born

with that is unlikely to change. – An achieved status is one we have

earned through individual effort or that is imposed by others.


Statuses and Roles• One’s master status is a status that

seems to override all others and affects all other statuses that one possesses.

• Roles are the behaviors expected from a particular status.


Statuses and Roles• Role conflict occurs when the roles

associated with one status clash with the roles associated with a different status.

• Role strain occurs when roles associated with a single status clash.

• Either of these may lead to role exit.


The Culture/Socialization Connection• Socialization is the process by which a

society transmits its cultural values to its members, and the way in which individuals internalize the values, beliefs, and norms of a given society and learn to function as a member of that society.


The Culture/Socialization Connection Contd.• Example: Facebook• Facebook is an artifact of our culture,

and has specific norms associated with it.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROYzrm5SBM

• How do we know proper Facebook etiquette? We learn through socialization.


The Culture/Socialization Connection Contd.• Example: Going to the movies• Going to the movies is an artifact of

our culture, and has specific norms associated with it.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhFbVQxGqbU

• How do we know proper movie manners? We learn through socialization.


The Culture/Socialization Connection Contd.• School is an agent of socialization, but

is also specific to the culture in which it is found, therefore transmitting norms and values specific to that culture. This is sometimes called the Hidden Curriculum.

• What are some parts of the hidden curriculum, here in California?

• Do you think school socialization might be different in other cultures?

• Ex. Malawi: attachment and sharing


The Culture/Socialization Connection Contd.• Socialization may be thought of as the

mechanism by which we learn our culture.

• Socialization and culture are inextricably linked. One cannot operate without the other.


Charles Horton Cooley•Theorized that the “self”

emerges from our ability to assume the point of view of others and imagine how those others see us.

•“Each to each a looking glass, reflects the other that doth pass.”

• We imagine how we appear to others.• We interpret their reactions.• We develop a self concept.


George Herbert Mead• Mead developed a theory about how the

social self develops over the course of childhood.

• Infants know only the “I,” but through social interaction they learn about “me” and the “other.”

• They develop a concept of the “generalized other,” which allows them to apply norms and behaviors learned in specific situations to new situations.


George Herbert Mead: Taking the Role of the Other• Similar to Cooley’s theory, with the

addition of “taking the role of the other.”

• Steps:– We put ourselves in the role of the other.– We try to understand how they feel and

think.– This helps us anticipate how they will act.– We then modify our own behavior

accordingly.


Figure 4.1: Mead’s Stages of Social Development


Resocialization• Whenever we step into a new

situation with new norms and values, and where we will have new roles, we go through the process of resocialization.

• Examples: travel, new job, becoming a parent

• For quiz: know Spencer Cahill, resocialization for funeral directors (creating a new relationship to death)


Total Institutions• Particularly intense and forceful resocialization

often occurs in total institutions.• Total institutions are physical settings where groups

of individuals are separated from the broader society.

• Examples?• In total institutions, previous socialization is

systematically destroyed, and new ones developed to enhance their ability to function in their new environment.

• Stripped of old identities and markers, and forced to take new ones that are without individuality.

• Conformity is mandatory.• Purpose?


Marines training at Parris Island. How is Marine boot camp an example of a total institution?


Theories of Socialization•Functionalism: What function does socialization serve in society? It helps maintain the social order by instilling cultural norms and values.

•Conflict Theory: Socialization is a process in which individuals are assigned to different, unequal, and competing groups. Socialization plays a key role in maintaining the dominance of the powerful.

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Copyright ©2013 W.W. Norton, Inc. 1 What Is Socialization? Socialization is the process by which a society transmits its cultural values to its members,