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SocializationInitial personality developmentThe social selfAgents of socialization
Personality DevelopmentNature vs. Nurture
◦Nature – much of human behavior & personality is instinctive & caused by heredity Twin studies, parent-child bonds, sociobiologists
◦Nurture – behavior & personality dictated by social environment & experience Pavlov, Skinner, Bandura
4 main factors influence personality development: heredity, birth order, parents, and cultural environment
Heredity◦Physical characteristics (hair & eye color)◦Aptitudes – capacity to learn & gain skills
Birth Order◦First-borns tend to be achievement-
oriented; more conservative◦Later-borns tend to be stronger socially
(friendly & affectionate); more risk-taking Parental Characteristics
◦Age, education level, religion, economic status, job
◦Different expectations & ways of relating to their children
Cultural Environment◦Determines basic types of
personalities that will exist in that society (through models) Common U.S. traits = competitiveness,
assertiveness, individualism Iks of Uganda (pg. 101)
◦How we experience that culture affects our personalities Gender, SES, ethnic background
Agents of SocializationAgents of socialization –
individuals, groups & institutions that shape our socialization
4 main agents in our society: ◦Family, peers, school, mass media
Total institutions & resocialization
Family◦Most important socialization at young age◦Deliberate (teaching kids to say “please” &
“thank you”) or unintended (kids watching what their parents DO)
◦Traits of family affects socialization of children Number of family members, SES, religion, etc.
Peers◦Peer group – primary group of people of
similar age & social characteristics◦Most important socialization in late
childhood & adolescence Conform to group values & standards to win
acceptance
School◦Important throughout childhood (large
amount of time spent there)◦Involves socialization from peers & adults◦Deliberate (teach information, skills, &
larger cultural values) & unintended (look to teachers’ or peers’ behavior as a model)
Mass Media◦Mass media – instruments of
communication that reach large audiences w/o personal contact Books, movies, TV, internet
◦TV & internet = most influential
Resocialization in total institutions◦Total institution – one that isolates
people from the rest of society & controls behavior Prisons, monasteries, boot camp, psych.
hospitals
◦Socialization is different in these settings Resocialization – breaking with past
experiences & learning new values & norms
Strip away old identity & replace with new one
Uniforms, controlled behavior patterns, standard hair cuts, etc.
The Social SelfSocialization – interactive
process through which people learn skills, values, & behavior patterns of society
Different theories on how we experience a sense of “self”◦Locke: The Tabula Rasa◦Cooley: The Looking-Glass Self
Tabula Rasa = Clean Slate◦No personality at birth – we acquire it
through social experience◦Extreme view, but many sociologists agree
people absorb elements of themselves from their social surroundings
The Looking-Glass Self: others help us see ourselves ◦ interactive process by which we develop an
image of ourselves based on how we image other people view us
◦3 step process:1. Imagine how we appear to others2. Imagine & analyze their reaction to us3. Develop feelings about ourselves