Socialization – The Family I.Evolutionary origins of the family unit A.The family unit B.The functions of the family II.The family as a social system A.The social systems view B.Why are social ties important? III.Socialization within the family A.Dimensions of parenting 1.Warmth 2.Positive and negative control 3.Involvement B.Parent-child interactions 1.Authoritative 2.Authoritarian 3.Permissive 4.Uninvolved IV.Changing family structure A.Large to small families 1.Family size and parent-child interaction 2.Growing up with siblings 3.Only children B.Family mobility C.Divorce

Five Functions Necessary for the Survival of Society 1.Reproduction: Replacement for dying members. 2. Economic Services: Goods and services must be produced and distributed for the support of members. 3. Societal Order: Procedures for reducing conflict and maintaining orderly relations among members. 4. Socialization: The young must be trained to become competent, participating members. 5. Emotional Support: Binding individuals together, harmonizing goals, dealing with emotional crises, fostering a sense of community, and so on.

The Social Systems View of Family Socializaton Bidirectional effects Parents influence children and children influence parents Bidirectional influences also effected by other family relationships Mothers and fathers feel more competent as parents when the marital relationship is good Forces within the family are dynamic As child grows, nature of parental relation changes Relationships within the family are viewed within the larger societal context Interchanges occur between boundary of inner family and outer external world Ex., Community connections are significant for the well-being of the family Formal organizations – schools, daycares Informal organizations – friends, neighbors Strong ties between family and community serve as buffer for family stress

Why are social ties effective buffers against family stress? 1.Provide parents with interpersonal acceptance. 2.Provide opportunities to exchange information, goods, and services. 3.Provide child-rearing controls and/or models. 4.Provide secondary adult influences.

Warmth and Comforting/Reparation Behavior

Dimensions of Parenting: Aspects of Control Positive aspects of control: Parents exercise appropriate control over child’s behaviour when have high expectations and they train child to meet those expectations Parents should enforce rules of behavior consistently Open communication between parents and children Situation management – anticipate problematic situations and arrange them so appropriate behaviour by children is more likely Negative aspects of control: Power assertion Short term effects of power assertion Long term effects of power assertion

Classification of Parenting Patterns (Baumrind, 1971, 1973) ControlWarmth HighLow HighAuthoritativeAuthoritarian LowPermissiveIndifferent Uninvolved Authoritative: Children are buoyant, self-confident, and self-controlled Authoritarian: Preschoolers are unhappy and withdrawn, appear anxious in interactions with peers Permissive: Immature youngsters, overly demanding and dependent, explosive and disobediant when desires are thrwarted Uninvolved: By two years children show deficits in virtually all aspects of psychological functioning

Changing Family Structure: Large to Small Families Family size and parent-child interaction: Smaller families have favorable consequences for parent-child interaction Increasing family size effects marital relation, discipline becomes more authoritarian Growing up with siblings: Sibling rivalry Siblings as an interactional context for children Only children: Are only children disadvantaged socially and/or emotionally? Advantages for only children