The Process of Fitting into Society Socialization The Process of Fitting into Society

What is Socialization? Had you been born in another time, in another place, you might speak a different language, salute a different flag, and celebrate a different religion. The language, values, and beliefs we all have are passed down to us through the process of socialization.

Socialization Socialization is the process that teaches the norms, values, and other aspects of a culture to new group members. Socialization theory claims that the person we become is the result of our environment.

Talcott Parsons & Socialization According to sociologist Talcott Parsons, socialization requires people to learn and internalize society’s values. We accept and integrate the values of the group as our own. These social values constantly surround us, but often go unexamined.

Primary Socialization Parsons & Bales argue that most socialization occurs during childhood. Orville Brim refers to this stage as primary socialization. Parents are the first teachers, but children also teach their parents. Any parent of multiple children knows that no two children are alike!

Secondary Socialization Because socialization is an unending cycle, we are at times the “socializer” and at other times the “socialized”. This dynamic, whereby socialization continues throughout our lives is considered secondary socialization. As you experience life-changing events—like going to college, beginning a career, or getting married– new socialization occurs.

What does Socialization do? At each stage of life, we encounter new norms, values and expectations. We learn to accept and integrate them as we adapt to our environment. In a sense, the socialization process makes us who we are.

Theorists on Socialization John Locke Charles H. Cooley George Herbert Mead

John Locke: The Tabula Rasa John Locke – English philosopher from the 1600s He insisted that each newly born human being is a tabula rasa, or clean slate, on which just about anything can be written Locke claims that each of us are born without a personality and that we acquire personalities as a result of our social experiences Locke believed human beings could be molded into any type of character Further believed that if given a newborn infant, he could shape that child’s personality, giving the child whatever characteristic he chose Today few people take such an extreme view – nevertheless, many of our basic assumptions about socialization are related to Locke’s views Most sociologists think of socialization as a process by which individuals absorb the aspects of their culture with which they come into contact. Through the socialization process, they develop the sense of being distinct members of society.

Cooley’s Looking-Glass Self Charles H. Cooley’s notion of the “looking-glass self” proposes that, like a mirror, the self develops through a process of reflection. That said, one’s self is also established through interactions with others.

The “Looking-Glass Self” Process According to Cooley, the “looking-glass self” process contains three steps: We imagine how our behaviors will look to others We interpret other’s reactions to our behaviors We develop a self-concept

Cooley: The Looking-Glass Self Process of identity begins very early in childhood. A newborn has not sense of person or place; the entire world appears as one mass Then various members of their primary group interact with the growing infant They pick them up, talk to them, reward or punish them They provide the child with a mirror that reflects their image. From this interactive process, the child develops a sense of self This theory puts a great deal of responsibility on parents and other primary-group members who have contact with children. Process starts early in childhood, it continues throughout life. Individuals continually redefine their self-images as they alter their interpretations of the way they think others view them. importance of relationships in how we internalize other’s perceptions of us.

George Herbert Mead—The Three Stages of the “I-ME” Self George Herbert Mead’s Mind, Self, and Society suggests that the self is the part of personal identity that has both self-awareness and self-image. Unlike Cooley, Mead agreed that the development of self involves interaction with others. Role-taking is socialization by allowing us to anticipate what others expect

“I” For Mead, the self consists of two parts: the “I” and the “Me”. These two parts essentially create the self through their interaction. The “I” Self is the part of us that is an active subject, our subjective sense of who we are. It seeks self-fulfillment, asking “What do I want?”

“Me” In contrast, the “Me” Self is the objective part of the self; the part of our self-concept that questions how others might interpret our actions. The “Me” understands the symbols that others give us, and seeks to find favorable reactions to our behaviors from others.

Three Stages of Self Development According to Mead, the self develops in three stages: Imitation stage the period from birth to about age 2, and it is the stage which children merely copy the behaviors of those around them. Play Stage occurs around the ages of 2-4 years, during which children play roles and begin to take on the characteristics of important people in the world. Game stage this stage begins at 4 years and never truly ends, it is the stage in which we begin to understand that others have expectations and demands placed on them– called “the generalized other”

What are agents of socialization? Views of Locke, Cooley, and Mead provide theoretical explanations of the socialization process. Sociologists use the term agents of socialization to describe the specific individuals, groups, and institutions that enable socialization to take place. In the United States, the primary agents of socialization include The family The peer group The school The mass media

Agents of Socialization The Family Most important agent of socialization in almost every society Its primary importance rests in its role as the principal socializer of young children. Children first interact with others and first learn the values, norms, and beliefs of society through their families. Socialization in a family setting can be both deliberate and unintended. Socialization process differs from family to family. Further families differ according to the combination of subgroups to which they belong Whether racial or ethnic group, social class, religious group, and geographic region

Agents of Socialization The Peer Group As children grow older, forces outside of the family increasingly influence them and they begin to relate more and more to their peer groups. A peer group is a primary group composed of individuals of roughly equal age and similar social characteristics. Peer groups particularly influential during the pre-teenage and early teenage years. Winning peer acceptance is a powerful force in the lives of young people of this age group. To win acceptance, young people willingly adopt the values and standards of the peer group; in essence, they shape themselves into the kind of person they think the group wants them to be. Peer-group socialization is different from socialization within the family. Norms and values imparted by family usually focus on larger culture; peer groups focus is the subculture of the group

Agents of Socialization The School For most young people, school occupies large amounts of time and attention. Between the ages of 5 and 18, young people spend some 30 weeks a year in school thus school plays a major role in socializing individuals. Much of this socialization is deliberate – class activities are planned for deliberate purpose of teaching subjects/skills Extracurricular activities are intended to prepare the student for life in the larger society. Schools also attempt to transmit cultural values, such as patriotism, responsibility, and good citizenship. A large amount of unintentional socialization also occurs within school. AKA peer groups

Agents of Socialization The Mass Media Mass media involves no face-to face interaction The mass media are instruments of communication that reach large audiences with no personal contact between those sending the information and those receiving it. Television has the most influence on the socialization of children 98% of homes in the US have television sets, with an average of more than two set per house Most children spend twice as much time watching TV as they spend in school Research says by age 18, most kids will have witnessed 200,000 fictional acts of violence, including 16,000 murders Some studies have found connections between violence and aggressive behavior among young people.

“You must unlearn what you have learned” Can we be resocialized? Resocialization is the process of learning new norms, values, attitudes and behaviors while abandoning old ones. This process involves more than the kids of secondary socialization that occur when we marry or take a new job. Yoda, the noted Jedi philosopher, says it best in the Empire Strikes Back; sometimes “You must unlearn what you have learned”

Experiencing the Total Institution The most effective forms of resocialization occur in total institutions that isolate people from outside influences so they can be reformed and controlled. People may enter total institutions voluntarily, as in the case of non-draftees that enlist in military boot-camps, or involuntarily, as in the case of inmates in mental institutions or prisons.

Characteristics of Total Institutions There is one authority, and activities take place in specific locations. Carefully structured activities control the participants. Authorities carefully screen all information from outside the institution. Rules and roles are clearly defined. A strict hierarchy exists within the institution. Total institutions restrict individual choice.

Degradation ceremony These modifications are accomplished by stripping away all semblance of individual identity (degradation ceremony – people subjected to humiliating rituals in a total institution) and replacing it with an institutional identity – uniforms, standard haircuts, and so on. People often lose their individuality within total institutions Once the person’s sense of self has been weakened, it is easier for those in power to convince that person to conform to new patterns of behavior.