1. Socialization and the Self
Sociology: Chapter 4, Section 2

2. Section Preview
Sociology is based on at least three theoretical perspectives
Functionalist Perspective
Conflict Perspective
Symbolic Interactionism
All three agree that socialization is needed if cultural and societal values are to be learned

3. This would be a good table to put in your notes

4. Functionalist Perspective
Functionalism talks about how different groups within society work together to create a stable society
For example, schools and families both socialize children, and basically teach the same norms, beliefs and values
If these groups did not agree on these norms, then society would be chaotic, as a child wouldn’t know whether to believe his or her school or family

5. Functionalism was the earliest theory; it was proposed by Emile Durkheim

7. Conflict Perspective
The conflict perspective says that we are socialized to accept our current social class that we are raised in
When people are socialized to accept their current social class, they preserve the stability of the current class system
People accept their social status before they realize what happened, and do not challenge their position in life

8. Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic Interactionism was developed by Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead in the early 20th century (about 1902)
They did not agree that people were “born that way” with biologically determined behavior and potential
Rather, they believed that human nature was a product of society

10. Key Concepts of Symbolic Interactionism
There are five key concepts of symbolic interactionism. They include:
the self concept
the looking glass self
significant others
role taking (the imitation stage, the play stage, the game stage)
the generalized other
(we’ll go over each of these in the next few slides)

11. The Self Concept
Charles Cooley watched his children play and saw that children realized they had an identity separate from other people.
He called this the self concept
People develop their self concept as they imagine how others see them

12. The Looking Glass Self
The idea of a self concept developed into the idea of the looking glass self
Cooley thought of us looking at other people looking at us
We use other people as mirrors to reflect back what we imagine they think of us

13. The Looking Glass Self First, we imagine how we appear to others
Next, we imagine the reaction of others to our imagined appearance
Finally, we evaluate ourselves according to how we imagine others having judged us
So, for example, say we have a date. We decide to comb our hair a certain way. We sense that our date doesn’t like our new hairdo. Therefore, we feel bad about ourselves.

14. The Looking Glass Self
Since the looking glass comes from our imaginations, it is quite possible that we have a distorted view
It’s possible that our date likes our new hairdo just fine, or that he or she didn’t even notice the new hairdo
However, even if we are wrong about how people see us, if we believe that people don’t like us, then the results are just as hurtful as if it were true.

15. The looking glass self can be a distorted view of ourselves

16. Assignment Describe or draw how each of the following see you:
A parent
A close friend
A teacher that you like
A teacher that you don’t like
A peer that you don’t particularly like

17. Some Mirrors are More Important
In 1934, George Mead asserted that some people are more important to us than others
Those who are most important to our self concepts are called significant others
For children, significant others are parents, teachers, siblings and friends
For teens, peers often become more significant
For adults, spouses and employers become more significant
Who are the most important people in your life?

18. We each have people whose opinion really matters to us, whether they be parents, friends, bosses, coaches, teachers, or our spouse or children

19. Role Taking
We often try to predict the behavior of others through silent conversations with ourselves
We can imagine others’ thoughts, emotions and behavior
Role taking is when we see ourselves through someone else’s perspective, as we practice what we might say to them to get what we want

20. Role taking is where we practice what might happen in a conversation, taking the perspective of others to predict how the conversation may go

21. 3 Stages of Role Playing
George Mead described that we learn to role play as a child in three stages:
Imitation stage
Play stage
Game stage

22. Imitation
The imitation stage begins when a child is one and a half to two years old
At this age, the child imitates others without understanding why others are doing what they are doing, or saying what they are saying

23. Play At the age of three or four, a child enters the play stage
This is where the child pretends to be his or her mother, father, teacher, police officer, astronaut, or superhero
The child takes on roles of others one at a time, acting in ways they imagine other people would

24. Game
When children are a bit older, maybe six or eight years old, they enter the game stage of development
Now children are able to consider the roles of several people at once
They can play team games, as each person on the team fills a certain role
They can anticipate the actions of others based on social (or game) rules

25. Generalized Other
As children mature, they develop general principles of how to act
Earlier, they may have been an honest person because that would please their mother or father
Now, they are beginning to see that being honest in principle is a good thing
Rather than pleasing a specific person, a sense of a generalized other is formed (basically society in general)
With a sense of a generalized other, a set of principles that one chooses to live by emerges, whether someone else is watching or not

26. The Self
George Mead thought of the self, who you are as a person, as consisting of two parts, the “I” and the “me.”
The “I” is your first reaction, without thinking of any social consequences
The “me” mitigates the I’s reaction by thinking of the social consequences of that action
The “I” then reacts to the “me” to decide what to do
The “I” says, “I want that candy bar. I’m going to steal it.” The “me” reminds the “I” of the consequences of stealing and too much sugar, and what would be more socially acceptable behavior

27. Assessment
Complete #1-4 on page 119 in your notebook