SOCIALIZATION

Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development

1) Preconventional stage- behavior is motivated by avoidance of punishments 2) Conventional- focuses on conformity to social norms and approval of others 3) Postconventional- high ethics and moral principles of conscience

According to Mead, what are the 3 parts of the self?

1) the "I"- initiates social action—exists in social context; goal oriented "I'm hungry, I'm tired, I want to go to school" 2) the "ME"- the part of our self that continues the action based on how others respond to us; Why do we care about what other people think? Social acceptance; belonging; we're social creatures 3) the "generalized other"- the widespread cultural norms that we use as references in evaluating ourselves

Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development (Detailed)

1)PRECONVENTIONAL- LATE PRECONVENTIONAL (0-2); Adhering to rules in order to stay out of trouble; Realizes they are part of a group, but their behavior is not based because of that 2) CONVENTIONAL- EARLY CONVENTIONAL- moral majority thinking- most of the population hits this stage and stops; Development of empathy; Recognize our actions has social consequences for the group; we are intimately tied to other people; LATE CONVENTIONAL- Empathy, realize rules are necessary; Follow rules even though you may disagree with them- recognize rules are socially necessary, and that they maintain social order; Behavior becomes more entrenched in social groups/family 3) POSTCONVENTIONAL- EARLY POSTCONVENTIONAL- Idea of rights; Abstract concepts come into play—level of intellect that you mature into biologically, culturally, socially; "I might follow rules, or I might not" - based on interpretation of rule/challenge rules; LATE POSTCONVENTIONAL- Human rights territory; Collective conscience—"that's wrong and we have to do something about it"; Recognizes flaws in rules

Cliques

A cluster of people within a larger group who choose to interact with one another; an internal faction

Xenophobia

A fear of strangers

Primary Group

A group characterized by intimate, long-term, face to face association and cooperation

Socialization

A lifelong process by which people learn the characteristics of their society: the attitudes, values, and actions thought appropriate for them; also involves how individuals develop a sense of self and identity

Total Institutions

A place in which people are cut off from the rest of society and are almost totally controlled by the officials who run the place

Degradation Ceremony

A term coined by Harold Garfinkel to describe an attempt to remake the self by stripping away an individual's self-identity and stamping a new one in its place; a ritual designed to strip an individual of his/her identity as a group member (court martial, defrocking of a priest)

Sign-Vehicles

A term used by Goffman to refer to how people use social setting, appearance, and manner to communicate information about the self; impression management

Significant Others

An individual who significantly influences someone else's life; who children model themselves after/imitate in Mead's preparatory stage

Institutions of Socialization

An organization that persuaded people, through subtle and not-so-subtle means, to abide by the dominant values of society.

how have larger historical and government policy changes affected the transition to adulthood?

CHANGING GOVERNMENT POLICIES (AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUBSIDIES AND EDUCATION FUNDING SUBSIDIES OFFERED EARLIER IN TIME NO LONGER EXIST IN MOST WESTERN SOCIETIES), INCREASED COST OF EDUCATION, ECONOMIC DOWNTURNS, RISING PRICE OF HOUSING, MORE EDUCATION REQUIRED TO ENTER WORK FORCE. The more difficult transition to adulthood in the current period is, at least in part, the result of changing government policies. There have been many social policies that assisted with the transition to adulthood, which are no longer the norm in many Western societies. For example, after World War II, in both Canada and the United States, there were policies that helped young people attend college or university. There were also government subsidies for affordable housing, which enabled individuals to start families earlier. These subsidies are no longer available. Other social changes, such as the increased cost of education, rising cost of housing, and economic downturns have made it more difficult for young people to move into the workforce and find well-paying jobs. It also, in general, takes longer to find a good well-paying job and more education is required for entry-level jobs today.

Secondary Group

Compared with primary groups, a larger, relatively temporary, more anonymous, formal, and impersonal group based on some interest or activity, whose members are likely to interact on the basis of specific roles

Looking-glass self

Cooley argued that the unique aspect of "humanness" called the "self" is socially created - our sense of self develops through interaction with others. To become human beings we must interact with each other and this interaction is premised on a shared set of symbols (typically language). Looking glass self - the process by which a sense of self develops; refers to the process by which our sense of self develops through internalizing others' reactions to us: 1) we imagine how we appear to others, 2) we interpret others' reactions of us, 3) based on our interpretations of the reactions of others, we develop feelings and ideas about ourselves

Organic Solidarity

DISSIMILAR BUT INTERDEPENDENT modern societies—huge populations, aren't autonomous/we are specialized and rely on others for basic necessities, less spiritual, we don't punish for the sake of punishment we punish to rebalance things—keep the social order healthy. Division of labor—we are functionally dependent on one another. Not as strong sense of collective conscience. education is glue- moral education.

Define Goffman's dramaturgical method and apply it to the concepts of socialization and learning social roles

Dramaturgy is a sociological perspective commonly used in microsociological accounts of social interaction in everyday life. Goffman believed that when we are born, we are thrust onto a stage called everyday life, and that our socialization consists of learning how to play our assigned roles from other people. We enact our roles in the company of others, who are in turn enacting their roles in interaction with us. He believed that whatever we do, we are playing out some role on the stage of life. Goffman distinguished between front stages and back stages. During our everyday life, we spend most of our lives on the front stage, where we get to deliver our lines and perform. Almost any place where we act in front of others is a front stage. Sometimes we are allowed to retreat to the back stages of life. In these private areas, we don't have to act. We can be our real selves. We can also practice and prepare for our return to the front stage. Goffman coined the term impression management to refer to our desire to manipulate others' impressions of us on the front stage. According to Goffman, we use various mechanisms, called sign vehicles, to present ourselves to others. The most commonly employed sign vehicles are the following: Social setting, Appearance, Manner of interacting

Collective Conscience

Durkheim; Entire set of shared cultural beliefs and expectations—socialized with them intentionally and unintentionally (we carry society around with us)

Habitus

Embracing a set of skills and way of looking at the world that reflects (rather than questions/challenges) hierarchical social structures

Mass Media

Forms of impersonal communication, such as radio, newspapers, and television, directed to mass audiences

Freud's the development of the personality,

Freud proposed the personality consists of 3 elements: 1) Id: inborn drives for self-gratification—the avoidance of discomfort and the desire for pleasure. Demands immediate fulfillment of our needs: attention, safety, food, sexual gratification etc; Needs of the id often run directly counter to the needs of other people 2) Ego: the balancing force between the id and the demands of society that suppress it - emerges to adapt to the constraints that inevitably block the immediate fulfillment of our desires 3) Superego: "the conscience"; represents culture within us - the norms and values we internalize from our social groups; the moral component of our personality, the superego gives us a feeling of guilt or shame when we break social rules, or pride and self-satisfaction when we follow them IN SUMMARY: the ego navigates between our desires for if immediate gratification (Id) and our recognition of the social rules and responsibilities that structure our lives (the superego). Freud argued that civilization must by necessity repress impulses from the Id - if we were freed from the repressions of society, life would become so chaotic that culture would be impossible

Ego

Freud's term for a balancing force between the id and the demands of society; based on the reality principle; wants the id to be happy but in a socially acceptable way but also has a bias toward your happiness

Id

Freud's term for our inborn basic drives; pleasure principle, driven by immediate gratification; instinctual, self-serving, hedonistic; Eros (life instinct—we like being alive) & Thanatos (we pursue life and we pursue death—facing our fears, thrill seeking, using death as a motivator)

Superego

Freud's term for the conscience, the internalized norms and values of our social groups; the moral conscience of the individual- internalized social norms and values (through socialization). Responsible for shame when we do something not socially acceptable, and pride when we do something good by society's standards

How is gender identity created through gender socialization and how does this process relate to larger changes in society?

Gender socialization commences before birth, since it is rooted in the gender socialization of our parents. As soon as we are born, our parents are likely to provide direct and indirect messages about gender. These gender messages then permeate our childhood and adolescence and are reflected in almost every aspect of our social existence. The mass media and education play an important part in affirming the importance of gender differences. Some gender socialization is profoundly indirect and we are often unaware of it. Gender socialization may have profoundly negative or different outcomes for males and females. Young women are more likely to engage in self-destructive behaviors, while young men are more likely to be risk takers. Gender socialization is far from a static process; it must respond to larger historical societal shifts. Larger societal changes in society need not be as momentous as women's liberation ans the movement of women into paid labor. They also include the proliferation of info technology, the changing role of social media, and the growing emphasis on image as reflected in the "fat stigma"

Peer Groups

Groups of individuals roughly the same age linked by common interests

Out-Groups

Groups toward which one feels anatagonism

In-Groups

Groups toward which we feel loyalty

Describe the connection between the individual and society

Humans cannot exist without society or develop without interaction with other humans. Society is good for people because it helps them feel connected to one another. Part of what makes us human is our interactions with and dependence one another. It is impossible to have humans without society because society is what makes us human. Society invented the concept of the individual.

From the conflict theory perspective, what is the importance of socialization in a society? Has socialization changed over time?

Importance of socialization: Socialization is key to understanding conformity in society and the role of specific institutions in providing social control. However, there must be an allowance of human agency. Socialization recreates inequality. Recreation of society is negative. Has it changed over time: Somewhat. The process of socialization has intensified in some instances (prolonged education) and there are more extensive uses of socialization in social control. However, the overall process of socialization remains intact

From the functionalist perspective, what is the importance of socialization in a society? Has socialization changed over time?

Importance of socialization: Socialization is the key to fitting the individual into society and its various institutions; conformity = cohesion; socialization is a top-down process and society recreates itself through socialization Has it changed over time: Somewhat. Its primary function has stayed the same, but the specifics have changed- the internet and mass media have provided new socializing agents

From the symbolic interactionist perspective, what is the importance of socialization in a society? Has socialization changed over time?

Importance of socialization: Socialization provides us with the roles, techniques, and strategies that allow us to perform in specific social interactions. We are an active participant in the socialization process, not just receptacles. Socialization is important for how we develop a sense of self and identity Has it changed over time: Somewhat. The process of socialization and the construction of social meanings remain intact, but the specific roles we acquire and learn to perform (adolescence) have changed

In what ways does social experience create and structure our human existence, including our beliefs, values, goals, and perceptions?

In every way, how we feel, what we value, what we want to achieve, what we believe, and even what we see is influenced by our social environment. If you imagine a typical day in your life, virtually every act, from brushing your teeth to worrying about gaining weight, is a socially constructed activity. We act in particular ways and value or enjoy those actions because we have been directly or indirectly taught that these are things we should do or value. Through our experience in social relationships, our basic identity is constructed. In the absence of such human contact, it is likely that not only our beliefs, values, and goals would be absent, but our basic perceptions would be altered. It is in the processes of social interaction, starting at birth, that we construct who we are, what we want, and what we percieve

Mead's Stages of Role Taking

In the first stage, the PREPARATORY STAGE, a child learns to use language and other symbols and to IMITATE significant others in their lives. The second stage involves PRETENDING to be other people and is focused on ROLE-TAKING. The third stage, the GAME STAGE, is focused on children engaging in games with complex rules and requires children to take the role of many other people simultaneously. Finally, TAKING THE ROLE OF THE GENERALIZED OTHER requires children to think about how they generally appear to other people (instead of how they appear to one specific person).

What is the latest thinking on the roots of human behavior and, specifically, on the contributions of biology?

In the past, the roots of human behavior were debated in terms of nature versus nurture. Sociologists tended to support the view that our behavior is rooted in social processes such as socialization, along with the impact of societal institutions and shifting historical forces. From this perspective, biology simply provided the page on which society wrote the message. However, recent biological research on genetics has made enormous strides in proving that a "blank slate" approach to the human infant is inaccurate. Particularly through advances in genetic research and through twin studies, researchers have been able to reveal a complex intersection between human biological potentiality and the influence of environmental (including social) forces.

Personal Identity Kit

Items people use to decorate their bodies

Anticipatory Socialization

Learning part of a future role because one anticipates it

Explain the role of aging and the changing understandings of major life transitions, such as childhood, the teenaged years, and the transition to adulthood

One's experience of aging and moving through the life course depends on social factors such as changes in public policies/programs, overarching cultural values, and norms. Our understanding of the aging process, and its different stages, has changed over time. CHILDHOOD- Prior to the 18th century, there was no idea of childhood as a separate period of life (children were just small adults). By the middle of the 18th century, childhood was increasingly viewed as a separate life stage that required special care and institutions to protect it (ex. child labor laws). By the 19th century, the growing acceptance of childhood as a life stage was evident among the middle-class (young people began living in their parents homes for longer and were expected to go to school, increase in consciousness regarding the emotional and psychological development of young people). ADOLESCENCE- Concept began in the 20th century. A period between childhood and adulthood in which young people learn about themselves and form identities. Industrialization in the mid-19th century prompted the emergence of adolescence from childhood, where several social conditions required the prolongation of childhood. The industrialized society demanded new skills and larger numbers of workers, prompting a population shift to the cities. With large numbers of youth of the same age concentrated in urban settings, it became possible to have separate classes and schools for youths of different ages, and a noticeable new age group was born. Prolonged education was required in order to succeed as an adult in an industrialized society. Modern conception of adolescence is that is a period when young people are rebellious, prone to dramatic displays, and engage in violent and risky behavior. This conception has been challenged by researchers such as Margaret Mead, whose studies show that the experience of adolescence differs substantially among cultures. TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD- Today, adulthood no longer begins with childhood ends (as was largely seen after WWII where people would assume adult responsibilities in their late teens/early twenties). A recent lifestage (early adulthood) has emerged in which youth linger in a state of in a state of semi-autonomy, waiting until they are sufficiently well off to marry, have children. and establish an independent household. Traditionally, the transition to adulthood involves establishing emotional and economic independence from parents- life events accompanied by a sense of commitment, purpose, and identity. In the past, men became adults when they had the means to marry and support a family. Women became adults when they married and become mothers. These views began to shift in the 1960s renderings the transition to adulthood more ambiguous. Adulthood today does not necessarily include parenthood or marriage- people view these as life choices, not necessities. Today, the most important adult milestones are completing school, establishing an independent household, and being employed fulltime. The road to adulthood has lengthened due to the increased amount of time women and men stay in school in hopes of competing in the job market. Educational and work investments are now required for women as well as men. As a result, child rearing and married is being put on hold until education and career goals are achieved.

Identify the different types of socialization that occur over the lifecourse and in different situations;

PRIMARY SOCIALIZATION:— earliest stage-- we learn how to become a member of society by discovering the attitudes, values, and actions that are culturally and socially appropriate - the process by which individuals learn the unwritten rules of a society (occurs at a young age, and before secondary socialization) SECONDARY SOCIALIZATION: where we learn the appropriate behaviors and attitudes of a sub culture within our larger society - we adapt our behavior to fit into new groups. As we age, we learn to play new roles (occurs early in life, following primary socialization) GENDER SOCIALIZATION: the process of learning how to behave in a way that is consistent with the gender rules and norms in society—we are taught and retaught how to act according to our gender throughout our lives (occurs at birth, and is reinforced throughout the life course) ANTICIPATORY SOCIALIZATION: the process in which individuals "rehearse" potential roles they may have to take on in the future (occurs later on in life) RESOCIALIZATION: the process in which people take on new roles, and discard former behaviors, attitudes, and values—we do not just add a new role to all the other roles we play, we replace an old role with a new one. Sometimes a voluntary process, sometimes forced. Individuals move from being disillusioned with a particular identity to searching for alternative roles, experiencing a turning point that triggers their decision to exit a past role, and finally, creating an "ex" identity (Occurs later in life).

Sandwich Generation

People in the later middle years who find themselves caring not only for their own children, but also for their aging parents

Agents of Socialization

People or groups that affect our self-concept, attitudes, or other orientations toward life

Social Groups

People who regularly and consciously interact with one another over extended periods of time

Difference Between Personality and Self

Personality: a person's fairly consistent patterns of thinking, feeling and acting - sociologists tend to not use the term personality—instead uses self. "self" indicates a relationship between society and the individual—there is no society without the self and no self without society

Taking the Role of the Other

Putting oneself in someone else's shoes; understanding how someone else feels and thinks and thus anticipating how that person will act

Mechanical Solidarity

SIMILAR BUT INDEPENDENT earlier societies were based on mechanical solidarity—very small population, the families in these towns were largely autonomous (didn't need the other people in the village—made own clothes, farmed own food). Spirituality, religion, safer to stay together. Chose to be a group, but did not need to be. Strong sense of punishment to transgress the rules of society (intense and severe punishment). Strong collective conscience. religion is glue

Explain the importance of social roles and role transitions in an individual's life

Social roles are the behaviors, beliefs, and norms performed in social situations. When children internalize social rules and values through socialization and learn to conform to the roles and expectations of society, they learn how to be a member of society. Adopting and adhering to these roles is a core part of the socialization process. Functionalists argue that the more thoroughly members of society accept and adopt the dominant rules and values, the more smoothly society will run. As we age, we have to learn how to play new, more complex roles. Changing roles is a common experience in modern society. Role transitions involve moving from one role to another one (ex. new profession, entering university, parenthood). With these role transitions come new processes of socialization: anticipatory socialization (rehearsing a future role to prepare for it) and resocialization (abandoning former behaviors, attitudes, and values to take on new roles).

What are the limitations of socialization as an explanation of human behavior?

Socialization may become a blanket explanation for everything we do and believe. While it is important to recognize that we are tremendously influenced by the beliefs, values, and norms we are taught in a particular social context, and that we often unconsciously follow societal rules, we are not simply the end result of various socialization inputs. This is revealed through advances in genetic research, but is also embedded in sociological theory. Leading socialization theorists allow for the possibility that individuals will reject or resist socialization pressures. Sometimes members of society contradict socialization messages and arrive at their own path for navigating life. Socialization reveals the pressures to act in a particular manner, but it does not imply that we necessarily capitulate to those social forces.

Symbol

Something to which people attach meanings and then use to communicate with each other

Why might the changing of socialization messages through resocialization be a powerful instrument of control?

Specific instruments of resocialization- prisons, drug rehabilitation centers- may intentionally seek to alter our socialization. Here, different sets of beliefs, values, and attendant behaviors may be rewarded while prior patterns are challenged or rejected. Many societies contain resocialization organizations to maintain social control and eradicate what they define as inappropriate patters of behavior or attitudes

Human Agency

The ability to individually or collectively resist social pressures and provide for social change

Gender Roles

The behaviors and attitudes considered appropriate because one is male/female

Biological Determinism

The belief that the way we act reflects built-in biological traits such as the need to reproduce, the need to survive, and so on

Goffman makes a distinction between expressions given and expressions given off. Explain the difference between these two concepts. Which one is easier to control?

The expressions GIVEN are CONSCIOUS and INTENTIONAL forms of expression, usually VERBAL communication. The expressions GIVEN OFF are NON-VERBAL and are often UNINTENTIONAL ACTS that communicate, CONSCIOUSLY OR UNCONSCIOUSLY, things about the individual to other people. Expressions given off can be unconscious and unintentional. It is possible to control both the expressions one gives (words) and the expressions one gives off (body language). However, body language might be more difficult to control. For example, if you are talking to someone and they say that they are very happy to see you, but they look away and are yawning, you might be skeptical of what they say. The expression they are giving is that they are happy to see you; however the expression they are giving off (with the yawns and looking away) indicates that they are not very interested in seeing you.

Reference Groups

The groups we use as standards to evaluate ourselves

Manifest Functions

The intended consequences of people's actions designed to help some part of a social system

Generalized Other

The norms, values, attitudes, and expectations of "people in general"; a child's ability to take the role of the generalized other is a significant step in the development of a self

Resocialization

The process of abandoning an old role and learning new norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors

What are the stages of human socialization? What kinds of transitions do we experience as we proceed through the life course?

The stages of human socialization include childhood, adolescence, relationship formation, parenting, middle age, retirement, and early and late old age. Not everyone goes through all of these stages, and they do not necessarily follow a particular order. The transitions we experience as we move from one stage to another may be easy or hard depending on a variety of social factors. Becoming a young adult may be more difficult in modern society as young people find limited employment opportunities along with an escalating cost of living. As a result, their transition may be bumpy and far from straightforward; they may move out on their own only to return to their parents' homes as boomerang kids. Seniors may experience the transition to dependency and frailty a difficult process.

Latent Functions

The unintended consequences of people's actions that help keep a social system in equilibrium

Self

The unique human capacity of being able to see ourselves "from the outside"; the picture we gain of how others see us

Ethnocentrism

The use of one's own culture as a yardstick for judging the ways of other individuals or societies; generally leading to a negative evaluation of their values, norms, and behaviors

Describe Goffman's Theory of Dramaturgy/expressions given and given off

Theory of Dramaturgy: social life is a stage and individuals are actors playing roles for others. Adopting and adhering to roles is a core component of socialization. Front Stage and Back stage. The expressions GIVEN are CONSCIOUS and INTENTIONAL forms of expression, usually VERBAL communication. The expressions GIVEN OFF are NON-VERBAL and are often UNINTENTIONAL ACTS that communicate, CONSCIOUSLY OR UNCONSCIOUSLY, things about the individual to other people. Expressions given off can be unconscious and unintentional. It is possible to control both the expressions one gives (words) and the expressions one gives off (body language). However, body language might be more difficult to control.

Scientific Gaze

Through the language of medicine students learn a scientific gaze that reduces patients to bodies, allowing them to concentrate on what is medically important. Students may lose communication skills due to this process (not important for men, important for women)

Boomerang Kids

Young adults who move out of their parents' homes and then move back in as they go through periods of schooling, unemployment, and family-building

cultural capital

the knowledge, habits, and tastes learned from parents and family that individuals can use to gain access to scarce and valuable resources in society

Individuation

the progressive sharpening of an individual's sense of being an autonomous, independent person; A growing diversity of individual paths through the life course