Sociology Chapter 4

Sigmund Freud's greatest contribution to understanding the self

"The Interpretation of Dreams"

To live in a civilized society means to...

... agree to norms and sanctions that infringe on personal freedom but serve to protect the well-being of the group

Civilization demands....

... that we give up some satisfaction of acting on instinct to gain the lesser happiness but greater security of living within the bounds of society

3 steps of looking glass self

1. we imagine how we look to others 2. we imagine other people's judgement of us 3. we experience some kind of feeling about ourselves based on our perception of other people's judgements

Superego functions

Develops because of parental guidance, particularly in the form of the rewards and punishments we receive as children; Inhibits the urges of the id and encourages ego to find morally acceptable forms of behavior; Helps suppress the urge to kill competition

The Mind's 3 Interrelated Systems

Ego, ID, and Superego

Psychoanalytic Theory: Sigmund Freud

Emphasizes childhood and sexual development as indelible influences on an individual's identity and in turn how society is upheld through the transformation of human instincts

examples of children isolation cases

Genie, Isabella, Anna, Elizabeth Fritzel

Agent of Socialization: Family

Most important, emotional support, social identity

media

Most significant source of socialization

"I think, therefore I am"

Rene Descartes expressed humans have a consciousness about ourselves

anal retentive

a neatnik, tight wad or control freak; stuck in the second stage; appears in the hang up of adulthood

status

a position in a social hierarchy that carries a particular set of expectations

unconscious energy

a source of conscious thoughts and behaviors

achieved status

a status earned through individual effort or imposed by others; ex.) occupation, hobby, skill

embodied status

a status generated by physical characteristics; located in our physical selves; ex.) beauty, disability

ascribed status

a status that is inborn; usually difficult or impossible to change; ex.) gender, race

master status

a status that seems to override all others in our identities; Carry expectations that may blind people the other facets of personalities

personal identity

all the individual values you uphold that make you social

Definition of the situation

an agreement with others about "what is going on" in a given circumstance; the consensus allows us to coordinate our actions with others and realize goals

Role Identity

any positions that have a counter role in positions

Emotions

are intensely personal responses to the unique situations of our lives and can be influenced by social institutions such as workplaces or religious groups

Nurture Side of Nature vs. Nurture Debate

argue that human behavior is learned and shaped through social interaction - sociologists, social scientist

Nature side of Nature vs. Nurture Debate

argues that behavioral traits can be explained by genetics - sociobiologist, psychologist, natural scientist

cooling the mark out

behaviors that help others to save face or avoid embarrassment, often referred to as civility or tact; The presentation of self and impression management are about power as well as about self

"Reclaiming Conversation" by Sherry Turkle

believes that we all lose something in a world of mediated relationships; believes that face to face interaction is needed

perspective of the generalized other

children see themselves as objects and gradually learn to internalize the expectations of the generalized other for themselves and evaluate their own behavior

ID

composed of biological drives; basic inborn drives that are the source of instinctive psychic energy

Social Environment

determines whether we will realize or fall short of potential

role-taking emotions

emotions that require that we assume the perspective of another person or group and respond accordingly; ex.)sympathy

George Herbert Mead

expanded Cooley's ideas and laid the essential groundwork for the theory of symbolic interactionism; believed the self was created through social interaction

role strain

experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role

role conflict

experienced when we occupy two or more roles with contradictory expectations

expressions given

expressions that are intentional and usually verbal such as utterances

Copresence

face to face interaction or being in the presence of others

The 4 main agents of socialization

family, school, peers, mass media

"In Alone Together" by Sherry Turkle

focuses on the problems of the social media age

psychosexual stages of development

four distinct stages of the development of the self between birth and adulthood; personality quirks are a result of being fixated, or stuck at any stage

Superego

has two components (the conscience and the ego-ideal) and represents the internalized demands of society

Statues and roles

help shape our identities by providing guidelines for our own behavior and by providing the patterns that other use to interact with us

Agent of Socialization: School

helps children become less dependent on family, providing a bridge to other social groups; have gradually taken on greater responsibilities than merely teaching a prescribe curriculum

Sigumund Freud

his thesis to show how the psychological makeup of the individual helps to create social order, or civilization, while at the same time being constrained by society's structures and demands, causing the person to become discontent

identity

how we come to see ourselves in different positions

social identity

identity based on group membership

Thanatos

in Freudian theory, aggression or death instinct

Eros

in Freudian theory, the libido or life given instinct

feral children

in myths and rare real-world cases, children who have had little human contact and may have lived in social isolation from a young age

total institution

institutions in which individuals are cut off from the rest of society so that they can be controlled and regulated for the purpose of systematically stripping away previous roles and identities in order to create new ones

Stereotyping

judging others based on preconceived generalizations about groups or categories of people

Feeling rules

norms regarding the expression and display of emotions; expectations about the acceptable or desirable feelings in a given situation; ex.) no laughing at a funeral

expressions given off

observable expressions that can be either intended or unintended and are usually nonverbal; ex.) body language, style of dress, mannerisms

peers

people of the same age who share similar interests; have the most intense and immediate effect on each other

Saturated Self

postmodern idea that the self is now developed by multiple influences chosen from a wide range of media sources; term coined by Kenneth Gergen

social self

process relatively organized complex of attitudes, beliefs and values who make you who you are

Ego

realistic aspect of the mind that balances the forces of the id and the superego; Operates on a basis of reason and helps to mediate and integrate the demands of both the id and superego

Arlie Hochschild's study of flight attendants

revealed that when airlines required their employees to be cheerful on the job, the employees' authentic emotions were displaced

role

set of behaviors expected of someone because of his or her status

The Front

setting or scene of performances that help establish the definition of the situation; Makes a big difference in how we perceive and interact with the people we encounter there; Ex.) classroom for teaching or bar for drinking

Expressions of Behavior

small actions that serve as an interactional tool to help project our definition of the situation to others; ex.) head nod, eye roll

agents of socialization

social groups, institutions and individuals that provide structured situations in which socialization include

the self is modified through

social interaction

To be "truly human"...

social interaction is needed to develop humanity

Dramaturgy (Erving Goffman)

social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance

secondary socialization

socialization outside the family after childhood

Thomas Theorem

states that "if people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences"; The way we define each situation, then becomes its reality

oral fixation

stuck in the first stage of development, might smoke, overeat, or be verbally aggressive

agency

the ability of the individual to act freely and independently

The Region

the context in which the performance takes place; social setting, location, scenery, décor, props

impression management

the effort to control the impressions we make on others so that they form a desired view of us and the situation, the use of self-presentation and performance tactics

The "me" object component

the experience of a norm-abiding, conforming part of ourselves, more socialized and reliant on others

The "I" subject component

the experience of a spontaneous, active, and creative part of ourselves, some what less socialized

Preparatory Stage

the first stage of Mead's theory of the development of self where children mimic or imitate others; ex.) patty cake, making faces

Dual Nature of the Self

the idea that we experience the self as both subject and object, the "I" and the "me"

Self

the individual's conscious, reflexive experience of a personal identity separate and distinct from others

Charles Cooley "The Looking Glass Self"

the notion that the self develops through our perception of others' evaluations and appraisals of us

Nature vs. Nurture Debate

the ongoing discussion of the respective roles of genetics and socialization in determining individual behaviors and traits

The Personal Front

the performance tactics we use to present ourselves to others, including appearance, costume, and manner; gender, race and age

generalized other

the perspectives and expectations of a network of others (or of society in general) that a child learns and then takes into account when shaping his or her behavior

frontstage

the places where we deliver our performances to an audience of others

backstage

the places where we rehearse and prepare for our performances

social construction

the process by which a concept or practice is created and maintained by participants who collectively agree that it exists

Emotion work (emotional labor)

the process of evoking, suppressing, or managing feelings to create a publicly observable display of emotion

Socialization

the process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group by which we become functioning members of society

role exit

the process of leaving a role that you once occupied

Resocialization

the process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones as a part of a transition in life

Play Stage

the second stage in Mead's theory of the development of self where children pretend to play the role of the particular or significant other; Can lead to anticipatory socialization for real-life future roles; Ex.) playing "Mommy" or "doctor"

primary socialization

the socialization that occurs from before birth into adulthood

When instincts are sublimated or turned outward...

they are positively transformed

When instincts are repressed or turned inward ...

they become the conscience and a source of guilt and neuroses

Game Stage

third stage in Mead's theory of the development of self where children play organized games and take on the perspective of the generalized other

Main goal of ID

to achieve pleasure and to avoid pain in all situation which makes the id a selfish and unrealistic part of mind

Erving Goffman and Ralph Turner

used the theatrical analogy to describe how roles provide a kind of script, outlining what we are expected to say and do as a result of our position in the social structures

hidden curriculum

values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling

Wild Boy of Averyon

what Tarzan is based off of

Nancy Chodorow

wrote on human behavior and internal psychic structures and how patterns of gendered parenting and early childhood development can lead to the reproduction of traditional gender roles in society