Socialization: From Infancy to Old Age

1. Socialization: From Infancy to Old Age

2. Socialization • The lifelong process of social interaction through which individuals acquire a self identity and the physical, mental, and social skills needed for survival in society. • The social experience by which people learn culture • Socialization is the essential link between the individual and society.

3. Why Socialization Is Important • Teaches us ways to think, talk and act that are necessary for social living. • Ensures that members of society are socialized to support the existing social structure. • Allows society to pass culture on to the next generation.

4. Human Development Each of us is a product of two forces: • Heredity- “nature” • Determines our physical makeup. • Social environment -“nurture.” • Determines how we develop and behave.

5. The Biological Sciences: The Role of Nature • Charles Darwin • Human behavior was instinctive – our “nature” • U.S. economic system reflects “instinctive human competitiveness” • People are “born criminals” • Women are “naturally” emotional and men are “naturally” more rational

6. The Social Sciences: The Role of Nurture • John B. Watson (1878-1958) • Behaviorism • Held that behavior is not instinctive but learned • People are equally human, just culturally different • Human behavior is rooted in nurture not nature

7. Social Isolation • Ethically, researchers cannot place humans in total isolation to study what happens • Harry & Margaret Harlow (1962) • Studied rhesus monkeys • Found that complete isolation for even six months seriously disturbed development • Unable to interact with others in a group • Confirmed the importance of adults in cradling infants • Isolation caused irreversible emotional and behavioral damage

8. Studies of Isolated Children • Anna • Social isolation caused permanent damage • At age 8, mental development was less than a 2-year-old • Began to use words at age 10 • Because mother was mentally retarded, perhaps Anna was similarly challenged

9. California Case • Childhood isolation resulting from parental abuse • At age 13, mental development of a 1-year-old • Became physically healthy with intensive treatment • Language ability remained that of a young child

10. CRITICAL REVIEW • Evidence points to the crucial role of social experience in forming personality • Humans can sometimes recover from abuse and short-term isolation • There is a point at which isolation in infancy causes permanent developmental damage

11. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) • Human development occurs in three states that reflect different levels of personality: • Id: Present at birth; Pleasure principle • Ego: Develops over the first few years; Reality principle • Superego: Develops in a preschool child; Morality principle

12. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) • Personality Development • To the id, the world is a jumble of physical sensations that bring pleasure or pain • As the superego develops, moral concepts of right and wrong are learned • Id and superego remain in conflict • Managed by the ego in a well-adjusted person

13. Freud’s Theory of Personality

14. Jean Piaget (1896-1980)Cognitive Development • Jean Piaget used five key concepts to explain how cognitive development occurs: • Schema • Assimilation • Accommodation • Equilibrium • Equilibration

15. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development • Sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2) - children understand the world through sensory contact and immediate action. • Preoperational stage (age 2 to 7) - children begin to use words as symbols and form mental images.

16. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development • Concrete operational stage (7 to 11) - children think in terms of tangible objects and events. • Formal operational stage (12 and up) - adolescents begin to think about the future and evaluate different courses of action.

17. Conservation and Reversibility Problems

18. Conservation and Reversibility Problems

19. Lawrence Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning • Preconventional level (7 to 10)Children’s perceptions are based on punishment and obedience. • Conventional level (10 to adult)People are concerned with how they are perceived by peers and how one conforms to rules.

20. Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning • Postconventional level (few adults reach this stage)People view morality in terms of individual rights; “moral conduct” is judged by principles based on human rights that transcend government and laws.

21. Carol Gilligan’s Stages of Female Moral Development • Stage 1: A woman is motivated primarily by selfish concerns. • Stage 2: She recognizes her responsibility to others. • Stage 3: She makes a decision based on a desire to do the greatest good for self and for others.

22. The Looking-Glass Self • We imagine how we look to others. • We imagine how other people judge the appearance that we think we present. • If we think the evaluation is favorable our self-concept is enhanced. • If we think the evaluation is unfavorable, our self-concept is diminished.

23. Mead and Role-taking The self is divided into “I” and “Me”: • “I” represents the unique traits of each person. • “Me” is composed of the demands of others and the awareness of those demands. • “I” develops first. “Me” is formed during first three stages of self development.

24. Mead’s Three Stages of Self-Development • Preparatory Stage (up to age 3)Children prepare for role-taking by imitating the people around them. • Play Stage (3 - 5)Children begin to see themselves in relation to others.

25. Mead’s Play Stage

26. Mead’s Three Stages of Self-Development • Game Stage (early school years)Children understand their social position and the positions of those around them.Children become concerned about the demands and expectations of others. • Generalized Other (Later school years) The concept of socially acceptable behavior is internalized.

27. Erik H. Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development • Stage 1 • The challenge of trust versus mistrust • Birth to about 18 months • Gain a sense of trust that the world is safe

28. Stage 2 • Toddlerhood – The challenge of autonomy (versus doubt and shame) • Up to age 3 • Failure to gain self control leads to doubt in abilities • Stage 3 • Preschool – The challenge of initiative (versus guilt) • Four- and 5-year-olds • Learn to engage their surroundings or experience guilt at having failed to meet expectations

29. Stage 4 • Preadolescence – The challenge of industriousness (versus inferiority) • Between ages 6 and 13 • Feel proud of accomplishments or fear they do not measure up • Stage 5 • Adolescence – The challenge of gaining identity (versus confusion) • Teen years • Struggle to establish identity • Almost all teens suffer confusion in establishing identity

30. Stage 6 • Young adulthood – The challenge of intimacy (versus isolation) • Challenge of forming and keeping intimate relationships • Balancing the need to bond with the need to have a separate identity • Stage 7 • Middle adulthood – The challenge of making a difference (versus self-absorption) • Challenge of middle age is to contribute to the lives of others • Failing leads to self-centeredness or becoming caught up in own limited concerns

31. Stage 8 • Old age – The challenge of integrity (versus despair) • Near the end of life, people hope to look back on accomplishments with a sense of integrity • For the self-absorbed, old age brings a sense of despair over missed opportunities

32. Agents of Socialization • Family • School • Peer group • Mass Media

33. Functionalist Perspective: Functions of Schools • Teach students to be productive members of society. • Transmit culture. • Social control and personal development. • Select, train, and place individuals on different rungs in society.

34. Conflict Perspective: Schools • Experiences depend on social class, racial–ethnic background, gender, and other factors. • Children learn to be neat, punctual, quiet, wait their turn, and remain attentive to their work. • Schools socialize children for later roles in the work force.

35. Media As Socializing Agents • Inform us about events. • Introduce us to a variety of people. • Provide an array of viewpoints on current issues. • Make us aware of products that will supposedly help us. • Entertain us.