Unit 4 : Socialization & Social Interaction

1. Unit 4: Socialization & Social Interaction Aim: To what extent are conceptions of the self determined by our social interactions? Do Now: In your notebook, number 1-5, complete the prompt “I am…” in 5 different ways.

2. Nature versus Nurture, or… Socialization: the process by which people learn the attitudes, values, And behaviors appropriate for members of a particular culture. Nature and Nurture?

3. “Genie” is the pseudonym for a feral child who spent nearly all of the first thirteen years of her life locked inside a bedroom strapped to a potty chair. She was a victim of one of the most severe cases of social isolation ever documented. Genie was discovered by Los Angeles authorities on November 4, 1970.Psychologists, linguists and other scientists exhibited great interest in the case because of its perceived ability to reveal insights into the development of language and linguistic critical periods.

4. David Reimer

5. What groups/institutions are the primary agents of Socialization? Family School Peer Groups Work Mass Media Religion

6. Impact of environment: Though these two men are genetically identical, they were separated at birth.  The man on the left was malnourished for years.   Bone structure changes brought about by environmental factors is thus one of many ways (physical and behavioral) in which the environment can dramatically affect the way in which the genes express themselves.

7. Cultural Differences in Defining the ‘Self’ Independent View of the Self: A way of defining oneself in terms of one’s own internal thoughts, feelings, and actions and not in terms of the thoughts, feelings, and actions of other people. Interdependent View of the Self: A way of defining oneself in terms of one’s relationships to other people; recognizing that one’s behavior is often determined by the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others.

8. Major Theorists of the Self Charles Horton Cooley George Herbert Mead

9. Believed that we learn who we are through our interactions with others. The phrase ‘looking glass self’ emphasizes this point with 3 phases: Cooley’s “Looking Glass Self” Phase 1: we imagine how we present ourselves to others Phase 2: we imagine how other evaluate us (attractive, funny, strange) Phase 3: we develop feelings (shame, pride) based on these.

10. Preparatory Stage: children imitate those around them- as they age children begin to use symbols (gestures/words) to communicate. Play Stage: children begin to pretend to be others - Role taking = mentally assuming perspective another. Mead’s Stages of the Self Game Stage: Child of 8 or 9 yrs. No longer just play roles, but begin to understand the tasks and relationships of others. Mead used the term “generalized self” to refer to attitudes, viewpoints, of society that child takes into consideration in his/her behavior.

11. Back to the “Do Now”… What were some of the descriptions you used to describe yourself? Now, describe how everything you wrote describe some sort of cultural value, norm, or pattern…

12. Irving Goffman: Presentation of the Self Impression Management: How we learn to create distinctive Images of ourselves for Particular people we’ll Be around Face-Work: face-saving behavior We initiate when we feel Embarrassed or rejected

14. Social Interaction & Social Structure

15. Statuses & Roles: Status:position you occupy in a social setting (what type of people occupy higher social status in high school? Lower?) Why? Ascribed Status: assigned to a person by society without regard for the person’s unique talents or characteristics Achieved Status: comes to us through our own efforts Master status: status that dominates how people view you in society

16. Social Roles: a social role is a set of expectations for people who occupy a given social position or status. Remember, you occupy a status, but you play a role. • Activity: • Number 1-10 in your notebook • Write down 10 brief responses to the prompt of • “WHO AM I?” • *Unlike the previous activity, you may describe • yourself in any way you like

17. Look over your ten statements Trait vs. Role Next to each of your statements, write down whether the statement describes a trait (e.g., outgoing), or a role (e.g., brother)

18. Social Role Activity: Choose 1 of the many social roles that you occupy in your life and do the following: Now, in each box, write1 social role that you occupy - choose anything from student, to girlfriend, to son…whatever. Teacher Be educated, prepare students, Summers off, job security Then, write down the expected behaviors, responsibilities, and privileges of that role

19. -What were some roles you chose? -What were some of the associated responsibilities, tasks, etc? -Have you ever thought of you different Social roles in this way? Role conflict: when incompatible expectations arise from 2 or more social positions held by the same person. Going back to the activity we just did, what are some conflicts that arise between the responsibilities or behaviors or 2 or more different roles you wrote down?

20. Role Conflict and Ascribed Statuses: Role conflict also occurs when individual move into occupations that are not common among people with their ascribed status

21. Role Strain: Difficulty that arises when there are conflicting demands and expectations within the same social role

23. Groups, Group Dynamics and Organizations:

24. Types of Groups: • Consists of people who regularly and consciously interact with one another. • Involuntary Membership: members who are assigned to a group by others (examples?) • Voluntary Membership: Groups that people choose to join (examples?) • Primary Groups: small, intimate, enduring (examples?) • Secondary: formal, superficial, temporary (examples?)

25. ‘In’ & ‘Out’ Groups: • In-Groups: groups towards which we feel loyalty • Out-Groups: groups towards which we feel antagonism • Divides the world into “us” and “them” • Creates a double standard in which we can view the same trait as positive in the in-group, and negative in the out-group. Example- men may see aggressive men as “assertive”, while they see aggressive women as “pushy”

26. Sociological Group Discussion: • Which sociological group has had the most/least impact on your life (Race, Gender, Ethnicity, Religion, Social Class, Age?) Why? • Are some of those groupings an advantage? A disadvantage? Why? • How specifically does your membership in any of the groups above impact your life (the way you grew up, the way you see the world, how you are treated by others, how you behave, etc)?

28. Group Activity - “Who Should Live?” You will get into small groups and come to a group consensus based on the instructions on the handout