Socializing the Individual

Socializing the Individual Personality Development

Personality Development • What comes to mind when you hear the word personality? • Personality – the sum total of behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and values that are characteristic of an individual • Our personality determines how we adjust to our environment and how we react in specific situations • No two individuals have the same personality

Personality Development • People’s personalities continue to develop throughout their lifetime • Personality development is more obvious during childhood…why? • Rapid physical, emotional, and intellectual growth • During adulthood, personality traits change at a slower pace • Personality development varies from person to person

Nature versus Nurture • For many years, sociologists have debated what determines personality and social behavior…heredity or environment? • Heredity – the transmission of genetic characteristics from parents to children • Social Environment – contact with other people • This debate is usually referred to as “Nature vs. Nurture” • Inherited genetic characteristics vs. environment and social learning

Nature versus Nurture • What do you think? Nature Nurture

Nature Versus Nurture • The nature viewpoint states that behavior is instinctual in origin • Instinct – an unchanging, biologically inherited behavior pattern • The nurture viewpoint states that a person’s behavior and personality are the result of their social environment and learning • Pavlov’s Dogs • Psychologist John B. Watson believed that he could take a dozen healthy babies and train them to become anything he wanted…

Factor #1 – heredity • Everyone has certain characteristics that are present at birth: • Body build • Hair type • Eye color • Skin pigmentation • Hereditary characteristics also include certain aptitudes • Aptitude – a capacity to learn a particular skill or acquire a particular body of knowledge • Example – Natural talent for music, art, or athletics

Factor #2 – Birth order • Our personalities are influenced by whether we have brothers, sisters, or neither • The order in which we are born into our families also influence our personalities • How might the order in which you were born impact your personality?

Birth order • Firstborn Children: • Achievement-oriented • Responsible • Conservative • Defend the status quo • Later-born Children: • Better social relationships • More affectionate • More friendly • Risk-takers

Factor #3 – parental characteristics • Personality development in children is also influenced by the characteristics of their parents • The age of parents can impact their children’s development • Parents in their 20’s >>>>>>>>>> Parents in their 40’s • Other parental characteristics that can influence a child’s personality development • Level of education / occupation • Religious orientation • Economic status • Cultural heritage

Factor #4 – cultural environment • The cultural environment can determine basic types of personalities that will be found in a society • Each culture gives rise to a series of personality traits that are typical of members of that society…model personalities • United States = Competitiveness, Assertiveness, and Individualism

Cultural environment • How we experience our culture also influences our personality • Experiences differ depending on whether you are male or female • Subcultures affect personality: • Growing up in an Italian family • Growing up in an Irish family • Having a family with no heritage • Different regions of the country • Different types of neighborhoods

Isolation in childhood • Several instances exist in which children have been raised without the influence of a cultural environment • Feral children – Wild or untamed children • Sometimes found living with animal • Sometimes found isolated in their own homes • Other than appearance, they have few human characteristics: • No ability to control their bodily functions • No reasoning ability • No manners

Examples of childhood isolation • Anna and Isabelle • Anna was born to an unmarried woman (enraged her father) • Forced to live in isolation in the attic • She was not spoken to, held, bathed, or loved • Discovered by a social worker at the age of 6 • She could not walk, talk, or feed herself • Over time she learned simple tasks • Anna died at the age of 10

Examples of childhood Isolation • Isabelle’s grandfather kept her and her deaf mother confined to a dark room • Isabelle did have the advantage of her mother’s company • Mom and daughter only communicated through gestures • Isabelle was found at the age of 6 • Crawled on her hands and knees • Made grunting, animal – like sounds • Ate with her hands

Isabelle’s story…continued • Isabelle was originally thought to be incapable of speech • Began speaking after several months of intensive training • After two years, she reached a level of social and mental development consistent with her age group • Experts believed Isabelle’s constant contact with her mother allowed her to overcome her early social deprivation

Isolation in childhood…genie • Genie was discovered in 1970 at the age of 13 • Confined to a small bedroom from the age of 20 months • Spent her days tied to a potty-chair • She was beaten if she made noise • When Genie’s father interacted with her, he would behave like an angry dog (barking, growling, baring his teeth) • When Genie was found she had the social and psychological skills of a one-year-old • Genie did learn basic social norms • Never able to function as a social being

Institutionalization • Sociologists have studied the human development of children living in institutions • Institutions include hospitals and orphanages • These children show some of the same characteristics as isolated children • Children received food and shelter but little or no contact • These cases show the importance of human interaction for social and psychological development

The Social self • At birth…babies cannot talk, walk, feed themselves, or protect themselves • People are transformed into participating members of society through: • Interactions with their social environment • Interactions with their cultural environment • Socialization – Interactive process through which people learn the skills, values, beliefs, and behavior patterns of a society

The social self • Many theories exist to explain how people become socialized and develop a sense of self • Self – Conscious awareness of possessing a distinct identity that separates your and your environment from other members of society • We will look at three theories of socialization: • John Locke • Charles Horton Cooley • George Herbert Mead

Locke: The tabula Rasa • English philosopher from the 1600s • Thought that each newborn was a tabula rasa…or clean slate • Locke felt we were born without personalities • We acquire our personalities from social experiences • Believed he could shape a newborn’s personality (Watson) • Most sociologists believe socialization is a process • Through socialization, we develop a sense of society

Cooley: The looking-glass self • Looking – glass self – The interactive process by which we develop an image of ourselves based on how we imagine we appear to others • Other people act as a mirror, reflecting back the image we project through their reactions to our behavior • The looking – glass self is a three-step process: • First, we imagine how others see us • Second, we imagine how others are judging us • Finally, we use perceptions of how others judge us to develop feelings about ourselves

Cooley: The looking – glass self • The process of identity development begins very early in childhood • Newborn babies have no sense of person or place • Members of the child’s primary group interact with the infant • They provide the child with a mirror that reflects his or her image…they talk to the child, they reward or punish behavior • This theory puts a lot of responsibility on parents: • Parents who think little of a child’s ability = inferiority in the child • Parents who treat their child as capable and competent = capable and competent children

Mead: role – taking • Seeing ourselves as others see us is only the beginning • Mead visualized role – taking as a three step process: • Imitation, play, and games • Children under three lack a sense of self…therefore, they can only imitate the actions of others • At around three, children begin to play and act out roles • This is the first time children see the world through someone else’s eyes

Role – taking continued • By the time children reach school age, they play organized games • Organized games require children to take on roles • The game stage of role-taking most closely resembles real life • Through role-taking, an individual develops a sense of self • I = The unsocialized, spontaneous, self-interested component of personality and self-identity • Me = The part of ourselves that is aware of the expectations and attitudes of society

Role – taking continued • In childhood, the I component is stronger than the me component • Through socialization, “me” acts together with “I” • This socialization brings a person’s actions in line with the expectations of society • “Me” never dominates “I” • A well-rounded member of society is a person with both aspects of self

Agents of socialization • Agents of socialization – Specific individuals, groups, and institutions that enable socialization to take place • Agents of socialization: • Family • Peer Group • School • Media

Family • Most important agent of socialization • Children learn the values, norms, and beliefs of society through their families • Socialization in a family can be both deliberate and unintended • Deliberate = Importance of telling the truth, How to save money • Unintended = Important to be polite…parents not always polite • Socialization process differs from family to family

Peer Group • As children get older, they relate more and more to peer groups • Peer group – A primary group composed of individuals or roughly equal age and similar social characteristics • Extremely influential during pre-teen and teenage years • Parents become worried that the norms and values of the peer group are more important than those of the family or society

School • School occupies large amounts of time and attention • The majority of socialization in school is deliberate • Schools transmit cultural values, patriotism, and responsibility • Unintentional socialization can occur

Mass media • Mass media involves no face-to-face interaction • Mass media – Instruments of communication that reach larger audiences with no personal contact between those sending and receiving the information • Mass media includes books, television, movies, and the Internet • Which form of mass media do you feel has the most influence? • Television probably has the most influence (98% of homes)

Negative effects of media • What are some negative socialization effects of mass media? • Research indicates: • By the age of 18, most children have witnessed 200,000 fictional act of violence • This includes 16,000 murders • Can fictional violence create aggressive individuals? • Media can include positive socialization: • Introduces viewers to new subjects and places • Informs the viewers

resocialization • Total Institution – A setting in which people are isolated from the rest of society for a set period of time and are subject to tight control • Examples of total institutions: • Prisons • Military Boot Camp • Monasteries • Psychiatric Hospitals

Resocialization • Total institutions are concerned with resocializing their members • Resocialization – A break with past experiences and the learning of new values and norms • Most total institutions are concerned with changing an individual's personality and behavior • People in total institutions are denied freedoms enjoyed by the outside world

Socializing the Individual