Socialization
The process by which people learn to function in social life and become aware of themselves as they interact with others
Self
Consists of your ideas and attitudes about who you are as an independent being
What is socialization the key to?
Human development. Missed phases of life cannot be made up
Freud thought that..
The self is formed socially
What did Cooley propose?
The looking glass self
Looking glass self
We judge how others interact and react to us, and then we develop a set of feelings about who we are
What did Mead propose?
The concepts in self-development: the “I” - subjective/impulsive self that wants things
The “me” - emerges when people learn to communicate symbolically
What are Mead’s Four Stages of Development?
What context does childhood develop in?
A special Sociohistorical context
Age cohort
People born in the same range of years
Age roles
Norms for people in different stages of life
Generation
age cohort that shares particular formative experiences
Different generations in Canada
Social Environment
Being surrounded and influenced by real or imagined others
Adaptation
Arranging individual actions to gain an environment’s cooperation.
As you encounter things in your social environment, you change your behaviour to get the best result you can
What kind of process is Socialization?
An Evolutionary process - action and reaction to one’s social environment
What do functionalists emphasize about socialization?
Emphasize how socialization helps to maintain orderly social relations
What do conflict and feminist theorists typically stress?
The discord based on class, gender, and other divisions
What do symbolic interactionists highlight?
Highlight the creativity of individuals in attaching meaning to their social surroundings
What is the MOST IMPORTANT agent of primary socialization?
Families
Primary socialization
Mastering the basic skills needed to function in society during childhood
What is the important agent of secondary socialization?
Schools
Secondary socialization
Socialization outside the family after childhood
What is the Hidden Curriculum in schools?
Teaching obedience to authority and conformity to cultural norms