ch05 power point 1

8/6/2019 Ch05 Power Point 1

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Chapter 5

Building Identity: Socialization


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Prologue

Zoolander


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Who am I?

As you know, therewas a famous inscriptionon shrineof the Oracleat Delphi, Greece, in the6th century B.C.

KNOW THYSELF!

In the spirit of the Delphic Oracle,and DerekZoolander,lets begin this weeksconsiderationofBuilding Identity by askingourselves the question:Whoam I?


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I am . . .

I asked you towritedown 10 answers to this question,

Whoam I?

I am...and thenlist 10 responses.


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Identity/Self-Concept

Theanswers that yougive to this questionareashorthand forwhat sociologists call yourIdentityorSelf-Concept. How you see yourself. This usuallyconsists of some combinationof STATUSES you

occupy andotherATTRIBUTES you feel you possess.

Nouns = Identity = Statuses

Adjectives = Self-Concept = Attributes

The process by which you come to this identity/self-concept is calledsocialization.


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Socialization = Building Identity

Let's define socializationas:The process by which oneacquires a personal identity (sense of self or self-concept), which entails learning how to act accordingto the rules and expectations of a particular culture.

(See Newman pp. 135-36).

Through socialization,a helpless infant is graduallytransformed intoamoreorless knowledgeable,moreorless cooperativememberof society.

Howexactly this happens is the focus of thematerialwe're studying this week.


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Statuses, Roles, and Identity

As ourdefinitionof socializationmakes clear, forming

an identity andlearninga cultureare closely linked.

Central to our identity is the social statuses we occupyand the associated culturally-defined role expectations.

INTERNALIZED STATUSES & ROLES IDENTITY


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Diversity of Identities

Not every personwhooccupies the same

status sees herself the sameway oracts the

sameway. Lifewould be incredibly boring is

wedid.

So, the question is,wheredoes this diversity

of identity come from? Why are peoplewhooccupy the same statuses not all the same?


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Some Explanations forDiversity

Peopleoccupy MULTIPLE STATUSES. That is, theydont occupy a status, but havea STATUS SET. Howthey combine theirstatuses and how they reconcilerole conflicts they experience(student-athlete,professor-father) creates diverseoutcomes.

People havedifferent MASTER STATUSES that is, thestatus in the status set that is most central to theindividuals identity. Two people can have the samestatus, but it could bevery central toone personandnot toanother.

Thereare SUBCULTURAL VARIATIONS indefinitionsofroleexpectations,andevenactive conflict overthosedefinition.


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Different Role-Sets

A finalexplanation: Formost statuses weoccupy,therearemultiple SIGNIFICANT OTHERS we interactwith who help us tounderstand theroleexpectationsforthat status.

Herewedont mean S.O. in the boyfriend/girlfriendsense, but in the senseofa ROLE MODEL.

Here, the concept ofrole-set is of someuse.

A role-set is agroup ofvarious significant othersthat relate specifically to therolewearelearningand/orplaying.


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Role-Set Example

My teacherrole-set

Ona clean sheet of paper,diagram yourstudent role

set


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Anticipatory Socialization

and Resocialization

Anticipatory socialization:Process thorough whichpeopleacquire thevalues andorientations found in

statuses they willlikely enter in the future. (p. 136)

Examples?

Resocialization:Process oflearningnewvalues,

norms andexpectations whenanadult leaves anold

roleandenters anewone. (p. 141)

Examples?


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The Socialization Process

(1) GeneralProcesses of Socialization

(2) Symbolic Interactionist Viewof Socialization


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General Processes of Socialization

Modeling:a process whereby the behaviorofa significantother(parent, friend, sibling, peer,etc.) oranothermemberof someones role-set is observedand imitated.

Selective Exposure:a process by which individuals areexposed to thoseattitudes and behaviors considereddesirableand sheltered from thoseregardedas undesirable.

RewardandPunishment: the process ofapprovalordisapprovalothers use toencourageordiscourageattitudes and behaviors in theobject of socialization. The

approvalordisapproval can beverbalornonverbal,emotionalorphysical. Thereward can be tangibleorsimplyperceived. The process ofrewardand punishmentreinforces what is already beinglearned through modelingand selectiveexposure.


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Symbolic Interactionist View

Oneof themost prominent sociological

approaches tounderstanding identity

formation is the symbolic interactionist view,

particularly as elaborated by Charles HortonCooley and George Herbert Mead.

Cooley and Mead were primarily concerned

with theemergenceof the individual's senseof

self.


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Cooley: Looking Glass Self

Cooley argued that the self is definedand

developed through social interaction. (Note:

This is a symbolic interactionist view!)

Ourimageofourselves is largely areflectionof

howotherpeoplereact tous theirreflected

appraisalsofus. Cooley called the self that

emerges from this process this a "looking

glass self."


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Stages of Acquisitionof Self1. recognitionofoneselfas distinct from thephysicalenvironment

2. languageacquisition

3. development oflooking-glass self we interpret

actions ofothers towardus as mirrors inwhich

we seeourselves

Cooleys 3 Stages

of Self-Development


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3 Elements of the

Looking-glass self

1. ourperceptionof howweappeartoanotherperson

2. ourestimateof thejudgment theotherperson

makes about us

3. someemotional feelingabout this judgment,

such as prideorshame


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Looking Glass Self in Action

It is by observing thereactions ofothers that we come

to think ofourselves as attractiveorunattractive,

smart orslow, considerateorselfish.

What are some situations inwhich others reflected

appraisals are particularly salient?


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Plus: Self Open to Change

Oneadvantageof this sociologicalviewof identity is that itallows forchange even fairly radical change in self-identity over time.

As weaddorchange statuses,as significant others comeintoandout ofourlives,oras the salienceof

individuals/groups inourrole-sets changeover time,ourviews ofwhoweare can change.

This contrasts with someonelike Sigmund Freud. Forthoseof youwhoare familiarwith Freudian theory, youknow heargues that a persons self is largely structured inchildhood -- little changeoccurs afterwemove through thefive psychosexual stages he specifies in his theory.Basically wejust spend therest ofourlives undergoingtherapy inorder towork out the problems wedeveloped inthe process ofearly childhood socialization.


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Mead: Self = I + Me

George Herbert Mead's theory of the self

distinguished between twoaspects: the "I" and

the "Me."

The "I" is the impulsiveand creativeaspect of

the selfand the "Me" is the socializedaspect of

the selfwhich is composedof internalized

norms andvalues and is evermindfulof its

socialreflection.


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Dialogue between I and Me

ForMead, there is adialogicalrelationship between the"I" and the "Me." That is, there is a conversationbetween the "I" and the "Me" ineverythingwedo.

Ourimpulsive self is constantly indialoguewith our

socialized self. Forexample,a father is angry at hisdaughter's behaviorand tells hertogo to herroomandstay thereuntildinner. Thegirl starts to protest, butthen checks herselfanddoes what she is told. Thespontaneous,willful "I" wants to protest, but the "Me"is concernedabout herreflection in herfather's eyes

and complies.

Otherexamples?


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Explaining Deviance & Creativity

Now, the socialized "Me" does not always winout.Meadattributed both deviance(orantisocial behavior)

and creativity to the times when the "I" wins out over

theMe.

Examples?


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Development of the Me

So, the questionremains, howdowedevelop this "Me"

-- thereflective, socialized senseof self?

Observing children's behavior, Mead identified twostages that occuras childrendevelop this reflexive

senseof self called theMe -- they are knownas the

play stageand thegame stage.


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Play Stage

In theearly part of the play stage -- around three years ofage -- children pretend to be people indifferent statuses:daddy,mommy,mail carrier,doctor, policeofficer,and soon. They imitate theirspeech andactivities,deliveringimaginary letters, sweeping imaginary floors, performingimaginary operations,and soon.

Adults may call this make believe, but this is seriousbusiness in terms ofdevelopingamature senseof self. Bypretending to be peoplewhooccupy otherstatuses,children come tounderstand the perspectives of peopleotherthan themselves.

This is what Mead calledtaking the role of the other.


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Taking the Role of the Other

Role-taking is important because it shows the childsability to see herself from the perspectiveofothers andtouse that perspective in formulating herownbehavior.

It is a crucial component of self-controland socialorderbecause it helps transforma biological being intoa social beingwho is capableof conforming his orherbehaviorto societalexpectations.

But in the play stage, the child canonly take theroleofoneotherpersonat a time. The child's focus isconsumedwith theonerole.

Examples?


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Game Stage

Later inlife, the child begins toengage in team sportsandgroup activities which require that shenot justperformonerole, but shemust beable tounderstandwhat is goingon from the perspectiveofallof theothers involved in thegame. That is, taking theroleof

multipleothers at one time.

Meadactually uses baseballas anexample in his work.Who canexplain this?

The same is trueof soccer, basketball, football,andany otherteam sport you can imagine.


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Generalized Other

In playinggames, the individualmust alsounderstand therules and theultimateobject of thegame. That is, theindividual is not only taking theroleof specific othersinvolved in thegame, but also thegeneralizedother.

Thus, forMead,games areamicrocosmof society. In the

socialization process, childrenlearn to take theroleof theother(including thegeneralizedother) not just ingames butinall their interactions in society.

The socialization process culminates when the childdevelops anability to see situations not just from the

perspectiveof theothers immediately involved, but from theperspectiveof the community moregenerally oreven fromthe perspectiveof society as awhole. Whenweareable toincorporate thegeneralizedother into theMe part ofourself, thenweare fully functioning human beings accordingto this perspective.

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