CHAPTER 4: SOCIALIZATION

Remember that Warm Up from Yesterday? Here’s the

Top Five.#1: Nice (friendly/caring) 17% (Family:20%, Friends: 25%, Other:54%)

#2: Athletic 12% (Family: 61%, Friends: 0%, Other: 44%)

#3 and #4: Honest 8% (Family: 36%, Friends: 0%, Other: 64%)

and Funny 8% (Family: 18%, Friends: 64%, Other: 18%)

#5: Respectful 6% (Family: 63%, Friends: 13%, Other: 24%)

Other Answers3.4%: Confident2.7%: Happy, Intelligence2.1%: Determined, Organized, Hard working,

Helpful, Individualistic, Tolerant1.3%: Musical, Outgoing, Self-

reliant,Responsible, Loyal, Laid back, Trusting, Modest, Good liar

0.6%: Loud, Imagination, Artistic, Insightful, Persuasive, Observant, Passionate, Humble, Quiet, Patriotic, Polite, Strength, Good grades, Faith, Competitive, Understanding, Thoughtful, Sassy, Forgiving, Patience

Values Activity• Read through the values on the

next slide.• Choose FIVE values that best

represent you. Write one value on each of the five cards provided.

Freedom Justice Honesty Fairness EqualityPeace Trust Patience Joy AmericanWealth Competitio

nArt Passion Energy

Family Compassion

Education Health Athletics

Technology

Academics Children Humor Responsible

Literature Pride Religion Stability WisdomSafety Environme

ntTeamwork Respect Organized

Values Activity Cont.

• Identify which of you five chosen values is the weakest, strongest, and most important to you.

• Repeat the activity - choose the top five values for your parent/guardian/sibling/ cousin/friend/etc.

Gender Discussion• Divide into two groups: girls and guys.• Round One: discuss and describe

according to society “NORMAL girls” in the US - record responses on the paper provided.

• Round Two: discuss and describe according to society “NORMAL guys” in the US - record responses on the paper provided.

• Round Three: discuss and theorize why gender roles exists.

*Refer to your papers from yesterday.

What is your Sex?• Look at your Bem Sex Role

Inventory. Make sure you have your scores for each column.

• Column 1 = Masculine score• Column 2 = Femininity score• Column 3 = distractors

ScoringM: 4.9+ M: 4.9-

F: 4.9+ Androginous Feminine

F: 4.9- Masculine Undifferentiated

Bem Sex Inventory: Valid?

• This was created by a female psychologist in 1971 then re-analyzed and republished in 1981.

• Class Discussion: Is it still valid today? Why or Why not?

Normal…• What is normal?(Activity - Men’s room “normal”)• How do we learn what is normal?• Can normal change?• Why would normal change?

Answer: SOCIALIZATION

Agree? Disagree?• Proper Manners for Dating:A man should not sit down at the table in

a restaurant until the woman is seated.A man should always see that the woman

is served first.A man should never let a woman carry

anything heavy; she should carry only a small package and her coat.

A man should always open a door for a woman and let her pass in front of him.

Ch. 4: Socialization

Section 1: The importance of socialization

Socialization and Personality

• Almost all social behaviors that are considered “normal” or “natural” are learned.– Example - husbands and wives walking

• In the U.S. - walk side by side• In India - husband walks slightly ahead of wife

• Socialization is the process of learning to participate in a group– Begins at birth, continues through life– Without an infant cannot develop the

attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors associated with being an individual

Nature vs. Nurture• Nature theory - belief that the

genes we get from our biological parents at conception are the primary causes of human behavior

• Nurture theory - belief that our environment influences the way we think, feel, and behave

How Have You Been Socialized?

• Sports?• Religion?• Food?• Dating?• Politics?• Table manners?• Cell phone manners?

Experimentation for Socialization

• Control group: normally socialized• Experimental group: isolated

infants• WE DON’T DO THIS!• Non-experimental evidence does

exist– Studies of socially isolate children

(parental/guardian neglect)– Studies done with monkeys

Negative Effects of Social Isolation on

Rhesus Monkeys• Infant monkeys separate from

their mothers and give two artificial mothers - one made of just wire, the other wire covered in cloth

• Monkeys always preferred the softer

• Results– Infant monkeys need intimacy,

warmth, physical contact, and comfort

– Isolated monkeys became distressed, apathetic, withdrawn, and hostile

Generalize from Monkeys to Humans -

how?• Not saying that monkeys and humans

are the same• Hypothesis developed - human babies

need affection, intimacy, and warmth as much as they need food, water, and protection

• Human babies that had been denied close contact (institutionalized, abandoned, or confined) usually have difficulty forming emotional ties with others

• Feral - wild

National Geographic –

Is It Real?: Feral ChildrenStories of feral (wild) children have existed in

folktales and stories for centuries. Tarzan and The Jungle Book both depict the tale of a little boy left in the wild to fend for himself and through the help of animal friends like gorillas or bears, the boy survives. In the tales the boy does encounter humans and struggles to fit into a human world. But what about actual feral children? Are they real?

France - VictorA boy of about 12 years of age, who later

became known as Victor, was found foraging for food in the woods near Aveyron, southwestern France in the winter of 1799-1800. He ate raw and rotten food, sat rocking back and forth for hours, and could not distinguish between hot and cold. Despite intensive study by noted French Physician Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard, it is reported that Victor only ever learned to say two words, lait (milk) and Oh Dieu (oh God). Dr. Itard eventually gave up working with the boy had had him institutionalized. Victor died in 1828 at the age of 40. A dramatization of his story was made into a documentary called The Wild Child.

Uganda – John SsebunyaIn 1991, a woman, while searching for some food in the jungle,

met a young boy of 5 years. Immediately she returned to her village to inform the rest of the tribe and then several who returned to the scene, where they found not only a child reluctant to go with them, but a whole family of monkeys fighting throwing sticks and stones to prevent the child is carried. 

It is unknown how long the child was alone in the jungle. Researchers theorize it to have been six months to three years. It is believed that the child witnessed his father murder his mother and then ran to get away. He found shelter in the jungle and claims to have lived with a family of monkeys.

 The child was taken to a Christian orphanage and adopted. He became known as John Ssebunya. John suffered from hypertrichosis, a fairly common in feral children, his body was full of scars and wounds, could not tolerate cooked food and had scars on the knees which showed he had not yet learned to walk. Over eight years, John has adapted to human customs, learning to walk and disappearing further its hypertrichosis.

India – Amala & KamalaIn 1920, as the story goes, Reverend J. A. Singh saw a mother wolf and

cubs, two of whom had long matted hair and looked human. After considerable preparations and difficulties, the two human creatures were captured. They turned out to be two girls who ages were assessed by Singh at about eight years and one and a half years. The girls were take to an orphanage in Mindaore, India, where the Reverend and his wife were stationed. Singh described them as “wolfish” in appearance and behavior. They walked on all fours and had calluses on their knees and palms from doing so. They were fond of raw meat and stole when the occasion offered. They licked all liquids with their tongues and ate their food in a crouch position. The Reverend’s journal articles described how they never slept after midnight and prowled and howled at night. If approached, they made face and sometimes bared their teeth. In 1921, both girls became ill and the younger girl, Amala, died. Mrs. Singh was able to win over the confidence and trust of the older girl, Kamala, and the Reverend’s wife was about to teach the girl. After five years of devoted contact and instruction, Kamala demonstrated some intellectual functions such as recognizing names and the concept of color. She ate from a plate and drank from a glass. She was able to speak about thirty words. News of Kamala spread and in 1928 the Psychological Society of New York invited the Singhs and Kamala to the United States. Kamala became sick and died from cholera before a trip could be made.

Ukraine – Oxana MalayaA girl from Ukraine named Oxana Malaya, who has spent

some early days of her childhood with her pet dogs, has been found with some characteristics of dogs. Her alcoholic mother and father were unable to take care of her and they completely neglected her when she was 3 years old. She used to live in the area where pets were kept. Because of her parents’ careless nature, the street dogs of the area took care of her. Gradually Oxana and the dogs developed a bond of attachment, as a result of which, dogs attacked those who dared to take Oxana back home.

With the time, Oxana was only human from her body. Her characteristics were totally like dogs. She used to run on her hands and legs, bared her teeth and barked like dogs. In the year 2010, at the age of 26, Oxana was sent to the mental asylum of Ukraine.

According to latest updates, she is progressing well and developing a tendency to speak like humans

Case Study: GenieGenie was discovered in 1970 at 13 years of age. She had been

confined to a small bedroom from the age of 20 months by her father, a man who hated children. Genie spent her days tied to an infant’s potty chair and her nights wrapped in a sleeping bag enclosed in a mesh-covered crib. Her world was almost totally silent, and she was beaten when she made noise. Whenever Genie’s father interacted with her, he acted like a wild dog, barking, growling, and baring his teeth. Consequently, Genie did not learn to talk.

The room in which Genie spent all of her time was bare except for the potty chair, the crib, two partially covered windows, a bare light bulb, and a closet. Sometimes two plastic raincoats hung outside the closet and Genie was allowed to play with them. Her only other toys consisted of things such as empty spools of thread and an empty cottage cheese container.

When Genie was found, she could not stand straight and had the social and psychological skills of a one-year-old child. Even after eight years of training, Genie had not progressed past the level of a four-year-old child. She eventually was placed in an institution.

Case Study: AnnaOne of the earliest cases of child isolation investigated by a

sociologist is that of Anna. Anna was born to an unmarried woman, a fact that enraged her mother’s father. At first forbidden to bring the child into the house, Anna’s mother attempted to place her in a children’s home. When this proved too expensive, Anna was moved to a series of foster homes. Finally, at the age of six months, the child was returned to her mother. Because of the grandfather’s hostility, Anna was confined to an attic room where she was given only a minimum of care. She was fed only enough milk to keep her alive and received almost no human contact. She was not spoken to, held, bathed, or loved.

Anna finally was discovered by a social worker in 1938. At six years of age, Anna was little more than a skeleton. She could not walk, talk, or feed herself. Her face was expressionless, and she showed no interest in other people. Over time, though, Anna made some progress. She learned, for instance, to walk, feed herself, brush her teeth, and follow simple directions. When she died at the age of 10, however, Anna had just begun to show the first signs of using language and had only reached the ability level of a toddler.

Case Study: Isabelle

The story of Isabelle has a somewhat happier ending. Isabelle, whose mother also was unmarried, was found at about the same time as Anna. The child’s grandfather kept her and her deaf-mute mother confined to a dark room. Although deprived of a normal cultural environment, Isabelle did have the advantage of her mother’s company. But because she and her mother communicated only through gestures, Isabelle did not learn to speak. When she was found at the age of six-and-a-half years, she crawled around on her hands and knees making grunting, animal-like sounds. She ate with her hands and behaved in many ways like a six-month-old infant.

Isabelle was at first thought to be mentally retarded and mute. After several months of intensive training, however, she began to speak. Eventually she developed a considerable vocabulary. After about two years of training, Isabelle reached a level of social and mental development consistent with her age group. Kingsley Davis, the sociologist who studied both Anna and Isabelle, concluded that Isabelle’s constant contact with her mother and her training by specialists allowed her to overcome her early social deprivation.

One more: Oxana Malaya

• http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8g9xa_oxana-malaya-ukranian-girl-raised-b_webcam

• http://www.youtube.com/user/Sixlets69#p/u/3/hKVYaOI-6RY

(watch if time permits…)

More Recently: Fritzl ChildrenIn 1984, Josef Fritzel locked his 18-year-old

daughter, Elizabeth, in the basement of his Austrian home where he kept her prisoner and raped her for almot 25 years. During that time she gave birth to seven children. One child died. Three children were adopted by Josef and his wife and the other three were kept isolated in the basement with Elizabeth. In 2008, the eldest of children/grandchildren became ill and Elizabeth convinced Josef to take the girl to the hospital where the staff realized something was wrong and notified the police.

What Do You Think?• Does the internet stunt your social

growth?

Read the article included in the notes.

Ch. 4: Socialization

Section 2: Socialization and the Self

Personal Response• How has my family socialized me?

• How has high school socialized me?

Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives on

Socialization• Refresher information

– Functionalist: each member of a society contributes to the culture; action > function• Manifest (intended), latent (unintended), and

dysfunction (negative)– Conflict: conflict, competition, change, and

constraint - all about power– Symbolic interactionalism: interactions

between people are mutually understood due to symbols

Functionalist explains socialization

• Groups work together to create a stable society

• Schools & families teach norms, beliefs, and values

• Without socialization, societies would be fragmented and chaotic

Conflict explains socialization

• Socialization continues the status quo

• People learn to accept their social status before they have enough self-awareness to realize what is happening

• Socialization maintains the social, political, and economic advantages of the higher social classes

Socialization and Mass Media

Theoretical Perspective

View of Socialization

How the Media Influences Socialization

Function. Contributes to a stable society

TV encourages social interaction - shared beliefs, norms, values

ConflictA way for the powerful to stay powerful

News exercises power by setting the political agenda

Symbolic Interaction.

Major determinant of human nature

Children’s books expose the young to the meanings of values

Symbolic Interactionism

explains socialization - “Self Concept”

• Definition: an image of yourself as having an identity separate from other people

• Leads to “Looking-glass self”

Symbolic Interactionism explains socialization -

“Looking-glass Self”• Definition: an image of yourself based on

what you believe others think of you• It’s an unconscious process

– Imagine appearance to others– Imagine the reaction of others to the

(imagined) appearance– Evaluate according to how (imagined) others

judge• It may be distorted• Some people are used as mirrors more

than others - “significant others”

Symbolic Interactionism explains socialization -

“Significant Others”• Definition: people whose reactions

are most important to your self-concept

• Often includes parents, grandparents, teachers, friends

• As people age peers can become more significant than previously

Symbolic Interactionism explains socialization -

“Role Taking”• Definition: assuming the viewpoint of

another person and using that viewpoint to shape the self-concept

• Everyone “talks” to themselves - we think something and respond internally

• We also imagine the thoughts, emotions, and behavior of others - anticipate what others will say or do

• Three stage process

Role Taking Process• Imitation stage

– Starts at age 1 1/2 - 2 years-old– Imitate behaviors without understanding - don’t

attribute meaning to the behaviors or the implications of those behaviors (i.e. a baby clapping)

• Play stage– Starts at age 3 or 4 years-old– Act in ways imagined others would - see themselves

as separate from others - see how to best interact with others (i.e. little boy being Superman)

• Game stage– Starts around age 5 and never really ends– Children anticipate the actions of others based on

social - consider roles of several people simultaneously

What is the self? -two parts-

• “Me” - created through socialization – Predictability– Conformity

• “I” - spontaneous, unpredictable, creative– Where your initial reaction to a situation

comes from– Often overruled by the “me” part

*THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS FREUD’S CONCEPTS OF THE ID & THE SUPEREGO*

So much of life is about rules

• Be honest - if not for rules and expectations, would you dress yourself differently?

What Rules Should There Be?

• With a partner create a list of rules that would exist if you controlled society

• Categories (min. two rules each)– School– Home– Political– Work

Ch. 4: Socialization

Section 3: Agents of Socialization

The Family and Socialization

• A child’s first exposure of socialization occurs within the family– Think and speak– Internalize norms, beliefs, and values– Capacity for relationships

• Shapes how we think of ourselves

Socialization in Schools

• For the first time, a child’s relationships with other people are impersonal

• Rewards and punishments are based on performance instead of affection

• Children are taught to be less dependent emotionally on their parents

• School creates feelings of loyalty and allegiance outside of the family

How do schools socialize students?

• Hidden curriculum: informal/unofficial aspects of culture that children are taught in preparation for life - teaches discipline, order, cooperation, and conformity

• Experience time in the real world: schools are run by the clock, like the working world

• Separated from the adult world - students must depend on one another for their social life

Peer Group Socialization

• Peer group: set of individuals of roughly the same age and interests

• Only agency of socialization that is not controlled primarily by adults

How do peer groups contribute to socialization?

• Give-and-take relationships• Experience conflict, competition, and

cooperation• Self-direction

– Make their own decisions– Experiment with new ways of thinking, feeling,

and behaving– Engage in activities that involve self-expression– Social flexibility

Do friends or family have more

influence on young people?

• Your thoughts?

• Class discussion.

The Mass Media and Socialization

• Mass Media: means of communication designed to reach the general population

• Includes:– Television– Radio– Newspapers– Magazines– Movies– Books– The Internet– Music

What role does mass media play in socialization?

• Role models for children to imitate• The ways and values of society• Behaviors of individuals and

groups• Images of achievement, success,

activity, works, equality, and democracy

What about violence in mass

media?• By the age 16, the average American

child will have seen 20,000 homicides on television

• In the past, social scientist have been reluctant to recognize a casual connection between TV violence and real-life violence

• More recently studies are showing that watching aggressive behavior on TV significantly increases aggression

Gender socialization

– the expectations of behavior and attitude that a society considers proper for males and females

Fictional Tales and GenderFrom Aesop’s Fables to the Brothers Grimm, folktales symbolize the

innocence of childhood. But a closer analysis shows how these folktales shape how children perceive gender. Most folktales follow a typical pattern in which a dependent woman relies exclusively on a strong man to save her from harm. Think about the Disney Princess stories before Tiana in The Princess and the Frog. Princesses like Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel need to be rescued by the Prince and then they lived “happily ever after.” Recent Princesses like Tatiana and Merida from Brave are breaking the pattern. TV is also starting to change but these stereotypes do still exist. Television programs like Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives feature female characters who reinforce generalizations about gender roles. That said, there are a number of stereotype-breaking characters like those feature on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost. Even in the Harry Potter series, Hermione Granger, Harry’s sidekick, is a secondary character and yet she is always saving the day. Real life does not work as it does in fiction. Not all men can be heroes and passivity and dependency rarely bring women success in the modern world.

Homework assignment:

Think about movies and TV shows you’ve seen or a book you’ve read recently. What gender stereotypes, if any, are depicted? Does the work defy any traditional gender stereotypes? Write a paragraph analyzing the work you chose. Be prepared to share your paragraph in class.