CHAPTERS 3 & 4CHAPTERS 3 & 4

THE SELF, SOCIALIZATION THE SELF, SOCIALIZATION AND THE SOCIOLOGY OF AND THE SOCIOLOGY OF

EVERYDAY LIFEEVERYDAY LIFE

George Herbert Mead wrote that the self

consists of

The “I” and the “Me

“I”

• Self as subject

• “I am going to the store.”

• Spontaneous self

“ME”

• Self as object• “That’s me going to the store.”•Self in social context

The self and self-concept emerge through participation in groups.

ROLE-TAKING/LOOKING-GLASS SELF

Viewing our self as we believe others do.

Looking-glass self:

• We imagine how we appear to others.

• We imagine how others judge our appearance.

• We develop feelings about and responses to these judgments.

Significant others are those whose perspective we use most

often in viewing our selves.

The generalized other refers to the fact that we are able to take a perspective of a group in general.

SELF-CONCEPT

The self we are aware of.

SITUATED IDENTITY

The status, sense of self, that we occupy in a specific situation.

“Identity salience hierarchy is a ranking of an individual’s various

role identities in order of their importance to him or her”

(Brinkerhoff, sixth edition, p. 63).

“Socialization is the process of learning the roles, statuses, and values necessary for participation in social institutions” (Brinkerhoff, p. 55).

Six agents of socialization

• FAMILY

• PEERS

• SCHOOLS

• MEDIA

• RELIGION

• WORKPLACE

Three stages of socialization

• PRIMARY• SECONDARY• ADULT

Primary Socialization is developed during early

childhood.

Secondary socialization occurs after early childhood, in our

adolescent years.

Adult socialization occurs in our adult years.

THE SOCIOLOGY OF THE SOCIOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFEEVERYDAY LIFE

“The sociology of everyday life

focuses on the social processes that structure our experience in ordinary face-to-face situations” (Brinkerhoff, p 85).

“Civil inattention requires a polite acknowledgment of the other’s physical presence accompanied by social withdrawal” (Brinkerhoff, 3rd ed., p. 165).

Expressions given are those we intend for others to read.

Expressions given off are those we don’t intend for others to read, and often detract from our intended presentations.

In unfocused interaction we exhibit an awareness of other’s presence without engaging in direct interaction.

Focused interaction is when we directly attend to what others are saying and doing.

Front region is where our presentations take place.

Back region is where we prepare for our presentations.

Frames answer the question:

What’s going on here?

Strategies for Avoiding Blame

• Role Distancing

• Accounts

• Disclaimers

Role distancing is believing and explaining to others that one’s current role is “temporary and

not a reflection of who we really are” (Brinkerhoff, sixth edition,

p. 98).

“Accounts are explanations of unexpected or untoward

behavior” (Brinkerhoff, p. 88).“Excuses are explanations in

which a person admits that the act in question was wrong or inappropriate but claims he or she couldn’t help it” (Brinkerhoff, p. 88).

“Justifications explain the good reasons the violator had for choosing to break the rule” (Brinkerhoff, p. 88).

“Disclaimers are verbal devices employed in advance to ward off

doubts and negative reactions that might result from one’s

conduct” (Brinkerhoff, p. 90).