Week 4 - Socialisation

Define socialisation.

The lifelong process through which people learn about themselves and their various roles within society in relation to one another.

When sociologists use the term self, what are they referring to?

They are referring to the knowledge we have about ourselves as things separate from other people. 

What does the term, self-concept, refer to?

It refers to an individuals sense of who they are based on their perceived differences and similarities with other people.

Is the self concept subjective? Why or why not?

Yes, it is subjective.

This is because each of us have our own perception of the traits, talents, feelings and experiences that we possess in relation to other people.

Does the self-concept depend on social interaction? Why or why not?

Yes.

This is because, our self-concept is based on our perceived differences and similarities with other people.

Therefore, our interactions with other people and our internalisation of our environment helps us develop meanings to different things and gives us a bases for comparison.

How can the self be described?

Through the personal-social identity continuum.

Define the personal-social identity continuum.

It is a range of personality traits someone has.

What do evolutionary theorists advocate for in terms of what drives human behaviour?

Biological Determinism.

Define biological determinism.

The belief that all human behaviour is controlled by our genetics.

On the nurture side of what makes up our personality, what do sociologists stress?

Methodological behaviourism.

Define methodological behaviourism.

It is a concept that revolves around the idea that, beyond some reflexes and emotions, the environment is what influences human behaviour.

What do scientists think about the nature vs. nurture argument?

Scientists usually think that both matter, but they are unsure about how important each one is.

Define epigenetics.

Things in your environment that can alter your gene expression.

What did researchers at the Minnesota Centre for Twin and Family Research find out about twins?

The research found there seemed to favour the nature side. It suggested that genetics had a greater influence on our personality as twins shared more similarities than fraternal twins.

Why are twins often used to study the effects of nature vs. nurture?

Identical twins have the exact same genome and therefore, differences in their personality can more easily be attributed to the differences in how they perceive certain situations and/or what they have experienced. Therefore, highlighting the individual effects of nature vs. nurture.

What is an example of unethical twin studies carried out by scientists?

Three Identical Strangers (2018).

Triplets were split at birth and each put into families of different social classes. Moreover, while growing up, they were observed by researchers to see how differences in their upbringing would bring about different personality traits.

What is another example of twins being unethically researched?

Nazi Germany.

During Hitler’s reign, 1500 pairs of twins were taken and subjected to abusive procedures and surgeries (oftentimes without anaesthesia or pain killers).

Define informed consent.

Informed consent is voluntary agreement to participate in a certain study with the full understanding of what the study consists of and the possible risks of it.

Define the bio-ecological theory of human development.

This theory stresses the importance of human agency and stresses the idea that human development is a process that is evolving and dependent on the relationship with our external environments.

Who are 2 key people in symbolic interactionism?

1. George Herbert Mead

2. Charles Horton Cooley

What did Mead point out about the concept of the self?

He felt that children were not born with a self. Instead, he felt that people’s interaction with other people was what developed the self. He felt that this could be seen through children’s games.

According to Mead, what stages do children undergo to develop the self?

1. Preparatory Stage

2. Play Stage

3. Game Stage

Explain the preparatory stage.

A stage where we begin to recognise significant others in our lives and imitate them as a way to learn.

Explain the play stage.

A stage when we are able to act out different roles. However, at that point we still don’t fully understand complex social rules.

Explain the game stage.

In Mead's game stage, children learn to take on multiple roles simultaneously, understand societal rules, and develop a sense of the "generalised other," allowing them to see how their actions fit into a broader social structure.

How did Mead distinguish the different parts of the self?

1. I

2. Me

Define the ‘I.’

This is the part of ourselves that is unrestricted and spontaneous. This part is unique to each individual person.

*it is a response to the Me

Define the ‘Me'.

This is the part of ourselves that has been learned through our interactions with other people (ie. by observing what other people do and/or observing how other people respond to some of our actions).

Explain the looking glass self.

This concept describes the sense of ourselves that we develop based on our perceptions of how other people view us.

Although these perceptions may be inaccurate, it still impacts how we see ourselves because, naturally, we do care about what other people think of us.

Some have a greater dependence on other people’s perception of them than their own. This idea would be referred to as strong looking-glass self-orientation (LGSO).

Define agents of socialisation.

Agents of socialisation are groups, social institutions and social settings that have a large influence on how we perceive ourselves.

What are the principle agents of socialisation?

1. Family

2. School

3. Friends

4. Media

*these are our main modes of socialisation

What is universally deemed as the most important agent of socialisation?

Family.

Why is family such an important agent of socialisation?

This is because our family provides the most early aspects of socialisation.

For example, when they are teaching us how to talk, how to eat, how to stay hygienic, how to behave in accordance with societal expectations.

How would functionalists define families’ roles?

They would say that a families role is to provide support and guidance while their children become productive and responsible society members.

What are the other 2 functions of a family?

1. Develop children’s self-esteem (make them feel confident about themselves)

2. Develop children’s interpersonal trust (make them learn to trust other people)

How do families affect our perception of gender roles?

Families can produce gender expectations through the ways that they treat their children/spouses.

For example, girls were often taught to be caring and to adopt the idea that they need to be cared for. This was shown by parents generally being more attentive and comforting towards daughters. Whereas, boys were taught the importance of problem solving and being independent.

What did the sociologist Youngcho Lee find out about gender socialisation from fathers in South Korea?

Youngcho that there are 3 types of fathers who take parental leave in South Korea:

1. Committed - fathers who contest gender boundaries

2. Conflicted - fathers who hold flexible views about men and women roles, while still maintaining strict child gender roles

3. Receptive - fathers who are in between but not quite as proactive as committed fathers

How does school affect our socialisation?

The social interactions we go through in school play a central role in the transmission of different culture values and norms that are deemed as important in society.

Moreover, schools typically reinforce existing structures in society as well as a ‘hidden curriculum’. Hence, in that sense, they help maintain certain structures (these structures can be good or bad).

Define hidden curriculum.

Unwritten norms, values and beliefs that we learn in school.

What is an example of the effects of gender pedagogy?

Early preschool environments in Sweden.

Students were put into 2 different pre-school environments. One stressing the idea of gender neutrality and the other adhering to a more typical swedish school.

Children in gender neutral pre-schools had a lot more interest in playing with children of the opposite gender. They also had a reduced tendency to assign gender stereotypes to other children. Nonetheless, these children did not show that they were less likely to identify someone based on their gender. They were just as likely to pick same gender playmates.

Define peer group.

A peer group is a group of individuals who share particular characteristics (ie. grades, age, ECA’s).

Why are peer groups important?

We use peer groups to draw social comparisons. For example, looking at people in the ‘same category’ as us, we can evaluate ourselves in accordance with characteristics we have/lack in relation to them.

Define status.

A status is a recognised social position held by an individual in society.

Define roles.

A role is the behaviour expected of certain statuses.

Define ascribed statuses.

They are social positions that people inherit at birth or acquired involuntarily over the course of life.

Define achieved statuses.

They are social positions that people obtain through their own actions.

Define status set.

The sum total of all the statuses a person holds.

Define master status.

This type of status is the one that is most influential to all the statuses a person has.

What is accepted of employers to judge applicants on?

Achieved statuses.

What did sociologists Devah Pager find out?

She ran an experiment in Milwaukee where black and white job applicants applied for the same job. The black person and white person both pretended to have a criminal record.

Pager found that the white applicants with a criminal record were more likely to be called back than black people without a criminal record.

In this study, it was found that the master status of race, matters more than a criminal record.

How does race affect how people perceive people?

Race has been deemed as an ascribed status as it is something that we cannot control. Nevertheless, it is often seen as a master status as some people cannot seem to look beyond that one characteristic.

Define role conflict.

This concept refers to a situation in which incompatible role demands exist as a result of 2 or more statuses being held by that person at the same time.

(ie. role conflicts can arise for women who are mothers and are working. This is because, work may conflict with their motherly duties or vice versa).

Define role strain.

This concept refers to a situation in which incompatible role demands exist within one status.

(ie. Role demand might emerge in students who have multiple different assignments all due in one week).

Define resocialisation.

It involves a person drastically changing their identity by giving up an existing status and exchanging it for a new one.

Is resocialisation voluntary or involuntary?

Both.

It can be voluntary when one decides to quit their job and change careers.

This process can also be involuntary if the individual has little choice but to undergo resocialisation. For example, if they are psychologically ill, they might be put into a total institution. Thus, making it very difficult for them to maintain their former social identities.

What is essential for maintaining your social identity?

Meaningful interactions and agency.