Berger&Luckmann (1966) week 3

I. Internalization of Reality and Primary Socialization

• Society as Objective and Subjective Reality

  • Society exists as both a tangible reality (objective) and as experienced reality (subjective).

  • Understanding society requires recognizing the interplay between both aspects through a dialectical process involving externalization, objectivation, and internalization.

• Dialectical Process

  • Externalization: Individuals express their being into the social world.

  • Objectivation: This expression manifests as societal structures.

  • Internalization: Individuals adopt these societal meanings.

  • These moments occur simultaneously rather than sequentially.

• Individual and Society

  • Individuals are born with a predisposition toward sociality; they become society members through a process of socialization.

  • Internalization is the initial step in learning to understand societal meanings by interpreting others' subjective states.

• Socialization Stages

  • Primary Socialization: Occurs in childhood, where individuals first learn societal norms and values from significant others (like parents).

  • Secondary Socialization: Subsequent socialization experiences that introduce individuals to new societal sectors as they grow.

II. The Social Construction of Reality

• Understanding Others and the World

  • Internalization helps individuals understand fellow beings and perceive the world as meaningful.

  • The process involves "taking over" the realities in which others exist, leading to shared definitions of situations.

• Internalization Mechanics

  • Achieving internalization requires a mutual identification with significant others.

  • An individual’s identity develops in response to how significant others define and interact with them.

• Primary vs. Secondary Socialization

  • Primary socialization is crucial and lays the groundwork for identity and societal understanding, usually initiated by family.

  • Secondary socialization is more complex and multifaceted, occurring later in life as individuals navigate diverse social contexts.

III. The Role of Significant Others

• Significant Others Influence

  • Significant others, typically family, provide the definitions of reality that shape an individual’s understanding and identification.

  • The social world is "filtered" through these relationships, impacting one's perspective based on socio-economic contexts.

• Emotional Attachment

  • Primary socialization is heavily influenced by emotional bonds; children identify with significant others, which is essential for effective socialization to happen.

  • This bond ensures effective learning of roles and attitudes.

IV. Identity Development and Internalization Processes

• Topdown Mechanism of Identity

  • A child’s developing self-concept correlates with perceptions and roles assigned by significant others.

  • This forms a reflected identity based on societal definitions in a specific context.

• Generalized Other

  • Through interactions with various significant others, an individual moves from specific identity recognition to recognizing norms that apply broadly across society.

  • Internalization of the generalized other leads to stable self-identification.

V. Language and Internalization

• Language as a Tool of Socialization

  • Language serves as both content and medium through which socialization occurs; it reinforces the meanings of social constructs.

  • Language allows an individual to express and communicate their subjective experiences and comprehend societal narratives.

VI. Maintenance of Subjective Reality

• Social Mechanisms of Reality Maintenance

  • Agencies of maintenance for subjective reality include significant others and routine interpersonal interactions.

  • Regular conversation and daily rituals reinforce and stabilize one's subjective view of reality.

• Routine and Crisis Maintenance

  • Routine maintenance involves habitual reaffirmation of one’s identity and social roles through everyday interactions.

  • Crisis maintenance requires intense affirmation of subjective reality during significant life events.

• Competition Between Realities

  • In diverse societies, converging realities can challenge individual perceptions; maintaining a sound sense of identity often calls for reaffirmation from significant others.

VII. Transformation of Subjective Reality

• Process of Re-socialization

  • When individuals experience substantial changes in context or understanding, the process of re-socialization replicates elements of primary socialization.

  • This can be seen in religious conversions or significant life shifts (career changes, trauma, etc.).

• Conceptual Frameworks for Transformation

  • New realities necessitate a supportive plausibility structure to reinforce the changes and facilitate integration into a new identity.

  • This is often accompanied by the abandonment of previous identities and realities.

VIII. Conclusion

• Ongoing Process

  • Socialization is never fully complete; both primary and secondary socializations provide tools for navigating the subjective experience of reality.

  • Understanding individual processes of internalization continues to evolve as they engage in further social experiences.

Externalization is the process through which individuals express their being and understandings into the social world. It involves individuals manifesting their thoughts, feelings, and identities into actions that contribute to societal structures. This expression is crucial as it marks the beginning of the dialectical process that leads to objectivation and internalization, where the experiences shaped by these external expressions are later internalized by both the expressors and others in society.

The dialectical process refers to the interaction between objective reality (societal structures) and subjective reality (individual experiences). It includes three key components:

• Externalization: Individuals express their being and thoughts into the social world.

• Objectivation: This expression becomes part of societal structures, shaping societal norms.

• Internalization: Individuals adopt and internalize these societal meanings, which helps them understand their social environment. These elements occur concurrently rather than in a strict sequence, highlighting the dynamic interplay between individual action and societal context.