L 4 & 5
L-4
Understanding Socialization
The Individual and Society
Remember Emile Durkheim from Lecture 2 who said suicide was not an individual act, but something influenced by social forces
Durkheim's argument essentially suggested that there is a strong relationship between human beings and society
In fact, this was an argument he made in his first publication which was a review of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's work
Rousseau believed humans before societies were primitive, incapable of interacting and speaking with each other, but happy, nonetheless.
However, Durkheim disagreed with him
Durkheim believed humans could not exist without society and interactions with others.
Durkheim argued that society's rules not only govern social behaviour, but also help human beings get along with one another
Hence, human survival is dependent on society!
Human beings must learn how to fit into society in order to get along and survive
Socialization
But how do humans learn how to fit into society?
Through socialization!
Defined as "the lifelong process of learning society's norms, customs, and ideologies" (Corrigall-Brown, 2023, p. 40)
The process of socialization is a lifelong process and starts with family and involves other institutions such as school, friendship, media, etc.
There are various theories on the socialization process or how we learn about the social world
Structural functionalism
Conflict theory
Symbolic interactionism
Structural Functionalism
Structural functionalism believes society's purpose is to survive and reproduce itself, each part working to do so
They insist on social consensus and cohesion, which can be achieved through socialization
Just like the organs in human body that function properly together, survive, and reproduce
Hence, structural functionalists consider socialization very important for society to function, survive and reproduce itself
Socialization provides everyone with the skills to participate in society
Children learn social rules and values through socialization and learn to conform to roles and expectations and be a part of society
Conflict Theory
Unlike structural functionalism, conflict theory does NOT believe socialization is always functional
In other words, conflict theory does not believe socialization creates social cohesion
Conflict theory argues social cohesion is not possible as long as there is a conflict between two competing groups or what Karl Marx called social classes or simply "classes"
The two primary classes in conflict in Marx's theory are capitalists and workers.
Capitalists own the means of production (property) and use this power of ownership to purchase the labour power of workers.
As a powerful group in society, capitalists always have an interest in maintaining their social power and privileges (i.e. economic inequality)
How do they do that?
Through socialization!
People are socialized into different set of values, shaped by differential social classes
Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic interactionism argues we individuals actively participate in our own socialization, determining it through our interactions with others
We are not as receptacles of socialization as suggested by structural functionalism and conflict theory
In other words, one's socialization is less influenced by power and institutions such as families and schools
Rather, socialization is more influenced by everyday interactions and humans actively participating in their own socialization
We learn how to become members of society through interaction
According to Mead (1934), children go through a four-stage socialization process (known as the stages of role-taking)
Stage 1: imitating significant others such parents and siblings (e.g., smiling back)
Stage 2: role playing - e.g., performing the role of parenting (cooking, cleaning)
Stage 3: understanding not only roles but also the complex rules
Stage 4: thinking about how they appear to the generalized other (shy, smart, or silly?)
That is, understanding their place in society through interacting with others
What do these stages tell us about the nature of socialization?
A top-down approach or vice versa?
Socialization occurs through interacting with others, understanding roles, and negotiating the roles and rules through other people's impression of us.
Becoming a member of society is not a simple matter of learning a list of rules, as argued by structural functionalism
L-5
Understanding Socialization (Part lI)
Making Sense of COVID-19:
Bringing the Core Theories Together
As you know so far, sociologists see the world from different theoretical perspectives
It's like multiple sunglasses with different colour lenses
What would each theoretical camp say about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact?
Structural Functionalism
Structural functionalists would focus on the role of institutions and the functions they served by helping Canadians overcome the crisis
For example:
The government enforcing regulations
The media keeping us aware of the government regulations and COVID-19 risks
[Essential] businesses keeping the society running
Hence, structural functionalists would point to the importance of cohesion between institutions and how they worked together to maintain social order during a crisis
Conflict Theory
Conflict theorists would focus on how the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated pre-existing inequalities in society
Would ask these questions:
What types of people were more likely to get infected?
What types of people had the luxury of working from home, while others either lost their jobs or had to risk their lives due to showing up to work?
Were people impacted differently due to their class, race, gender, immigration status, etc.?
Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic interactionists would focus on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted human behaviour and interaction
For example:
Dealing with social isolation during the lockdowns, dating practices during and after the pandemic, etc.
Types of Socialization
We learned socialization is a process of becoming members of society which requires learning the attitudes, values, and actions that are considered socially appropriate
Socialization is a lifelong process with multiple types
Primary socialization (early years)
Secondary socialization (early years)
Anticipatory socialization (later years)
Resocialization (later years)
Primary Socialization
The process of learning the 'unwritten rules'
For example:
Maintaining a distance when having a conversation
There is no written rule, but we know what is too close or too far
Things humans learn by observing and imitating
Things not taught to us explicitly
Family members are the source of primary socialization
Secondary Socialization
Involves learning about the attitudes and appropriate behaviours of a subculture within the larger society.
For example:
Joining a soccer team requires secondary socialization
A smaller group with its own subculture and rules
A new member needs to learn how to interact with teammates, do team cheers, wear the uniforms, trash talk the other team, etc.
The rules learned through primary socialization would not be enough for the above examples
Anticipatory Socialization
Refers to the process in which individuals 'rehearse' potential roles they take on in the future
For example:
Medical students interacting with patients
Being a mother or father
Being interviewed for a new job
Starting a new position at work
Anticipatory socialization allows us to prepare for the roles we expect to take on in future
Resocialization
Resocialization occurs when individuals give up old behaviours and attitudes and replace them with new ones
More of a voluntary process
For example, religious conversion - one has to act like a member of the new religious institution
Migrating to a new country with some distinctive cultural norms