Chapter 3: Socialization, the Life Course, and Aging

socialization - process where infants become self-aware

• children learn ways of parents/ancestors

• carry on values, norms, social practices across generations

• contributes to social reproduction

social reproduction - process where societies have structural continuity over time

resocialization - learning new skills and norms appropriate to new roles/contexts

• ex. Kris Jenner learning to live as woman

desocialization - unlearning skills and norms no longer relavant

• ex. Kris Jenner unlearning how to live as man

cognition - ways children learn to think about themselves and environment

• (Jean Piaget)

social self - identity given to individual by reactions of others

• acheives self-consciousness when aware of this

• (George Herbert Mead)

self consciousness - individuals see themselves as others see them

• (Mead)

generalized other - general values and moral rules of culture in which developing

• further stage of child development, 8-9

• all attitudes concerning others merge to produce generalized other

• language is important, cannot read minds

• helps take on attitude of those don’t know

• (Mead)

significant symbols - words, images, gestures that have same meaning for those involved in social act

• help produce consensus on which coordinated action is based

• helps create the same response in person performing the gesture and person recieving gesture

• ex. Trump’s handshakes to show dominance

“I” and “me” - as soon as we become aware of “I” it becomes “me”

• “I” - who looks in mirror

  • person who does things

  • active phase of self

• “me” - who you see in the mirror

  • can change due to constraints of time and place

  • conceived self

  • self we are aware of when we take attitude of others

  • rooted in perceptions of how others interpret behavior

looking-glass self - reactions we elicit in social situations create mirror in which we see ourselves

• imagine appearance to another person

• imagine person’s judgement of appearance

• self-feelings associated with judgement

• ex. if others regularly laugh at jokes, perceive they view us as funny, view ourselves as funny, may then tell more jokes

• (Charles Horton Cooley)

Functionalist Paradigm - theories on aging emphasize how individuals adjust to changing social roles as aging

• how adjust usefulness of roles

• “burden” to society as usefulness changes

sensorimotor stage - infants learn mainly by touching objects, manipulating them, physically exploring environment

• birth-2

• can’t differentiate themselves from environment

• (Piaget)

peroperational stage - children master language and use words to represent objects and images symbolically

• 2-7

• can’t use developing mental capabilities systematically

• (Piaget)

egocentric - tendency of children to interpret world exclusively in terms of own position

• ex. can’t hold connected conversations with others, talk together but not to one another

• (Piaget preoperational stage)

concrete operational stage - children master logical not abstract notions

• 7-11

• can handle idea of cause and effect

• less egocentric

• (Piaget)

formal operational stage - able to grasp highly abstract/hypothetical ideas

• 11-15

• able to review many possible ways to solve problem to reach solution

• not all adults reach formal operational stage

  • depends on education which may foster abstract reasoning

• (Piaget)

agents of socialization - groups/social contexts where significant processes of socialization occur

• primary socialization - infancy-childhood

  • most intense period of cultural learning

  • learn language and basic behavioral patterns

  • family main agent

• secondary socialization - later in childhood-maturity

  • schools, peer groups, social orgs, media, workplace, religious organizations, government are agents

• social interactions in contexts help people learn/unlearn values, norms, beliefs that make up patterns of culture

nuclear family - family group consisting of adult/adult couple and dependent children

• teaches values, beliefs, norms, skills needed to navigate society

• modified by race, gender, social class, religion, sexuality

hidden curriculum - subtle ways teachers expose students with different social identities

• teaches how to interact with those from different backgrounds (to extent)

• learn to navigate race and gender

peer group - informal groups of individuals of similar age, interests, social position

• significant effect beyond childhood/adolescence

• contemporary peer groups uphold or promote behaviors not supported in earlier generations

  • change norms

• allow children discuss interests not in common with family

  • ex. fashion, music, romance, substance abuse, etc

social roles - socially defined expectations for person in given social position

• ex. doctor social role = behaviors that should be enacted by all doctors, possible to speak in general terms about professional behavior of doctors

social identity - characteristics other people attribute to individual

• markers that indicate who individual is

• place individual in relation to other individuals who share similar attributes

• have more than one social identity

• develop self as reaction to others, know what others expect and perform accordingly to avoid stigma, changes from situation to situation

  • (Mead)

• ex. student, parent, lawyer, etc

self-identity - process of self-development to form unique sense of self and relationship to world

• draws on work of symbolic interactionists

• constant negotiation with outside world creates personal sense of self

• individual agency and choice

gender socialization - learning of gender roles through social factors like family and media

• by age 3, children police gender roles on their own

  • tell each other how boys and girls should act

• define certain colors for boys/girls

race socialization - verbal and nonverbal messages older generations transmit to younger generations about meaning and significance of race

life course - transitions individuals pass through lives

• childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, midlife, later life

• older adults play active role in determining physical and mental well-being

• aging process shaped by historical time and place

  • ex. wars, recessions, depressions, economic booms, development of new tech

• take into account agency and structure

childhood - infancy-11

• parents viewed as sole protectors

  • those who fail to live by standards judged harshly by society

adolescence - 12-18

• parents still heavily responsible for behaviors

  • some responsibility shifted to teens

• puberty, additional income, increased scholarly responsibility, mobility

• rites of passage

• expectation of responsibility, preparation, self-sufficiency

• emotional development

  • told to stop being childish

young adulthood - 18-45

• desire to explore

  • new places, ideas, politics, religion, sexuality

• early segment postponement of responsibility

  • go to college to explore careers

    • privilege

  • live with roommates rather than permanent home alone

• marriage increasingly delayed until end of stage

  • function of marriage has changed

    • capstone than cornerstone

midlife - no official beginning stage

• other social/biological factors to signal when we enter stage

  • ex. menopause, when children leave home

• time for assessment

• reflect on past decisions, may decide to make major changes

  • may enter new career, pursue personal goals

later life - older member of society

• worthy of reverence in tradition

  • “wise old person”

• power and respect increase with age

• expect to be treated well and taken care of

  • in modern society opposite occurs

• may live in poverty

  • lack of strong safety net, effective ways to prepare for retirement

social security - provides retirement, disability, family, survivor benefits

• relatively weak safety net, still impactful

• half of elderly would have incomes below poverty line without social security

• beneficial in helping children over poverty line

neoliberalism - politics centered on protecting rights of corporations

• less focused on providing for elderly

• allowed “free market” to choose not to provide pensions

  • allow older people opt into retirement plans

  • require stay w job whole lives or invest large percentage of income

aging - combination of biological, psychological, social processes that affect people as they grow older

• biological - physical body

• psychological - mind and mental capabilities

• social - cultural norms, values, role expectations

social gerontologists - social scientist studying aging

disengagement theory - functional for society to remove people from traditional roles when become older

• free up roles for younger people

• increasingly dysfunctional for older people to occupy traditional social roles no longer capable of

  • should retire, withdraw from civic life

  • can take on less taxing roles

• assumption old age = fragility

• (Talcott Parsons, functionalist)

activity theory - people busy leading fulfilling and productive lives can be functional for society

• active individual more likely to remain healthy, alert, socially useful

• people should remain engaged in work and other social roles as long as capable

• when role becomes too taxing, other roles can be sought

• continued activity in old age associated with good mental and physical health

• (functionalist)

continuity theory - older adults fare best when participate in activities consistent with personalities, preferences, activities from earlier life

• against activity theory

• ex. retired teacher finds volunteering at school to be satisfying

conflict theories of aging - ways larger social structure shapes opportunities for older adults

• unequal opportunities create potential for conflict

young old - age 65-74

• more economically independent, healthy, active

• education and careers during time of poor economic conditions

old old - age 75-84

oldest old - age 85+

• fastest-growing segment of age 65+ population

• more likely to encounter poor health, financial insecurity, isolation

• of during post-WWII period of strong economic growth and benefited

  • more likely to be educated, acquired wealth, had many years of stable employment

ageism - discrimination on basis of age

• against federal law (Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967)

• older adults seen as lonely, sad, infirm, forgetful, dependent, senile, old-fashioned, inflexible, embittered