SOCIALISATION- Socialisation, Culture & Identity Sociology - Paper 1

Socialisation- the process by which an individual learns the norms, values and cultures of a society.

Primary Socialization: first and most important part of the process, ages 0-5.

• Parents teach children the dominant values, cultures and norms, and children imitate
• Parents control children via positive and negative sanctions e.g. punishments or rewards

Secondary Socialisation: the lifelong socialisation that happens outside of the family via …

• Family
• Peer group
• Media
• Religion
• Education
• Workplace

Agents of Socialisation:

1. The Media
      * Has negative impacts on female identity -  they are sexualised and lead to EDs and low self esteem
      * Makes us a Bulimic Society (concept by Young) consumption of material things pushed by the media=happiness
      * People exposed to violent media are becoming violent
      * Negative impacts on female identity- sexualised, leads to low self-esteem and Eating Disorders

Bulimic Society- Jock Young 2007

-British criminologist argues that the media is partly responsible for criminality

-bulimic society- constant hunger to binge on everything

-even those with little money want to 'get rich or die trying'

-explains criminality among youths from deprived backgrounds.

Mulvey 1975- male gaze

-concept of the male gaze to describe how the camera eyes up female characters

-female characters are based on sexuality not personality

2. Peer Groups

• People a similar age to you e.g. year group, friends, subcultures
• People want to conform to these

Judith Harris 1998

-looked at the influence of parents vs peer groups

-concluded that peer groups can be more influential in children's identities

-peer pressure

-peer groups don't push, they pull because of the desire to conform

Sue Lees 1983

-studied peer groups in primary schools

-play was gendered

-boys dominated the space

-girls took part in other activities

Skelton & Francis 2003

-peer groups in primary schools

-play was gendered

-boys dominated the space

-girls took part in other activities

Tony Sewell -2000

-cultural comfort zones show how we like to associate with those similar to ourselves

-African-Caribbean boys stay in black gangs as the white middle class is alien

3. Religion
      * Until the mid-20th century, Christian Religion was key in the UK - it promoted social values and morals
      * Later 20th century saw a major decline in church attendance and Christianity belief = SECULARISATION

Modhood & Berthoud 1997

-surveyed youth - 67% of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis saw religion as very important

-5% of British youths

-shows that the decline in religion isn't universal, but Britain does have this decline

4. Education:
      * Formal Curriculum - the academic subjects taught in school, tests and exams regarded for knowledge with qualifications, picked up the local culture
      * Hidden curriculum - the ways in which the routines & organisation of schools shape pupils to conform and make them a follower within society

Schooling in Capitalist America - Bowles & Gintis 1976

-American Marxists

-belief in the hidden curriculum and that it's a 'giant myth-making machine '

-brainwashes children into blind obedience

- an attitude that they will need for the world of work

-taught to accept their place in society and that their achievements and failures are their own doing

-everything based on merit

5. Workplace:

• key socialisation for adults-: re-socialisation
• via formal modes like code of conduct, dress codes etc
• Informal - sanctioning behaviour, canteen culture

Waddington 1999 - Canteen Culture

-the set of norms and values that people who work in a particular organisation are socialised into

-exists within many police forces involving racist jokes which contribute to racist profiling

6. Family:

• Our Primary Socialisation
• Functionalists view females as the main nurturers so we are socialised into this role, with males as breadwinners

Formal and Informal Social Control

Formal:

• The institutions that control us by passing laws
• The police, the criminal justice system, security, the military, education
• Sanctions include; -police warnings, sentences from the court, dismissal from work, school exclusion

Informal:

• From the other agents, e.g. family, religion, workplace, peer groups
• Sanctions include: social exclusion, disappointment from parents, not getting a promotion at work

The Nature vs Nurture Debate

The academic argument between sociobiologists who believe human behaviour is largely a product of human nature, and sociologists who believe the environment someone is in plays a bigger part.

Case Studies for Nature vs Nurture

Supporting Nature: Twin Studies- Jim Twins

• separated at birth
• adopted and raised by different families
• named their child the same name
• had the same hobbies, interests and lifestyles

Supporting Nature: Experiments- Bruce Reimer

• His penis accidentally cut entirely off during a circumcision
• Dr. Money (gender psychologist) got involved
• fully castrated him and gave female hormones
• raised as a girl
• led to depression and suicide as he always still felt like a boy and was extremely lonely.

Supporting Nurture: Feral Children- Oxana Malaya

• alcoholic and neglective parents
• left locked outside so raised by dogs
• lived in the dog kennel
• developed dog traits e.g. barking and walking on all fours
• when found, put in a care home and taught to speak simply.
• had to wean her off raw meat

Supporting Nurture: Cross-Cultural Studies- Margret Mead

• studied how different tribes treat gender roles
• Arapesh Tribe - both men and women were peaceful in temperament and neither men nor women made war.
• Mundugumor Tribe - the opposite was true: both men and women were warlike in temperament.
• Tchambuli Tribe - were different from both. The men ‘primped’ and spent their time decorating themselves while the women worked and were the practical ones – the opposite of how it seemed in early 20th century America.