Socialization — Chapter 5 Notes
Socialization: Key Concepts and Theories
Overview of Socialization
Socialization is the process through which people are taught to be proficient members of society by describing the ways that people come to understand societal norms/expectations, to accept society’s beliefs, and to be aware of societal values.
It shapes behavior, values, and norms to integrate individuals into a shared social order.
Real-World Example: Emergency Workers (Page 2)
Emergency workers (e.g., College of DuPage responders) learn not only medical skills but also decision making, teamwork, communication, and stress management.
These non-medical abilities are valuable across careers and life contexts, even if workers switch fields.
Not all fast decision making translates to less intense environments; high-pressure training can coexist with demanding work settings.
Noel and Tracy: Classroom/Workplace Ethics Prompt (Page 3)
Q: In Noel’s story, who was right?
A. Noel was correct. They saw something and took action.
B. Tracy was correct. She acknowledged Noel found an issue, but wanted it handled in a less disruptive way.
C. Neither was entirely correct. Noel could have handled the error better, and Tracy could have socialized Noel in the work environment and approach.
Takeaway: Socialization involves both corrective action and training to align individual behavior with organizational norms.
George Herbert Mead: Self and Generalized Other (Page 5)
Self: a person’s distinct identity developed through social interaction.
Generalized Other: the common behavioral expectations of general society.
Significance: The self arises from the ability to take the role of others and see oneself from the perspective of the group.
Moral Development: Kohlberg (Page 6)
Moral development is how people learn what society considers “good” and “bad,” essential for smooth social functioning.
Three stages:
Preconventional: children experience morality through senses and personal consequences.
Conventional: adolescents and young adults consider others’ feelings and social expectations.
Postconventional: morality is viewed in abstract or universal terms beyond direct personal relationships.
Expression in notation: ext{Moral stages} = ext{Preconventional}, ext{Conventional}, ext{Postconventional}.
Gilligan’s Theory of Moral Development and Gender (Page 7)
Gilligan studied moral development across genders and found differences in ethical focus:
Boys tended to base morality on justice, rule-following, and rights.
Girls tended to emphasize care, empathy, and relational reasoning.
She criticized Kohlberg for focusing primarily on boys/men and argued for including care-based moral reasoning.
Critique: Sample size and representation have been points of discussion; nonetheless, Gilligan highlights how gender can influence moral reasoning.
Nature vs. Nurture (Pages 8–9)
Nurture: the relationships and caring around us that shape who we are.
Nature: genetics (temperaments, interests, talents) established before birth.
Ongoing debate about the origins of behavior and beliefs: whether certain tendencies are inherited or learned.
Twin Studies and Limitations (Page 9)
Twins are often biologically similar and raised in the same environment, yet can diverge in development.
Twin studies contribute to nature-vs-nurture research but rely on assumptions and may not generalize to broader society.
Agents of Socialization: Family and Social Groups (Page 10–11)
Family: immediate and extended; historical and societal context shapes child-rearing; socioeconomic status and related circumstances; race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, and other family background elements affect socialization.
Peer Group: a group of people similar in age and social status who share interests.
Social Group Agents (summary): family and peer groups play central roles in early socialization; later agents reinforce norms and expectations.
Figure 5.4 (Page 11): Socialized roles of parents and guardians vary by society.
Institutional Agents (Page 12)
Institutions that transmit norms and values:
School
Hidden Curriculum: informal teaching by schools that reinforces societal norms beyond formal curriculum.
Workplace
Religion
Government
Mass Media: disseminates impersonal information to wide audiences via TV, newspapers, radio, and the Internet.
Mass media’s role in shaping perceptions, values, and social norms is a key component of modern socialization.
Workplace Socialization (Page 13)
Occurs both informally and formally; can involve material and non-material culture.
Learning mechanisms include trainings, documentation, meetings, and observing others.
In office settings, many rules are defined informally in addition to documented guidelines (codes of conduct).
Attitudes Toward Princess Movies/Culture (Pages 14–15)
Page 14: Q about young children and princess movies:
A. Princess movies promote positive values and should be encouraged.
B. Princess culture isn’t perfect but not harmful.
C. Princess movies convey mixed/negative messages and should be limited.
D. Princess movies have very negative effects and should be avoided.
Page 15: With which women characters do young girls identify most?
A. Belle, Ariel, Cinderella
B. Tiana, Moana, Merida
C. Elsa
D. Rey
Points: Media figures contribute to gender socialization by shaping aspirational role models and idealized female identities.
Socialization Across the Life Course: Anticipatory Socialization (Page 16)
Anticipatory socialization: process by which adults prepare for future life roles before actually entering them.
Includes planning for transitions and rehearsing expectations for upcoming roles.
Post-High School Activities Around the World (Page 17)
United States patterns:
rac{2}{3} of high school graduates enroll in college before age 24.
Of those, about rac{1}{3} are also in the workforce.
About 0.69 (69%) of college attendees enroll immediately after high school.
In Denver, only 25% enroll in college immediately after high school (no immediate college entry common).
Many take gap years or other interim periods.
Military service: many countries require it for men, several require it for all genders; this is a form of socialization that prepares individuals for civic duties.
Resocialization and Degradation Ceremony (Page 18)
Resocialization: old behaviors that were useful in a previous role are discarded and new relevant behaviors are adopted for a new role.
Degradation Ceremony: new members of an institution lose aspects of their old identity and are given new identities.
Occurs in obvious places like the military or joining a religious order, as well as in professional training or cross-cultural immersion experiences.
Significance: highlights how identity is restructured to align with new group norms.
Connections, Implications, and Reflections
Socialization integrates individuals into society by transmitting norms, values, and beliefs through multiple agents (family, peers, school, workplace, media, government).
Theoretical perspectives (Mead, Kohlberg, Gilligan) offer lenses on how individuals develop a sense of self and moral reasoning within social contexts.
Nature vs. nurture debates continue to inform how we understand the origins of behavior, with twin studies as a key but imperfect source of evidence.
Hidden curricula in schools reveal that education transmits social norms beyond formal content, with long-term implications for equality and social mobility.
Anticipatory socialization and resocialization illustrate how people actively shape and reshape their identities in response to changing roles and environments.
Ethical considerations: socialization can reinforce unequal power structures (e.g., gender norms, racial/ethnic stereotypes) and may require deliberate interventions or critical reflection to promote inclusive outcomes.
Quick Reference: Key Terms
Socialization
Self (Mead)
Generalized Other (Mead)
Moral Development (Kohlberg)
Gilligan’s Care Perspective
Nature vs. Nurture
Twin Studies
Hidden Curriculum
Institutional Agents
Anticipatory Socialization
Degradation Ceremony
Resocialization
Hidden Curriculum
Anticipatory Socialization
Symbols and Equations (LaTeX)
Two-thirds in the US college enrollment statistic: rac{2}{3}
Of those, one-third also in the workforce: rac{1}{3}
Immediate college enrollment after HS in the US: 0.69
Denver immediate enrollment: 0.25