SOCIALIZATION

SOCIALIZATION
 Socialization is the process through which
people are taught to be proficient members
of a society. It describes the ways that people
come to understand societal norms and
expectations, to accept society’s beliefs, and
to be aware of societal values.
 Socialization is not the same as socializing

(interacting with others, like family and

friends); to be precise, it is a sociological
process that occurs through socializing
THEORIES OF SELF DEVELOPMENT

1- Psychological theory of Self Development

2- Sociological theory of Self Development

 PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES OF SELF DEVELOPMENT
 Sigmund Freud divided the maturation
process into stages, and posited that
people’s self-development is closely linked to
their early stages of development. According
to Freud, failure to properly engage in or
disengage from a specific stage results in
emotional and psychological consequences
throughout adulthood.
 Erik Erikson created a theory of personality
development based, in part, on the work of
Freud. However, Erikson believed the
personality continued to change over time
and was never truly finished. His theory
includes eight stages of development,
beginning with birth and ending with death.
 Erikson’s view of self-development gave

credit to more social aspects, like the way we

negotiate between our own base desires and
what is socially accepted.
 Jean Piaget focused on the role of social
interactions in child development. He
recognized that the development of self
evolved through a negotiation between the
world as it exists in one’s mind and the world
that exists as it is experienced socially.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY &
PSYCHOLOGY?
 Both disciplines are interested in human
behavior, psychologists are focused on how
the mind influences that behavior, while
sociologists study the role of society in
shaping behavior.
 Psychologists are interested in people’s
mental development and how their minds
process their world.
 Sociologists are more likely to focus on how

different aspects of society contribute to an

individual’s relationship with his world.
 Another way to think of the difference is that
psychologists tend to look inward (mental
health, emotional processes), while
sociologists tend to look outward (social
institutions, cultural norms, interactions with
others) to understand human behavior.
 SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF SELF
DEVELOPMENT
 Charles Cooley asserted that people’s self
understanding is constructed, in part, by
their perception of how others view them—a
process termed “the looking glass self”.

 George Herbert Mead studied the self, a

person’s distinct identity that is developed
through social interaction. In order to engage
in this process of “self,” an individual has to
be able to view him or herself through the
eyes of others.
That’s not an ability that we are born with. Through
socialization we learn to put ourselves in someone else's
shoes and look at the world through their perspective.
This assists us in becoming self-aware, as we look at
ourselves from the perspective of the "other.“

There is a specific path of development that all people

go through. During the preparatory stage, children are
only capable of imitation: they have no ability to
imagine how others see things. They copy the actions of
people with whom they regularly interact, such as their
caregivers.
Passing through stages with learning through
imitation and following parents , finally,
children develop, understand, and learn the
idea of the generalized other, the common
behavioral expectations of general society.

By this stage of development, an individual is

able to imagine how he or she is viewed by
one or many others—and thus, from a
sociological perspective, to have a “self”.
 MORAL DEVELOPMENT

 Moral development is an important part of the

socialization process.

 The term refers to the way people learn what

society considered to be “good” and “bad,”
which is important for a smoothly functioning
society.

 Moral development prevents people from acting

on unchecked urges, instead considering what is
right for society and good for others.
 KOHLBERG’S THEORY OF MORAL
DEVELOPMENT

 Kohlberg was interested in how people learn

to decide what is right and what is wrong. To
understand this topic, he developed a theory
of moral development that includes three
levels:

1. Pre Conventional
2. Conventional
3. Post Conventional
 Pre Conventional
In the pre conventional stage, young children, who
lack a higher level of cognitive ability, experience
the world around them only through their senses till
reach their teen age.

 Conventional
From teen age till being youngster, individuals
become increasingly aware of others’ feelings and
take those into consideration when determining
what’s “good” and “bad.”
 Post Conventional
When people begin to think of morality in
abstract terms, such as Americans believing
that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness. At this stage, people
also recognize that legality and morality do not
always match up evenly.
 GILLIGAN’S THEORY OF MORAL
DEVELOPMENT AND GENDER

 Carol Gilligan recognized that Kohlberg’s theory

might show gender bias since his research was
only conducted on male subjects.
 She set out to study differences between how
boys and girls developed morality.
 Gilligan’s research suggested that boys and girls

do have different understandings of morality.

 Boys appeared to have a justice perspective, by

placing emphasis on rules and laws.

 Girls, on the other hand, seem to have a care and

responsibility perspective; they consider people’s

reasons behind behavior that seems morally
wrong.
 Gilligan also recognized that Kohlberg’s theory
rested on the assumption that the justice
perspective was the right, or better, perspective.
 Gilligan, in contrast, theorized that neither
perspective was “better”: the two norms of justice
served different purposes.
 Ultimately, she explained that boys are socialized

for a work environment where rules make

operations run smoothly, while girls are socialized
for a home environment where flexibility allows
for harmony in caretaking and nurturing.
 IMPORTANCE OF SOCIALIZATION

 Socialization is critical both to individuals and to

the societies in which they live. It illustrates how
completely intertwined human beings and their
social worlds are.
 First, it is through teaching culture to new

members that a society perpetuates itself. If new

generations of a society don’t learn its way of life,
it ceases to exist.
 Whatever is distinctive about a culture must be

transmitted to those who join it in order for a

society to survive.
 Can you use your hands to eat?
 Who should pay?

 Do you stand when someone else gets up, and is

that dependent on their gender?

 The dining manners and customs of different

cultures are learned by socialization.

 Socialization is just as essential to us as
individuals. Social interaction provides the means
via which we gradually become able to see
ourselves through the eyes of others, and how we
learn who we are and how we fit into the world
around us.
 In addition, to function successfully in society, we

have to learn the basics of both material and

nonmaterial culture, everything from how to dress
ourselves to what’s suitable attire for a specific
occasion; from when we sleep to what we sleep
on; and from what’s considered appropriate to eat
for dinner to how to use the stove to prepare it.
 Most importantly, we have to learn language—
whether it’s the dominant language or one
common in a subculture, whether it’s verbal or
through signs—in order to communicate and to
think. Without socialization we literally have no
self.
 NATURE VS. NURTURE
 Some experts assert that who we are is a
result of nurture—the relationships and
caring that surround us.
 Others argue that who we are is based

entirely in genetics. According to this belief,

our temperaments, interests, and talents are
set before birth.
 From this perspective, then, who we are

depends on nature.
 AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
 Socialization helps people learn to function
successfully in their social worlds.
 How does the process of socialization occur?

 How do we learn to use the objects of our

society’s material culture?

 How do we come to adopt the beliefs, values,

and norms that represent its nonmaterial

culture?
 AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
 Social Group Agents
Social groups often provide the first
experiences of socialization. Families, and later
peer groups, communicate expectations and
reinforce norms.

 People first learn to use the tangible objects

of material culture in these settings, as well
as being introduced to the beliefs and values
of society.
 Family
Family is the first agent of socialization. Mothers
and fathers, siblings and grandparents, plus
members of an extended family, all teach a child
what he or she needs to know.
For example, they show the child how to use objects
(such as clothes, computers, eating utensils, books,
bikes); how to relate to others (some as “family,”
others as “friends,” still others as “strangers” or
“teachers” or “neighbors”); and how the world
works (what is “real” and what is “imagined”).
As you are aware, either from your own experience
as a child or from your role in helping to raise one,
socialization includes teaching and learning about
an unending array of objects and ideas.

Many social factors affect the way a family raises its

children. Individual behaviors are affected by the
historical period in which they take place.
Sixty years ago, it would not have been considered
especially strict for a father to hit his son with a
wooden spoon or a belt if he misbehaved, but today
that same action might be considered child abuse.

Sociologists recognize that race, social class,

religion, and other societal factors play an
important role in socialization.
 Poor families usually emphasize obedience and
conformity when raising their children, while
wealthy families emphasize judgment and
creativity.
 Working-class parents have less education and

more repetitive-task jobs for which it is helpful to

be able to follow rules and conform.
 Wealthy parents tend to have better educations

and often work in managerial positions or careers

that require creative problem solving, so they
teach their children behaviors that are beneficial
in these positions.
PEER GROUPS

 A peer group is made up of people who are

similar in age and social status and who
share interests. Peer group socialization
begins in the earliest years, such as when
kids on a playground teach younger children
the norms about taking turns, the rules of a
game, or how to shoot a basket.
 Children begin to develop an identity separate
from their parents and exert independence.
 Peer groups provide their own opportunities for

socialization since kids usually engage in different

types of activities with their peers than they do
with their families.
 Peer groups provide adolescents’ first major

socialization experience outside the realm of their

families.
INSTITUTIONAL AGENTS

 The social institutions of our culture also

inform our socialization. Formal institutions—
like schools, workplaces, and the government
—teach people how to behave in and
navigate these systems.
 Other institutions, like the media, contribute

to socialization by influencing us with

messages about norms and expectations.
SCHOOL

 Most children spend about seven hours a

day, 180 days a year, in school, which makes
it hard to deny the importance school has on
their socialization.
 Schools are not only meant to teach math,

science, reading and other subjects, also to

serve a latent function in society by
socializing children into behaviors like
practicing teamwork, following a schedule,
and using textbooks.
 Hidden curriculum, the informal teaching done
by schools by teachers playing as role models
using repetitions and reinforcements.
 Children participate in a relay race or a math

contest, they learn there are winners and losers in

society.
 Children are required to work together on a

project, they practice teamwork with other people

in cooperative situations.
 Children learn how to deal with bureaucracy,
rules, expectations, waiting their turn, and sitting
still for hours during the day.
 Schools in different cultures socialize children

differently in order to prepare them to function

well in those cultures.
 Teaching children about citizenship and national

pride i.e national anthem, national historical

events and religious prays etc.
THE WORKPLACE

 Workplace socialization occurs informally and

formally, and may include material and non-
material culture .
 Workers require new socialization into a

workplace, in terms of both material culture

(such as how to operate the copy machine)
and nonmaterial culture (such as whether it’s
okay to speak directly to the boss or how to
share the refrigerator)
 Creating work supportive culture, organizations
must have strong onboarding and socialization
programs in order to build satisfaction,
productivity, and workplace retention.

 Nature of job and operational transitions in

organizations need workers with diverse skills
both technical and social.
RELIGION

 Religion has strong impact on follower individuals

and societies.

 Mosque is an institution regarding Muslim culture

where formal practice like offering prayer, equality
in arrangement for prayer with informal practices
like wrapping praying mats, wearing head caps
and scarfs is taught.
 Social and cultural ceremonies often need
religious perspective like the way how marriages
are managed, funeral arrangements, societal
awareness and to foster humane values are basic
elements of Islam.

 Religion also provide basic gender focused

expected roles to perform by its followers that
shaped the process of socialization.
GOVERNMENT
 Government impacts socialization by
implementing certain laws like an “adult”
usually means being eighteen years old, the
age at which a person becomes legally
responsible for him- or herself.

 Sixty years old is the start of “old age” since

most people become eligible for senior
benefits at that point
 Each time we embark on one of these new
categories—senior, adult, taxpayer—we must be
socialized into our new role.

 Seniors must learn the ropes of Medicare, Social

Security, Serve on Priority, Travel Discounts and
other benefits provided by Government.
MASS MEDIA

 Mass media distribute impersonal

information to a wide audience, via
television, newspapers, radio, and the
Internet.

 With the average person spending over four

hours a day in front of the television (and
children averaging even more screen time),
media greatly influences social norms.
 People learn about objects of material culture
(like new technology and transportation
options), as well as nonmaterial culture—
what is true (beliefs), what is important
(values), and what is expected (norms).
LIFE LONG SOCIALIZATION
 Socialization isn’t a one-time or even a short-
term event. We aren’t “stamped” by some
socialization machine as we move along a
conveyor belt and thereby socialized once
and for all. In fact, socialization is a lifelong
process.

 As we grow older, we encounter age-related

transition points that require socialization
into a new role, such as becoming school
age, entering the workforce, or retiring.
 The five milestones that define adulthood, are
“completing school, leaving home, becoming
financially independent, marrying, and having a
child”.

 These social milestones are life long and

transmitted into generations to come.

 With passing years we are expected to perform

different roles, energetic and struggling in young
age then settling and marrying, financial
independence, future perspective etc
 Anticipatory Socialization is the preparation for
future life roles. Just as young children pretend to
be doctors or lawyers, play house, and dress up.

 Re-Socialization, in it old behaviors that were

helpful in a previous role are removed because
they are no longer of use. Re-socialization is
necessary when a person moves to a senior care
center, goes to boarding school, or serves a
sentence in the prison system. In the new
environment, the old rules no longer apply.
 The process of re-socialization is typically more
stressful than normal socialization because people
have to unlearn behaviors that have become
customary to them.
 Degradation Ceremony; members entering an

institution must leave behind their old identity

through what is known as a degradation
ceremony
 New prisoners lose freedom, rights (including the

right to privacy), and personal belongings.

 When entering the military, soldiers have
their hair cut short. Their old clothes are
removed, and they wear matching uniforms.
 These individuals must give up any markers

of their former identity in order to be re-

socialized into an identity as a “soldier.”