SOCIALIZATION

-a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personalidentity and lear

ns the norms, values, behavior, and social skillsappropriate to his or her social p
osition.

PERSONALITY
-the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive character.
NATURE VS. NURTURE

-Definition:
Is your behavior more influenced by genetics or environmental influences? Is your personality
the result of traits you inherited or has it been shaped by your life experiences? The nature
versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in psychology. The debate centers on the
relative contributions ofgenetic inheritance and environmental factors to human development.
Some philosophers such as Plato and Descartes suggested that certain things are inborn, or that
they simply occur naturally regardless of environmental influences. People who take the
position that all or most behaviors and characteristics are the result of inheritance are known as
nativists. Other well-known thinkers such as John Locke believed in what is known as tabula
rasa, which suggests that the mind begins as a blank slate. According to this notion, everything
that we are and all of our knowledge is determined by our experience. People who take the
position that all or most behaviors and characteristics are the result of learning are known as
empiricists.

Examples of Nature Versus Nurture

For example, when a person achieves tremendous academic success, did they do so because they
are genetically predisposed to be successful or is it a result of an enriched environment? If a man
abuses his wife and kids, is it because he was born with violent tendencies or is it something he
learned by observing his own parents behavior?
A few examples of biologically determined characteristics (nature) include certain genetic
diseases, eye color, hair color, and skin color. Other things like life expectancy and height have a
strong biological component, but they are also influenced by environmental factors and lifestyle.

An example of a nativist theory within psychology is Chomsky's concept of a language

acquisition device (or LAD). According to this theory, all children are born with an instinctive
mental capacity that allows them to both learn and produce language.
A number of characteristics are tied to environmental influences. How a person behaves can be
tied to influence such as parenting styles and learned experiences. For example, a child might
learn through observation and reinforcement to say 'please' and 'thank you.' Another child
might learn to behave aggressively by observing older children engage in violent behavior on the
playground.
Contemporary Views of Nature Versus Nurture
Today, the majority of experts believe that behavior and development are influenced by both
nature and nurture. However, the issue still rages on in many areas such as in the debate on the
origins of homosexuality and influences on intelligence. While few people take the extreme
nativist or extreme empiricist approach, researchers and experts still debate the degree to which
biology and environment influence behavior.
SOCIOBIOLOGY
-Sociobiology refers to the study of biological determinants on social behavior. It is based on the
theory that certain behaviors are often genetic and are subject to evolutionary processes. In the
study of human societies, sociobiology is closely related to evolutionary psychology and human
behavioral ecology. It draws from many disciplines of sociology, including ethology, anthropology,
zoology and archeology.
The main idea of sociobiology is that some individual and social behaviors are inherited and may be
affected by natural selection. Some groups of animals have adapted certain behaviors that have
proved successful in aiding them in the struggle for survival and made them more evolutionarily fit.
The theory seeks to explain that such animal behaviors as well as human ones may be inherited
which leads to the belief that certain genes and gene combinations carry particular behavioral traits.
These traits have evolved to ensure the preservation of ones genes in the population. While the idea
of these behavioral traits being present in animals is widely accepted, using the same theories in the
study of human societies has remained highly controversial.
HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE WORKS OF SOCIOLOGISTS CHARLES HORTON COOLEY AND GEORGE
HERBET MEAD IN DEVELOPING SELF IDENTITY

Why Cooley Studied Groups And Social Behavior

Charles Horton Cooley was a sociologist who wanted to better understand why human
beings behave the way they do. One of Cooley's most important contributions to sociology
was his idea that by studying everyday social interactions between people, one could
begin to better understand why people behave as they do. This is the basis of the
interactionist perspective of sociology. Cooley stated that to understand behavior, we must
first understand the meanings humans attach to certain situations and, thus, the behavior
that is taught to go along with that situation. He believed that societies shape the lives of
the people who live within them.

Cooley's major contribution to sociology was the study of primary groups. Cooley coined
the term 'primary group,' meaning that this is the first group one is introduced to and is the
most influential on our learning of ideas, beliefs and ideals. When observing society,
Cooley noticed that the more a society became industrialized, the more individualistic the
members became. He saw that the people became more distant from each other, more
competitive and were losing the connection to traditional family values and that of
community. It was through his study of primary groups that Cooley hoped to instill more
social unity and cohesiveness.
While society has continued to evolve and change even at a more rapid pace, many of the
social problems Cooley was concerned with still exists today. However, with Cooley's
research, we better understand the importance of social unity and society's influence upon
individuals.
Cooley's Career
Born in 1864 in Ann Arbor, MI, as a son of a Michigan Supreme Court Judge, Charles Horton
Cooley grew up in a household where education was highly valued and with high
expectations placed upon him by his ambitious father.
In 1894, Cooley earned his PhD from the University of Michigan. In 1905, he founded the
American Sociological Association and in 1907 became a full professor of sociology at the
University of Michigan. He remained teaching at the university for his entire career.
Primary Groups
Like many sociologists, Cooley wanted to understand society better. As mentioned earlier,
Cooley found that the more advanced a society became, the more individualistic people
became. He witnessed the breakdown of social cohesion and traditional family. He was
convinced that it was the small, intimate groups which influenced behavior the most, and
with a breakdown of these primary groups, we also had a breakdown of human behavior.

Cooley coined the term primary groups,

which is defined as groups characterized by
intimate, face-to-face association and
cooperation. Primary groups come together
for expressive reasons - to provide
emotional support, love, companionship
and security. It is through these groups that
one begins to develop the sense of self.

Families are examples of primary groups

The Looking-Glass Self

Cooley is one of the founders of the interactionist perspective, which seeks to explain
society by looking at the everyday forms of interaction between individuals. Cooley's
theory of self is one in which we learn who we are through our interactions with others.
This is known as the looking glass self. This basically means that our self-image comes
from our own self-reflection and from what others think of us. Cooley believed that it is
through these interactions that one begins to develop an idea of who they are; therefore,
the self is a product of our social interactions.
There are three phases to the development of self, according to the looking glass self
theory:
1.

We imagine how we present ourselves to others.

2.

We imagine how others evaluate us.

3.

We develop some sort of feeling about ourselves based upon our perception of what
we think others have of us.

The 'self,' then, emerges from one's individual imagination of what we think others think of
us. One critical element to this is that we may perceive someone's impression of us
incorrectly. For example: a parent criticizes something their child does; the child then feels
that the parent thinks they are stupid, and thus, the child then begins to believe, 'I am
stupid.'
Using the 'social mirror' as a measurement of ourselves, a positive reaction from someone
creates a positive self-concept; a negative reaction, a negative self-concept. Cooley states
that this is a never-ending process, for we are always meeting new people and
reevaluating ourselves based upon our impression of what they think of us.

ERVING GOFFMAN
IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

In sociology and social psychology, impression management is a goal-directed conscious or

unconscious process in which people attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a
person, object or event; they do so by regulating and controlling information in social interaction
(Piwinger & Ebert 2001, pp. 12). It is usually used synonymously with self-presentation, in which a
person tries to influence the perception of their image. The notion of impression management also

refers to practices in professional communication and public relations, where the term is used to
describe the process of formation of a company's or organization's public image.
DRAMATURGICAL APPROACH

Definition:
The dramaturgical perspective was developed primarily by Erving Goffman, who
used a theatrical metaphor of stage, actors, and audience to observe and analyze
intricacies of social interaction. From this perspective, the self is made up of the
various parts that people play, and a key goal of social actors is to present their
various selves in ways that create and sustain particular impressions to their
different audiences.
FACE WORK
1.

Face, defined as the social value a person claims for himself in an interpersonal contact, depends on a line, a
pattern of verbal and nonverbal acts by which he expresses himself; face-work counteracts the threats to face by avoidance
or corrective processes. Face-work can also be used aggressively, i.e., through modesty aimed to induce praise. Face-work
utilizes cooperation and ritual. The universality of some type of rituals preserving or restoring face demonstrates their
necessity for organized social activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Anticipatory socialization
Anticipatory socialization is the process, facilitated by social interactions, in which non-groupmembers learn to take on the values and standards of groups that they aspire to join, so as to ease
their entry into the group and help them interact competently once they have been accepted by it. [1]
[2]

It is the process of changing one's attitudes and behaviours, in preparation for a shift in one's role.

Words commonly associated with anticipatory socialization include grooming, play-acting, training
and rehearsing.[3]
The concept of anticipatory socialization, first defined by sociologist Robert K. Merton, has its origins
in a 1949 study of the United States military which found that privates who modelled their attitudes
and behaviours on those of officers were more likely to be promoted than those who didn't. [4]
When people are blocked from access to a group they might have wanted to join, they reject that
group's values and norms, and instead begin the anticipatory socialization process with groups that
are more receptive to them. People doing this, for example economically disadvantaged teenagers
who aspire to become drug dealers rather than professionals, are sometimes criticized as lacking
motivation, however sociologists say they are simply making a pragmatic adjustment to the
opportunities available to them.[5]

Examples of anticipatory socialization include law school students learning how to behave like
lawyers, older people preparing for retirement, and Mormon boys getting ready to
become missionaries.[6]

Resocialization
Resocialization is the process by which existing social roles are radically altered
or replaced. Roles such as spouse, parent, widow, prison inmate, and employee,
for example, all involve a kind of resocialization. Erving Goffman defined
resocialization as a process of tearing down and rebuilding an individuals role
and socially constructed sense of self.

Why is family the most important agent of socialization?

Because family is the first agent that one is subjected to and it is the basis from
which one is introduced to norms, interpersonal relationships, beliefs and opinions.

Family
There is no better way to start than to talk about the role of family in our social development,
as family is usually considered to be the most important agent of socialization. As infants, we are
completely dependent on others to survive. Our parents, or those who play the parent role, are
responsible for teaching us to function and care for ourselves. They, along with the rest of our family,
also teach us about close relationships, group life, and how to share resources. Additionally, they
provide us with our first system of values, norms, and beliefs - a system that is usually a reflection of
their own social status, religion, ethnic group, and more.

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
Schools
The next important agent of childhood socialization is the school. Of course, the official purpose of
school is to transfer subject knowledge and teach life skills, such as following directions and meeting

deadlines. But students don't just learn from the academic curriculum prepared by teachers and school
administrators. In school, we also learn social skills through our interactions with teachers, staff, and
other students. For example, we learn the importance of obeying authority and that, to be successful,
we must learn to be quiet, to wait, and sometimes to act interested even when we're not.
Alexander, like other children, might even learn things from his teacher that she did not intend to teach.
For instance, he might learn that it's best to yell out an answer instead of raising his hand. When he
does so, he gets rare attention from the teacher and is hardly ever punished.

Peers

However, our peers

also give us a
chance to develop
many of the social
skills we need as
adults. For instance,
Peer groups allow children to form relationships and learn without the
Alexander will
direction of adults
certainly experience
moments when his
friends' behavior and/or values contradict the norms and values he obtained from his family. He has to
learn to decide which norms and values to keep, reject, or use and follow in certain situations.

Mass Media
The last agent of childhood socialization we're going to discuss in this lesson is mass media, which
includes television, Internet, radio, movies, books, and magazines - just to name a few. This is another
agent that our parents are understandably concerned about. As with our peers, we often learn things
through mass media that our parents would probably rather we didn't. Especially today, children are
exposed to a wide variety of content, including violence and sex, which many deem inappropriate. Mass
media also seems to reinforce gender and other stereotypes.