Sociology Chapter 4 United States Discuss What Like Socialized Into

CHAPTER 4: SOCIALIZATION AND THE LIFE COURSE

BRIEF CHAPTER OUTLINE

I. The Socialization Process

A. The Nature–Nurture Controversy

B. Socialization as Social Control

A. Social Learning Theory

B. Functionalism

C. Conflict Theory

D. Symbolic Interaction Theory

IV. Growing Up in a Diverse Society

1. Explain the socialization process.

2. Identify the different agents responsible for socialization over the life course.

KEY TERMS (listed in text)

adult socialization (96)

age prejudice (98)

ageism (98)

anticipatory socialization (96)

game stage (91)

generalized other (92)

identity (80)

rite of passage (100)

roles (80)

self (90)

self-concept (82)

significant others (91)

KEY PEOPLE

Charles Horton Cooley (90)

LECTURE OUTLINE

I. The Socialization Process.

1. The deciphering of the human genetic code raises the possibility of creating a

human being in the laboratory, but would a laboratory product be a human

A. The Nature–Nurture Controversy – From a sociological perspective, our lives

are socially constructed. What a person becomes results from an interaction

between innate traits and the culture they live within. Is it “nature” (innate

qualities) or “nurture” (social environment) that makes us human and drives our

behavior?

B. Socialization as Social Control – Socialized people conform to cultural

1. creates the capacity for role-taking (seeing ourselves through the perspective of

another person),

II. Agents of Socialization

1. Socialization agents are those who pass along social expectations. Many

social institutions shape the process of socialization.

A. The Family

1. For most people, the family is the first source of socialization.

socialization process.

B. The Media

1. The media include television, print, film, music, video games, radio, and

the Internet.

C. Peers

1. Peers are people with whom you interact on equal terms, such as friends,

fellow students, and coworkers.

D. Religion

1. Religion is another powerful agent of socialization.

E. Sports

1. Through sports, men and women learn concepts of self that stay with them in

their later lives.

2. Sports shape and reinforce many ideas about gender differences.

a. Men’s identities are often tied to sports because sports are tied to

F. Schools

1. In schools, teachers and other students are the source of expectations

that encourage children to think and behave in particular ways.

2. Teachers’ interactions with their students are affected by social class

and racial stereotypes

III. Theories of Socialization

A. Social Learning Theory considers the formation of identity to be a learned

response to external social stimuli.

negative reinforcement (rewards and punishments).

B. Functionalism

1. Functionalists view socialization as one way that society, by integrating

C. Conflict Theory

1. Conflict theorists focus on how group identity is shaped by patterns of

D. Symbolic Interaction Theory

1. According to symbolic interaction theory, people learn identities and values

2. Charles Horton Cooley (1864–1929) postulated the looking-glass self to

explain how a person’s conception of self develops through considering one’s

relationship to others.

3. According to George Herbert Mead (1863–1931), social roles are the basis of

all social interaction.

a. Taking the role of the other is the process of stepping into another

person’s shoes (imagining that we are that person) and assess our own

IV. Growing Up in a Diverse Society

1. The task of the sociological imagination is to examine the influence of

different contexts on socialization. Diverse group experiences are shaped by

V. Aging and the Life Course

1. Sociologists use the concept of life course to describe and analyze the

connection between people’s personal attributes, roles, and life events, as well

as the social and historical aspects of those events.

A. Childhood

1. Socialization during childhood establishes one’s initial identity and values.

2. The family is an extremely influential source of socialization, but experiences

many children.

B. Adolescence

1. Adolescence emerged as a particular phase in life when formal education

was extended to all social classes.

C. Adulthood – Adult socialization is the process of learning new roles and

expectations in adult life. The learning of expectations associated with a role

one expects to enter in the future is anticipatory socialization. Passage

new role.

D. Age and Aging

1. The passage to old age is a difficult transition (because we are taught to fear

2. Age Prejudice and Discrimination. Age prejudice relegates people of

E. Age is an ascribed status, which means that it is based on when a person is born.

Functionalists argue that older people are seen as less useful. Rites of Passage

coming of age.

VI. Resocialization

1. Resocialization is the process by which existing social roles are radically

A. The Process of Conversion – Conversion, whether or not it is extreme,

involves a transformation of identity and resocialization by changing beliefs

and religious practices, as is the case when people become cult members.

B. The Brainwashing Debate

1. Sociologists view what is called brainwashing as simply manifestations of

the social influence people experience through interaction with others.

women do not leave their abusers or find it very difficult to do so.

LECTURE/DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS

1. Looking-glass Self. Select research examples or autobiographical accounts that

2. Socialization Theories. Have students examine and compare the psychological

3. Application and analysis of the Socialization Theories. Ask students to consider

the following questions: What is the most important lesson they would like their own

4. Application of the Three Schools of Thought to Socialization. Have students

5. Agents of Socialization. Socialization both restrains us and enables us to be a part of

a wider society. Have students identify some of the key points of socialization in their

lives and discuss how these restricted their actions and what benefits they get from

conforming.

6. Violence. Take the issue of violence and expand upon the discussions in the

7. Race and Gender Socialization. Get students to discuss how they learned about race

8. Aging. Have your students discuss their beliefs about the elderly, drawing on

perceptions of relatives and other elderly people they know. In their discussions, have

them address prejudice and discrimination toward the elderly.

9. Resocialization. Discuss examples of resocialization in society with your class. Have

10. Understanding Diversity. Invite a student or someone from the community who is

an immigrant to the United States to discuss what it is like to be socialized into a

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

1. Childhood Play and Socialization. Assign students to go to a general merchandise “big

2. Agents of Socialization. Ask students to look back on their own early socialization and to

write a brief paper answering the following questions: What factors in your family

experience and structure do you feel most strongly influenced who you are today?

3. Rites of Passage. Your textbook discusses rites of passage that mark abrupt role changes

that begin or end each stage of life. Select one of these transitions and describe what you

think would be an effective and meaningful rite of passage. Do you think your rite of

passage would work for all groups in U.S. society or only for particular subcultures?

4. Adult Socialization. Passage through adulthood involves many transitions. Learning

5. Applying socialization theory. Consider that you are assigned with designing an after-

school program for elementary school children. Think about how you would design such a

6. Aging Moments. Assign students to keep a journal during the week you focus on this

issue, recording their “aging moments.” These might include contacts and interactions with

7. Generational Equity. The graying of America and the resulting strain on the contract

between generations, including the funding and survival of Social Security, have raised

8. Baby Talk. Baby talk is a term used to describe the way parents and siblings talk to

infants and to the elderly. When an individual uses baby talk to speak to an elder it

9. Granny Dumping. This is a term used by many sociologists to describe the activity of

10. Nature versus Nurture. Have students debate the classical nature versus nurture

11. Brainwashing. Have students address brainwashing in terms of resocialization. In the

discussion, address how young people of their age come to believe in ideologies.

Discuss cults and the impact group socialization has on youth.

VIDEO SUGGESTIONS (Videos with a * next to them have corresponding activities below.)

YouTube videos:

Terra Nova Films (https://terranova.org) has a number of excellent videos and DVDs on

The Georgian Centenarian Study (2008, 45 min.). This DVD highlights several centenarians

living successfully beyond 100 years of life, alongside older adults in their eighties, to

Child of Our Time. (2013, series: runtime varies)

In 2000, producers for the BBC began documenting the growth and development of 25

newborn children from a wide range of social, ethnic, and geographical backgrounds. This

series shows viewers the results so far, capturing pivotal stages in each child’s learning

This NOVA special looks at the case of a girl who was socially isolated for most of her life

until she was 13 years old. Genie’s story provides an excellent starting point for a discussion

Many Ways to See the World: A Thirty-Minute Tour of World Map Images (2005, 30 min.)

This short film looks at the political, social, and scientific issues that influence how

mapmakers depict the Earth, its political and geographic features, and the size and

relationship of countries to one another. This film would be useful at the beginning of an

introductory sociology course to encourage students to think critically about the information

Improv Everywhere (varies)

Informal band of improvisers stage huge public events around norm breaking. “No Pants

Subway Ride 2018” (1 min.) demonstrates norm breaking and sanctions.

“Frozen Grand Central (2 min.) is also entertaining. https://improveverywhere.com/video/

Still Kicking (32 min.)

Amy Gorman’s film on aging gracefully looks at vibrant women over the age of 85. The film

*Living Old (2006, 60 min.)

For the first time in American history, “the old old”—individuals over 85—are now the fastest

growing segment of the U.S. population. Medical advances have enabled an unprecedented

VIDEO ACTIVITIES

1. Ask students to watch television broadcasts of two national sports events—one of a

male-athlete event and one of a female-athlete event—and list all the event

2. After watching Living Old, have students write a short reaction essay (one to two

paragraphs) and then identify someone in their lives to discuss these issues with—

2. The Children’s Defense Fund (https://www.childrensdefense.org) is a user-friendly,

highly interactive site with information on programs for children, access to research,

3. National Institute on Aging (https://www.nia.nih.gov). The NIA is a rich source for

the latest developments on health and aging. Select an issue that interests you and

4. U.S. Department of Education (https://www.ed.gov) gives comprehensive

information on the education resources provided by the U.S. government. It also

5. World Religions (www.religioustolerance.org/var_rel.htm) provides a wealth of

information about many different religions such as Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism,