Download Nature vs. Nurture

Lecture 4: Socialization
Socialization

The process by which people learn the
characteristics of their group; the
knowledge, values, attitudes, skills, and
common patterns of behavior thought
appropriate for them.
“Nature vs. Nurture”
(the classic debate)

What is this? What does ‘Nature vs.
Nurture’ mean?
“Nature vs. Nurture”
(the classic debate)

Nature: the characteristics that people
inherit genetically.

Nurture: the characteristics that result
from one’s interaction with others in the
human, social environment.
Nature vs. Nurture (cont’d)


In order to approach the nature/nurture
question, sociologists are interested in
researching identical twins (that grew up
in different social environments) as well
as children that have had very little
human contact.
i.e. Feral Children, Isolated Children,
Institutionalized Children.
Feral Children

Children assumed to have been raised by
animals, in the wild, isolated from all human
contact. (Think: Tarzan!)

See: “The Wild Boy of Aveyron”-boy who
walked on all fours and could not speak found
in the forests of Aveyron France; would devour
raw meat uncooked and showed no sensitivity
to feeling the cold.
Isolated Children

Children that do not progress through the
normal stages of development due to
extreme limited contact with humans.

See: “Isabelle”- until age 61/2, grew up in a
dark attic with deaf-mute mother;
developed no language.
Institutionalized Children

Children raised in orphanages or similar
institutions who do not receive regular
human contact. These children are
considered “provided for” by the
institution, but not necessarily nurtured on
an individual level.
Childhood: A critical period of
socialization!

The basic human traits of intelligence and the
ability to establish close bonds with others
depend on early interaction with other humans.

There appears to be a period prior to the age of
13 where children must experience language
and human bonding if they are to develop high
intelligence and the ability to navigate social
life.
Society Makes us Human!


If children are reared in isolation, they become
little more than big animals. Without the
concepts that language offers, people cannot
learn to grasp relationships between people or
become members of the human community.
Therefore: it is language that is essential to
socialization!
Charles Cooley
(symbolic interactionist)


Cooley concluded that the self is socially
created; it develops from interaction with
others.
Self: the unique human capacity of being
able to see ourselves “from the outside”;
the views we internalize of how others
see us.
Charles Cooley
(symbolic interactionist)


Coined the term “Looking Glass Self”;
the idea that our sense of self (identity)
develops through internalizing others’
reactions to us.
Looking Glass Self (contains 3 dimensions)
(Let’s look at each one…)
Looking Glass Self
-Charles Cooley (1902)



1. We imagine how we appear to those
around us (we may think that others perceive
us as funny, dull, outgoing, etc.)
2. We interpret others’ reactions (we
come to conclusions about how others evaluate
us; do they like me?)
3. We develop a self-concept (a favorable
reflection-a positive self image; an unfavorable
reflection-a negative self image)
Looking Glass Self
George Mead
(symbolic interactionist)



Play is crucial to the development of self!
Through play, children learn to take the role of
the other (to put themselves in someone else’s
shoes)
“The Generalized Other”: the idea that a
person has the common expectations that
others have about actions and thoughts in a
particular society. Anytime a person tries to
imagine what is expected of them, they are
taking on the perspective of the generalized
other.
The Generalized Other
-George Mead (1934)

Mead used baseball as an example to
illustrate the concept of the generalized
other.

Team sports require all players (despite
what particular position they play) to be
able to understand the multiple positions
of the entire team.
Agents of Socialization

People or groups that affect our selfconcept, attitudes, patterns of behavior,
world view, etc.

Agents of socialization take various forms:
The Family:

Typically, the family is the first group to have a
major impact on our socialization; a process
that has life-long consequences on children.

Sociologist Melvin Kohn found that working
class families raise their children to mainly stay
out of trouble/follow the rules; Middle class
families focus more on developing their
children’s self-expression, curiosity, and selfcontrol (more likely to reason with their children
than resort to physical punishment). Why is
this?
Concerted Cultivation and
Natural Growth

Annette Lareau (2003) identifies the often
invisible but equally powerful ways in which
parents' social class influences children's life
experiences and potential for upward social
mobility.

Lareau offers the terms “Concerted
Cultivation”, and “Natural Growth” to
conceptualize two different parenting styles.
Concerted Cultivation and
Natural Growth

Concerted Cultivation:
characterized by a parent's attempts to foster
their child's talents through organized leisure
activities; typical of middle-class/upper-middle
class families in the U.S. These children will
tend to express greater social prowess in
contexts involving formality/structure which
may be considered a result of their
participation in organized clubs/sports as well
as increased interaction with adults and other
authority figures.
Concerted Cultivation…
Concerted Cultivation and
Natural Growth

Natural Growth: in the accomplishment
of natural growth, children experience
long stretches of leisure time, childinitiated play, clear boundaries between
adults and children, and daily interactions
with immediate kin.
Natural Growth…
Religion:

Religion is a key component that influences
people’s sense of right and wrong; values.

Influence of religion extends to many areas of
our lives. Extends into the non-religious aspects
of society (providing basic ideas regarding
morality for everyone; think: judicial system,
politics, etc.).

Is society more religious now or more secular?
Education:

A formal system of teaching knowledge,
values, skills, etc...(SOCIALIZATION!)

How might structural functionalists view
the role that educations plays in society?
What about conflict theorists? Symbolic
interactionists?
Peer Group:


A group of individuals of roughly the same
age who are linked by common interests
and experiences. Typically, the cardinal
rule is “conformity or rejection”. HIGHLY
INFLUENTIAL!
See: Asch experiment (famous study on
conformity).
Mass Media:



Forms of communication, such as radio,
newspapers, Internet, cell phones, that are
directed to mass audiences.
Influential at very early stages. T.V., advertising,
marketing, etc. bombard us with images and
messages that reinforce gender roles, ideal
body types, etc. Average U.S. child watches
approx. 25,000 commercials a year!
Disney Movies?