Chapter 4
Socialization
and the
Construction of
Reality
Lecture PowerPoint
© W. W. Norton & Company, 2008
Socialization: The Concept
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Socialization is the process by which individuals
internalize the values, beliefs, and norms of a given
society and learn to function as a member of that
society.
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Limits of Socialization
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The concept of socialization is useful for understanding
how people become functioning members of society.
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However, it cannot explain everything about a person’s
development and personality.
Biology is also a very important component.
It is a combination of biology and social interactions
that makes us who we are.
You May Ask Yourself
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Theories of Socialization
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Charles Horton Cooley theorized
that the “self” emerges from our
ability to assume the point of view of
others and imagine how those others
see us.
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Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Theories of Socialization
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George Herbert Mead
 Developed a theory about how the social self develops
over the course of childhood
 Infants know only the “I,” but through social interaction
they learn about “me” and the “other”
 They develop a concept of the “generalized other,”
which allows them to apply norms and behaviors learned
in specific situations to new situations
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Theories of Socialization
Mead stressed the importance of imitation, play, and games
in helping children recognize one another, distinguish between
self and other, and grasp the idea that others can have multiple
roles.
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You May Ask Yourself
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Theories of Socialization
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Eric Erikson
 Established a theory of psychosocial development
that identifies eight stages that span a person’s
lifetime
 Each stage involves a specific conflict that a person
must resolve in order to move on to the next stage
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Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Agents of Socialization
Families, school, peers, the media, and total institutions are
all important socializing agents or environments.
A total institution is an institution in which one is totally
immersed that controls all the basics
of day-to-day life.
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You May Ask Yourself
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Social Interaction
Robert Merton’s role theory
provides a way to describe social interaction
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Status
Roles
Role Strain
Role Conflict
Status Set
Ascribed Status
Achieved Status
Master Status
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Social Interaction
Gender roles
 Set of behavioral norms associated primarily with males or
females in a given social group or system.
 Gender theorists argue that gender roles can be more
powerful and influential than other roles that people fill.
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You May Ask Yourself
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The Social Construction of Reality
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Socially construction
 People give meaning or value to ideas or objects
through social interactions.
 Ongoing process that is embedded in our everyday
interactions.
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Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
The Social Construction of Reality
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Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level theory based
on the idea that people act in accordance with shared
meanings, orientations, and assumptions.
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Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical theory views social
life as a theatrical performance in which we are all actors
on metaphysical stages with roles, scripts, costumes, and
sets.
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You May Ask Yourself
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The Social Construction of Reality
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Ethnomethodology is an approach to studying human
interaction that focuses on the ways in which we make
sense of our world, convey this understanding to others,
and produce a mutually shared social order.
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Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
The Social Construction of Reality
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Harold Garfinkel developed a method for studying
social interactions, called “breaching experiments,”
which involved having collaborators exhibit “abnormal”
or “atypical” behaviors in social interactions in order to
see how people would react.
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
The Social Construction of Reality
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The Internet has created new types of social interaction that
don’t incorporate verbal and visual cues people are
accustomed to relying on. It has also changed society by
creating new types of crimes and new ways of
communicating.
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
The Social Construction of Reality
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Because our reality is socially constructed, an unexpected
change in that reality can be upsetting, frustrating, or just
plain incomprehensible.
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We all have a stake in maintaining consensus on shared
meanings so that our society can continue to function
smoothly.
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You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Concept Quiz
1. In social development theory, the “self” can be defined as
_______.
a) the individual identity of a person as perceived by that same
person
b) one’s sense of agency, action, or power
c) the identity of a person as perceived by others
d) All of the above
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You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Concept Quiz
2. According to George Herbert Mead’s stages of
development, children learn to recognize an “other”
through _____.
a)
b)
c)
d)
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formal games
imitation
playing informally with other children
None of the above
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Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Concept Quiz
3. ______ are common agents of socialization.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
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Siblings
Teachers
Television programs
All of the above
None of the above
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Concept Quiz
4. Which of the following is an example of a total
institution?
a)
b)
c)
d)
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An elementary school
A sports team
A convent
A political party
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Concept Quiz
5. Which of the following theories argues that people’s
choices about how to act are based on shared meanings,
orientations, and assumptions?
a)
b)
c)
d)
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Symbolic interactionism
Functionalism
Dramaturgical theory
Postmodernism
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Concept Quiz
6. Harold Garfinkel is well known for _______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
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developing the theory of impression management
creating breaching experiments
investigating the armed forces as a total institution
his analysis of socialization agents
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Figure 4.1 | Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial
Personality Development (pt. 1)
Figure 4.1 | Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial
Personality Development (pt. 2)
Table 4.1 | Mead’s Stages of Social
Development