WEEK 2: Ecology of Socialization
Key Point Summary
Socialization Processes
A. Socialization processes are affected by factors inside and outside
the child. The interaction among these factors results in
socialization processes that are both dynamic and reciprocal.
B. Socialization processes are affected by biological, sociocultural,
and interactive factors.
1. Biological factors influence the neural circuitry of the brain
during early development. These “experience-expectant” neural
connections develop primarily under genetic influence independent of
experience, activity, or stimulation.
2. Sociocultural factors influence the neural circuitry of the brain
through “experience-dependent” connections that develop in response to
experience.
3. Interactive factors include an individual’s life history and
receptivity to change
II. Aims of Socialization
A. Develop ones self-concept, which is an individual’s perception of his
or her identity as distinct from that of others. Self-esteem is the
value that one places on his/her identity. Cooley found our selfconcept and self-esteem are shaped by what is reflected to us by
others. He called the process the “looking-glass self”
B. Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development explains personality
development as the outcomes of their social interactions at different
points in their lives. He described eight stages throughout life that
impact self-concept.
1. Trust vs. Mistrust (Infancy)
2. Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Early Childhood)
3. Initiative vs. Guilt (Play Age)
4. Industry vs. Inferiority (School Age)
5. Identity vs. Identity Diffusion (Adolescence)
6. Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood)
7. Generativity vs. Self-Absorption (Adulthood)
8. Integrity vs. Despair (Senescence)
Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development.
Note that an individual’s development could be described as
being at any point on the horizontal dimension lines, rather than
at one extreme or the other. The importance of interactions with
one’s social environment in the development of a self-concept is
indicated by the socializing agents that are most significant at
various stages.
C. Enable self-regulation, which involves the process of bringing one’s
emotions, thoughts, and behavior under control.
D. Empower achievement by giving meaning or purpose to adulthood
by furnishing goals. Adults who understand child development
provide appropriate challenges producing highly competent and
motivated children.
E. Teach appropriate social goals that allow individuals to successfully
be a part of a group.
F. Implement developmental skills that allow individuals to function
successfully in society. A developmental task is a task that lies
between an individual need and a societal demand and differ by
culture.
III. Agents of Socialization
A. The Family
1. The family is the child’s introduction to society and bears the
major responsibility for socializing the child.
2. The family is the first reference group for values, norms, and
practices.
B.
C.
D.
E.
3. Families differ based on many variables, including cultural
background.
c. Orientation: Collectivistic-Individualistic
d. Coping style: Active-Passive
e. Attitude toward authority: Submissive-Egalitarian
f. Communication style: Open/ExpressiveRestrained/Private.
School and Child Care
1. School experiences influence development.
c. Educational philosophy
d. Classroom management
2. Child care has become an important socializing agent.
Peers
1. Peers provide information about the world and oneself from a
perspective other than that of the family.
2. Peers provide support for the expression of values and
attitudes.
Mass Media
1. The mass media helps children cultivate their understanding
of the world.
2. Different in that the interactions are not usually direct, but
instead more technical in nature.
The Community
1. The community is a group of people sharing fellowship and
common interests; a group of people living in the same
geographic area who are bound together politically and
economically.
2. The community provides a sense of belonging, friendship, and
socialization of children.
III. Methods of Socialization
A. Affective Methods of Socialization
1. Refers to feelings or emotions.
2. Attachment is an affectional tie that one person forms to
another person, binding them together in space and enduring
over time.
B. Operant Methods of Socialization
1. Refers to producing an effect.
2. Reinforcement refers to an object or event that is presented
following a behavior and that serves to increase the likelihood
that the behavior will occur again.
a. Positive reinforcement refers to a reward, or pleasant
consequence, given for desired behavior.
b. Negative reinforcement refers to the termination of an
unpleasant condition following a desired response.
3. Extinction refers to the gradual disappearance of a learned
behavior following the removal of the reinforcement.
4. Punishment refers to physical or psychologically painful
stimuli or the temporary withdrawal of pleasant stimuli when
undesirable behavior occurs.
5. Feedback refers to evaluative information, both positive and
negative, about one’s behavior.
C. Observational Methods of Socialization
1. A form of imitative learning
Modeling is a form of imitative learning that occurs by
observing another person (the model) perform a behavior and
experience its consequence.
D. Cognitive Methods of Socialization
1. How an individual processes information, or abstracts
meaning from experiences. Children are socialized by
providing instruction, setting standards, and reasoning with
children—which is giving explanations or causes for an act.
2. We reason with children through transductive, inductive, and
deductive processes.
E. Sociocultural Methods of Socialization
1. Sociocultural expectations influence an individual’s behavior
and ensures conformity to established precedents or patterns.
2. Group pressure, traditions, rituals and routines, and symbols
are mechanisms for conveying sociocultural expectations.
F. Apprenticeship Methods of Socialization
1. A process by which a novice is guided by an expert to
participate in and master tasks.
2. Experts begin by first structuring activities that are
appropriate to skill level of novice, than collaborates on joint
activities, and fully transfers responsibility to apprentice.
IV. Outcomes of Socialization.
A. Values
1. Values are qualities or beliefs that are viewed as desirable or
important.
B. Attitudes
1. An attitude is a tendency to respond positively (favorably) or
negatively (unfavorably) to certain persons, objects, or
situations.
C. Motives and Attributions
1. Motives are needs or emotions that cause a person to act.
2. Attributions refer to explanations for one’s performance.
D. Self-esteem
1. Self-esteem is the value one places on his or her identity.
E. Self-Regulation/Behavior
1. Self-regulation refers to the process of bringing emotions,
thoughts, and/or behavior under one’s control.
2. Behavior consists of what one does or how one acts in
response to a stimulus.
F. Morals
1. Morals are an individual’s evaluation of what is right and
wrong.
G. Gender Roles
1. Gender roles are qualities that an individual understands to
characterize males and females in his or her culture.