Chapter 4
Socialization
Chapter Outline






The Socialization Process
Agents of Socialization
Theories of Socialization
Growing up in a Diverse Society
Socialization Across the Life Course
Resocialization
The Socialization Process


Humans learn the expectations of
society through socialization.
Socialization is different based on
race, gender and class.
Socialization as Social
Control
Socialization and SelfEsteem


How much value one sees in oneself is greatly
affected by socialization how you are seen by
society.
A national study of 9th and 12th graders
examined the eating behaviors:
 57% of the girls and 31% of the boys
reported eating disorders.
 Fear about one’s appearance to others was
is associated with this risky behavior.
Consequences of
Socialization
1.
2.
3.
4.
Establishes self-concepts.
Creates the capacity for role taking.
Creates the tendency for people to act in
socially acceptable ways.
Makes people bearers of culture.
Agents of Socialization






Institutions pass on expectations about
appropriate social behavior:
Family
Media
Peers
Religion
Sports
The Family



Families introduce children to the expectations
of society.
How parents define and treat a child is crucial to
the development of the child’s sense of self.
Some families emphasize educational
achievement; some may be more permissive,
whereas others emphasize strict obedience and
discipline.
The Media



The average young person (age 8–19) spends
6 3/4 hours per day immersed in media in
various forms, often using multiple media forms
simultaneously.
Television is the dominant medium, although
half of all youth use a computer daily.
Analysts estimate that by age 18, the average
child will have witnessed at least 18,000
simulated murders on television.
Polling Question

Which media source do you think has
the strongest impact on attitudes and
behaviors of your generation?
A. Advertising
B. Television
C. Music and music videos
D. The Internet
E. Magazines
Peers


For children, peer culture is an important source
of identity.
Through interaction with peers, children learn
concepts of self, gain social skills, and form
values and attitudes.
 Girls’ peer groups tend to be closely knit and
egalitarian.
 Boys’ peer groups tend to be more
hierarchical, with evident status distinctions
between members.
Religion



Children tend to develop the same religious
beliefs as their parents.
Very often those who disavow religion return to
their original faith at some point in their life,
especially if they have strong ties to their family
of origin and after they form families of their
own.
Religious socialization also influences beliefs
about sexuality, including the likelihood of
tolerance for gay and lesbian sexuality.
Sports



Through sports, men and women learn
concepts of self.
Men learn that being competitive in sports is
considered a part of “manhood.”
Current research finds that women in sports
develop a strong sense of bodily competence,
which is typically denied to them by the
prevailing cultural images of women’s bodies.
Student-Athletes: The Impact
of Title IX
Schools



In school, teachers and other students are the
source of expectations that encourage children
to think and behave in particular ways.
Research finds that teachers respond differently
to boys than to girls, with boys receiving more
of their attention.
The hidden curriculum consists of the informal
and often subtle messages about social roles
conveyed through classroom interaction and
materials.
Polling Question

Which agent of socialization do you think is the
most responsible for gender differences in how
males and females are socialized?
A. The family
B. Religion
C. The peer group
D. Education
E. Mass media
Moments in America for
Children






Every 9 seconds a high school student drops
out.
Every 20 seconds a child is arrested.
Every 37 seconds a child is born to a mother
who is not a high school graduate.
Every 43 seconds a child is born into poverty.
Every minute a child is born to a teen mother.
Every 2 minutes a child is born at low birth
weight.
Moments in America for
Children





Every 4 minutes a child is born to a mother
who received late or no prenatal care.
Every 4 minutes a child is arrested for drug
abuse.
Every 8 minutes a child is arrested for a violent
crime.
Every 19 minutes a baby dies.
Moments in America for
Children




Every 3 hours a child or youth under 20 is
killed by a firearm.
Every 3 hours a child or youth under 20 is a
homicide victim.
Every 5 hours a child or youth under 20
commits suicide.
Every day a young person under 25 dies from
HIV infection.
Psychoanalytic Theory of
Socialization
Individual
Unconscious mind shapes
Learning
behavior
process
Formation of self
Emerges from tension
between id and superego
Influence of
Societal expectations are
society
represented by the
superego
Object Relations Theory of
Socialization
Individual Learning
process
Formation of self
Influence of society
Infants identify with
same-sex parent
Emerges through
separating oneself from
primary caretaker
Division of labor in the
family shapes identity
Social Learning Theory of
Socialization
People respond to social
Individual
stimuli in their
Learning process
environment
Created through
Formation of self
interaction of mental and
social worlds
Influence of
Young children learn
society
principles that shape the
external world
Functionalist Theory of
Socialization
Individual
Learning
process
Formation of
self
Influence of
society
People internalize role
expectations in society
Internalizing the values of
society reinforces social
consensus
Society relies on
conformity to maintain
social equilibrium
Conflict Theory of Socialization
Individual
Learning
process
Formation of
self
Aspirations that are part of
identity are shaped by
available opportunities
Group consciousness is
formed in the context of a
system of inequality
Influence of
society
Social control agents exert
pressure to conform
Symbolic Interaction Theory of
Socialization
Individual
Learning
process
Formation of
self
Influence of
society
Children learn by taking the
role of significant others
Emerges as the creative self
interacts with social
expectations of others
Expectations of others form
the context for learning social
roles
Piaget: Social Learning
Theory
Stages of cognitive development:
 Sensorimotor
 Preoperational
 Concrete operational
 Formal operational
Looking-glass Self
•
•
•
How we think we appear to others.
How we think others judge us.
How these make us feel - proud,
embarrassed or something else.
The Looking-glass Self
Mead: Taking the Role of the
Other
1.
2.
3.
Imitation stage - children imitate
behavior of those around them.
Play stage - children take on the role of
significant others.
Game stage - children internalize an
abstract understanding of how society
sees them.
Children in the United States
The World’s Children
Socialization Across the Life
Cycle



Childhood - establish identity and values.
Adolescence - form a consistent identity.
Adulthood and Old Age - learn new
roles and expectations in adult life.
Work and Play Among Youth
Gender
%
Work
%
Play
%
Both
%
Neither
Male
29.4
29.6
8.2
32.7
Female
27.9
26.9
9.6
35.7
Work and Play Among Youth
Race/Ethnicity
%
Work
%
Play
%
Both
%
Neither
Asian
31.4
26.8
11.2
31.5
Hispanic
29.1
23.9
7.5
40.6
African
American
29.3
22.8
7.5
38.4
White
27.9
30.9
10.0
31.9
Native
American
23.9
29.9
10.8
35.4
Resocialization



Existing social roles are altered or
replaced.
Takes place in organizations that
maintain strict social control.
Examples: military, prison, cults,
fraternities and sororities
Quick Quiz
1. According to Piaget, at what stage do
children begin to use language and other
symbols?
a. play stage
b. sensorimotor stage
c. concrete operational stage
d. preoperational stage
Answer: d

According to Piaget, children begin to use
language and other symbols at the
preoperational stage.
2. According to Mead, at what stage do
children become capable of taking on a
variety of roles at the same time?
a. the preoperational stage
b. the imitation stage
c. the play stage
d. the game stage
Answer: d

According to Mead, children become
capable of taking on a variety of roles at
the same time at the game stage.
3. Psychoanalytic theory originates in the
work of:
a. George Herbert Mead
b. Sigmund Freud
c. Charles Horton Cooley
d. Jean Piaget
Answer: b

Psychoanalytic theory originates in the
work of Sigmund Freud.
4. The process of resocialization involves:
a. learning the values and beliefs of a
new school
b. relearning existing social roles
c. changing or replacing existing social
roles
d. adjusting to new significant others
Answer: c

The process of resocialization involves
changing or replacing existing social
roles.
5. Society has no influence on one's
identity.
a. True
b. False
Answer: False

Society does influence one's
identity.
6. Socialization is a subtle form of social
control.
a. True
b. False
Answer: True

Socialization is a subtle form of social
control.