Chapter 4:
Socialization and Development
What to Expect in This Chapter...
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What is Socialization?
Biology vs. Culture in Socialization
The Concept of Self
Dimensions of Human Development
Theories of Development
Early Socialization Influences in
American Society
Adult Socialization
What is Socialization?
Socialization is “...the
process of social
interaction that teaches
the child the intellectual,
physical and social skills
needed to function as a
member of society.
Biology vs. Culture in
Socialization
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This is an age-old controversy, commonly
known as the “nature-nurture debate.”
• Early social scientists minimized the role of
biology as a result of experiments by Pavlov,
Watson and others
• The 1970’s witnessed a resurgence of interest
in biology, known as sociobiology.
The Case for Culture:
Deprivation and Development
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Several cases from the annals of social science
research demonstrate the importance of social
contact and cultural content in development:
• Victor, The Wild Boy of Aveyron who had been living
alone in a forest for 5 or 6 years
• Anna, illegitimate daughter of a disapproving family who
kept her isolated
• Genie, daughter of a nearly blind mother who had been
kept harnessed to a potty seat for hours each day
The Concept of Self
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Human beings have both social identities
and personal identities
Social identities consist of all the statuses, or
positions, that we occupy in society.
Personal identities consist of the selfreflections and self-images that are based at
least in part on our social identities
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Our personal identity is also referred to as
our self.
Dimensions of Human Development:
Cognitive Development
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Psychologist Jean Piaget alerted us to
the fact that children progress through
clear stages in their ability to think
• Sensorimotor Stage (birth-2)—reliance on
touch for information about the world
• Pre-Operational Stage (2-7)—ability to think
symbolically but cannot see world from
another person’s point of view
• Operational Stage (7-12)—can begin to think
logically
• Formal-Logical Stage (12 on)—capable of
abstract, logical thought
Dimensions of Human
Development: Moral Development
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Lawrence
Kohlberg
Lawrence Kohlberg alerted us to the
fact that individuals go through stages
of moral development as well:
• Moral orientation toward punishment
• Moral orientation toward reward
• Moral orientation toward disapproval by
others
• Moral orientation toward formal laws
• Moral orientation toward peer values and
democracy
• Moral orientation toward one’s own set of
values
Dimensions of Human
Development: Gender Identity
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Gender identity is one of the
most important elements of our
sense of self
Some aspects of gender identity
are rooted in biology, such as
physical strength, pregnancy
and nursing, etc.
Most of our gender identity,
however, is culturally defined
Theories of Development:
Charles Horton Cooley
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Cooley maintains that the self
develops in a three stage
process he calls the looking
glass self
• We imagine how our actions
appear to others
• We imagine how other people
judge these actions
• We evaluate ourselves based on
presumed judgments of others
Theories of Development:
George Herbert Mead
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Mead suggests that the self is composed
of two parts:
“I”—active and spontaneous part of self
“Me”—comprised of responses of others
which are internalized
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Identifies three stages of development:
• Preparatory Stage—imitation of others
• Play Stage—child formulates role
expectations of one other person at a time
• Game Stage—child can incorporate
expectations of “others” generally, or the
generalized other
Psychological Theories of
Development: Freud and Erikson
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id– drives and instincts
superego—represents society’s norms and
expectations
ego—mediates conflict between id and
superego
Sigmund
Freud
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Erik Erikson
Freud suggested that the personality is
made up of three parts which are
inherently conflicting:
Erikson identified eight stages of human
development, each which pose
challenges and hazards
Recent Developmental
Theory: Daniel Levinson
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Levinson blends sociology and psychology in his
developmental theory of adult socialization
Suggests that adults go through eight stages:
• Early Adult Period—17-22
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Entering the Adult World—22-28
Age 30 Transitional Period—28-33
Settling Down—33-40
Mid-Life Transition—40-45
Beginning Middle Adulthood—45-50
Age 50 Transition—50-55
Culmination of Middle Adulthood—55-60
Late Adult Transition—60-65
Early Socialization Influences
in American Society
The Family
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The family is the primary socializing
agent for the first few years of life
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Socialization in the family varies
greatly by social class and ethnicity
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Structural changes in the family have
resulted in formal child care
providers having a greater role in
childhood socialization
The School
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The school is a formal agent of
socialization that seeks to socialize
children in selected skills and knowledge
Numerous issues face the school as a
socializing agent as a result of conflict
between local values and state/federal
demands:
• Prayer
• AIDS and sex education
• Evolution
The Peer Group
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Peer group is a socializing agent
that involves equals
While parents provide basic
values, peer groups have
greater influence in lifestyle
issues
Peer group socialization often
contradicts that of the family and
the school
The Mass Media
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The mass media have become a
dominant agent of socialization with
the advent of television
98.2% of American households have
at least one television set
American children watch an average
of 2 hours of TV per day during the
week and more than 4 hours on weekends
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Many scholars believe that television is
the cause of increased violence in
American society
Adult Socialization
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Adult socialization is the process by
which adults internalize new role
expectation
An important feature of adult socialization
is resocialization, exposure to radically
different expectations than one has
previously encountered
• Often resocialization takes place within total
institutions such as prisons, mental hospitals,
or religious cults
Adult Socialization: Marriage
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Marriage is a significant marker of a
transition from adolescence to
adulthood
Married couples must learn to
define their relationship with
each other and, as a couple,
with society
This is more difficult today than
in earlier times because
traditional role expectations are being
called into question
Adult Socialization:
Parenthood
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Having children introduces
great complexity into a
marriage relationship
• Schedules must be altered
• Finances are usually tighter
• Often, unexpected feelings
emerge
Adult Socialization: Career
Development
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The work world involves new
demands that can be stressful
Career socialization is
accomplished in a number of
ways, including both
professional schools and onthe-job training
Adult Socialization: Aging
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In many societies, such as Japan and
China, age brings increased prestige
In American society, older people
are usually regarded as less
valuable
they are asked to retire at a certain age
they may be put in nursing homes if
they are unable to care for themselves
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This creates great concerns for the
elderly, wondering where they are
going to live, who will care for them
when they get sick, etc.