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Socialization as
Social Control
• Roles - The expected behaviors associated with a particular status in society
• Socialization - the process through which people learn the expectations of society.
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Six major agents of socialization
1. Family (primary)
2. Mass Media
3. Peers
4. Religion
5. Sports
6. Schools
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• Social control - the process by which groups and individuals within those groups are brought into conformity with dominant social expectations.
Socialization is, therefore, a mode of social control.
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• Sex is the biological characteristic (XX or XY genes)
• Gender is a social identity, the socially learned expectations and behaviors associated with members of each sex.
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• Of the offenders for whom gender was known, 90.0 percent were
(men/women). (www.fbi.gov)
• Of the 14,137 murder victims of 2008 for whom gender was known,
78.2 percent were (men/women). (www.fbi.gov)
• 90% of Weight-losing eating disorder are (men/women).
• The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 95% of the victims of domestic violence are (men/women).
• In one study, from 30 to 50 percent of (male/female) high school students reported having already experienced teen dating violence.
• (Men/Women) are three times as likely as (men/women) to be involved in a fatal car accident.
• 93% of convicted drink drivers in 2003 were (men/women).
• White (men/women) accounted for 72% of all suicides.

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An ongoing debate amongst social and biological scientists is,
“
What makes us who we are
?”
• Biological Determinism http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/
22710673#22652909
• Gender Socialization the process through which men and women learn the expectations associated with their sex.

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I spend more than 15 min. to do makeup and hair every morning.
2.
Going shopping is one of my favorite things to do.
3.
Watching soap operas is one of my favorite things to do.
4.
I wear a skirt more often than pants.
5.
When I get engaged, I want my partner to propose me.
6.
I want to be a stay-at-home mom/dad when I have a family.
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I do nails regularly.
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I keep my hair long.
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I love babies!
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I shave my legs before going out on a date.
1. When I go shopping, I don’t spend more than 5min. to decide which clothes to buy.
2. Watching football and baseball games is one of my most favorite things to do.
3. I can’t think of my life without video games.
4. I am driving or would like to drive a pickup truck .
5. I have never bought flowers in my life.
6. I workout almost every day.
7. I don’t have any pink or purple chothes in my closet.
8. I don’t talk about my romantic relationships with anybody.
9. I haven’t cried in the past 2 years.
10. I believe it would be my responsibility to be the primary breadwinner when I have a family.
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Six major agents of Gender Socialization
1. Family (primary)
2. Mass Media
3. Peers
4. Religion
5. Sports
6. Schools
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– Research indicates that children raised in an allgirl family are likely to be taught gender equality by both their mother and father.
– Research does not support the belief that children raised in a gay or lesbian family will automatically be homosexual.
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• Violence in children’s programming ---humorous, or with no serious consequences
• by age 18 ---at least 18,000 simulated murders on television.
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• Examples of what is influenced by the media:
– What we think of as beautiful and/or sexy
– Styles of dress
– Politically acceptable beliefs and candidates
– Material objects such as cars, televisions, computers,
– Foods and beverages, entertainment
– How to spend our leisure time
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• stereotyped roles for women and men.
– Women ---- as sex objects.
– Slenderness ---- as a feminine trait.
– Men go to work in an office or factory and work outside gardening or doing heavy chores.
– Women ------ as receptionists or secretaries or doing inside domestic chores.
– Todders & Tiaras
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• Research show that teachers relate differently to boys than do to girls.
– Boys --- given more attention, even when it is negative attention.
– Boys --- considered smarter.
– Boys ---- encouraged to get a higher education.
– Boys ----for the sciences and engineering.
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• no formally defined superior and subordinate roles, although status distinctions commonly arise in peer group interactions.
– Interaction techniques, like making fun of people, produce group boundaries, define who’s “in” and who’s “out.”
– Peer influences are strong in childhood and adolescence, and peer pressure persists into adulthood.
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• The major U.S. Judeo-Christian religions emphasize gender differences.
– Men ---- authority over women in most religious institutions and in scriptures.
– In the Adam and Eve story, Eve was responsible for the fall of Man.
– Orthodox Jewish men thank God for not creating them as a woman or a slave.
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• Religion influences beliefs about:
– Moral development and behavior
– The roles of men and women
– Sexuality
– Gender roles within the family
– Women working outside the home
– Tolerance for gay and lesbian sexuality
– Child-rearing practices.
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• Sports is something that people engage in as participants and/or as observers for fun and relaxation —or to provide opportunities for college scholarships and athletic careers.
• More importantly, it is a powerful agent of socialization.
– It teaches values such as:
• Be “a winner”
• Be strong and athletic
• Be competitive
• Homophobic attitudes
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1) Imagine you are a young guy or girl (16-20 years old) and you purchase a girly doll (maybe a
Barbie doll) for your brother or male kid cousin.
– How would your family and friends react?
– How would you feel doing it?
2) What roles and values did you learn from participation in or watching sports event?
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A person's biological identity of male or female is their: a.sex. b.gender. c.gender identity. d.hermaphroditism.

The expected behaviors associated with a particular status in society are referred to as: a.roles. b.attachments. c.identity. d.hidden curriculum.

• Select the correct answer.
a. Sex and gender are the same thing.
b. Politics as an agent of socialization does not influence gender identity.
c. Only the media can negatively and positively influence one’s gender identity.
d.
All agents of socialization influence one’s gender formation.
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1. List the six agents of socialization.
2. Which of these six agents do you consider most important as a primary agent of socialization and why?
3.
How do religion and sports shape a person’s self identity that is different from what families teach and model?
4. How do teachers discriminate in regards to minorities and gender?
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1. Symbolic interaction
2. Social learning theory
3. Functionalism
4. Conflict theory
5. Feminism
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Charles Horton Cooley (1864 –1929)
George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)
• human beings make conscious and meaningful adaptations to their social environment.
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“the looking glass self”
– The development of the looking glass self emerges from:
1. how we think we appear to others.
2. how we think others judge us.
3. how the first two make us feel proud, embarrassed, or other feelings.
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• Childhood socialization as occurring in three stages:
1. the imitation stage
2. the play stage
3. the game stage
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• children merely copy the behavior of those around them.
– They simply mimic the behavior of another without much understanding of the social meaning of the behavior.
– Example: A young child mimicking a male adult shaving.
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• children begin to take on the roles of significant people in their environment.
– They are incorporating their relationship to the other, especially significant others.
– For example:
• A child pretending to be his mother may talk to himself as the mother would.
• The child begins to develop self-awareness, seeing himself or herself as others do.
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***
• the child takes on multiple roles at the same time.
• These roles are organized in a complex system and the child develops a comprehensive view of the self.
• The child also understands how people are related to each other and how others are related to him or her.
– This is the phase where children internalize
(incorporate into the self) an abstract understanding of how society sees them.
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• Mead uses a basketball game to depict the final stage in the early socialization process of the child.
• The baseball game illustrates the game stage and it’s network of social roles, the division of labor, and how the child must function in it.
• The game stage allows the child to develop an understanding of how society works and his/her concept of self in society.
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• Social expectations associated with given roles change as people redefine situations and as social and historical conditions change; thus, the social expectations learned through the socialization process are not permanently fixed.
– Despite many changes in family life and organization, young girls are still socialized for motherhood, and young boys are still socialized for greater independence and autonomy.
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• Social learning theory considers the formation of identity to be a learned response to external social stimuli.
• It emphasizes the societal context of socialization.
1) modeling
2) reinforcement and encouragement the human mind organizes experience into mental categories, i.e., schema
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• Of the offenders for whom gender was known, 90.0 percent were men . (www.fbi.gov)
• Of the 14,137 murder victims of 2008 for whom gender was known,
78.2 percent were men . (www.fbi.gov)
• 90% of Weight-losing eating disorder are women .
• The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 95% of the victims of domestic violence are women .
• In one study, from 30 to 50 percent of female high school students reported having already experienced teen dating violence.
• Men are three times as likely as women to be involved in a fatal car accident.
• 93% of convicted drink drivers in 2003 were men .
• White men accounted for 72% of all suicides.

• Gender expressions differ depending on race and social class.
– High suicide rate among white men
– White/Asian women being overweight
– Giving a birth/ being a patient
– Getting divorce
– Machismo, honor, dignity, and respect is appropriate for men in Latino culture
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• Expressive role vs. Instrumental role
• Gender socialization is good!
• Family teaches gender roles
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• Who/which social group is getting benefit and advantage by having “gender socialization”?
• corporation (the media, toy companies, retailers, clothing retailers)
• “sex sells”
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– Women: access to power, influence, achievement, income equality, independence in the public world
– Men: nurturing, caring, emotional expression
Homophobia is fear and hatred of homosexuals.
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17.6 percent of hate crime victims (2008) --- against a particular sexual orientation.
Offenders targeted 1,706 victims due to a sexual-orientation bias, and of these:
• 57.5 percent were victims of an offender’s anti-male homosexual bias.
• 27.3 percent were victims because of an anti-homosexual bias.
• 11.6 percent were victims because of an anti-female homosexual bias.
• 2.0 percent were victims because of an anti-heterosexual bias.
• 1.6 percent were victims because of an anti-bisexual bias.
(http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/hc2008/victims.html)

• Focus on the difference between men and women in their behavioral patterns and life chance.
• Men and women should be treated equally in society.
• Why do women tend to have lower-self esteem than men?
• Why do girls have to learn how to cook and clean?
• Why do women feel more pressure on their body feature and beauty?
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• Women are vastly underrepresented in national parliaments or other forms of government.
– Only nineteen 25% of countries have women ’ s representation in national parliaments.
– Worldwide, women hold only 18% of all parliamentary seats.
– Only 28 nations have ever had a woman as head of state.
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• Violence against women (VAW) is a pandemic.
• Statistically, VAW is difficult to determine because:
– Secrecy surrounds many forms of violence
– Different nations define and report violence differently
• The United Nations estimates that between 20% and 50% of women worldwide have experienced violence from an intimate partner or family member.
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• Some specific groups of women are more vulnerable than others to male violence:
– Minorities
– Refugees
– Disabled
– Poor
– Elderly
– Migrant workers
– Women in combat areas, such as Iraq and Pakistan
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• VAW is expressed in everything from female genital mutilation, honor killings, rape, incest, infanticides, and illegal abortions to granny dumping.
• Many factors put women at risk of violence, including: cultural norms, women ’ s economic and social dependence on men, political practices that poorly enforce affirmative actions, male dominance over women, and men ’ s power needs.
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Symbolic Interaction Theory is most closely associated with the works of: a. G. H. Mead and H. Cooley. b. J. Piaget and L. Kohlberg. c. S. Freud and N. Chodorow. d. E. Erikson and P. Berger.

Gender expectations begin to influence how children are treated a. from the moment of birth.
b.after eighteen months of age.
c. at three years of age.
d.when they reach preschool age.
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_________considers the formation of identity to be a learned response to external social stimuli.
a.Functionalism
b.Conflict theory c.Social learning theory d.Feminism
e.None of the above
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________ argue that human beings make conscious and meaningful adaptations to their social environment. a. Functionalist theorists b. Conflict theorists c. Symbolic Interaction theorists d. All psychologists
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• Number of Adoptions from China (started in 1992):
2009: 3,001
2008: 3,911
2007: 5,453 (new rules were introduced)
2006: 6,493
2005: 7,906
2004: 7,044
2003: 6,859
2002: 5,053
• Age/Gender of Children Adopted From China in 2006
Source: INS Immigration Statistics
91% Female
44% under 1 year of age
52% 1 – 4 years of age
Estimated Cost: $20,000 to $25,000
Profile of Children: 91% girls; 44% under the age of 1 at the time of
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• http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IBQTable?
_bm=y&-ds_name=EC0761I3&ib_type=NAICS2007&-NAICS2007=611511
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1.
Violation of basic human rights of female children
• Many female babies are abandoned
• Illegal abortion
2. Significant gender imbalance: sex ratio for the marriageable population in the future
3. Violation of basic human rights of women
• Violence against women who conceive a female baby
• Kidnapping of women/ human trafficking
• forced marriage
• prostitution
4. Treatment of male children
• Many boys are spoiled
• Many boys are overweight
5. Influence on American society and families
• Increase in the number of adoption of female babies from China to the U.S.
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