Socialization
L E A R N I N G O F VA L U E S , B E L I E F S , A N D N O R M S O F O U R
S O C I E T Y. T H E P H Y S I C A L , M E N TA L A N D S O C I A L S K I L L S
WE NEED TO FUNCTION IN SOCIETY
How You Became You
 Heredity ? Family ? School ?Peers ? Culture ?
Functionalist Perspective
• Stresses how socialization contributes to a
stable society (Sharing common values)
Conflict Perspective of Socialization
A way for powerful to keep things the
same
Symbolic Interactionism Theory of
Socialization
• Socialization is the major dterminant of
human nature
• Challenged the old theories of bevavior is
biological
Self Concept
• Image of your as having an identity separate
from other people
• Children interpret how others react to their
behavior
How do we react ?
Looking Glass self
• 1)We imagine how we appear to others
• 2)We imagine the reaction of others to our
(imagined) appearance
• 3)we evaluate ourselves according to how we
imagine others have judged us
Looking Glass Self We see ourselves
many different ways
Looking Glass Sometimes we look
better than we think
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEIXDsqk
Ovk&feature=BFa&list=PL738F86179DBE69FB
&lf=results_main
Significant Others
• Mom , Dad, Family members, playmates
George Mead
• Preparatory Stage
– Imitation
George Mead
• Play Stage
– Children engage in
taking on roles
– They no longer imitate,
but pretend
George Mead
• Game Stage
– Children learn to respond
to other people’s roles
What is the Self
• Me –Created
• I-Spontaneous,
through Socialization
Unpredictable ,
often creative
• Reflects on
consequences of
• I want that candy
taking candy
Can you think of other I – Me examples ?
Birth Order
Effects
What is birth order??
• Alfred Adler was one of
the first 1st theorist to
suggest that birth order
influences personality
• It is the chronological
order of the sibling births
in a family.
• First born, middle child or
children, last born, and
only children.
Research shows that a person’s birth order
has a direct link with his or her personality
How??
Interactions with parents and siblings
associated with being in a particular
position in the family.
First Born Children
(Presidents)
• These children are the
one with the most
attention directed at
him/her.
• Partly the reason the
child has the
characteristics they do.
• 2 types of typical first
born children; compliant
and aggressive.
Traits of First Born
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Compliant
Aggressive
People Pleaser
Crave approval
Nurturers
Caregivers
Reliable
Conscientious
Cooperative
Team players
“Grin and Bear it”
mentality
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Movers and pleasers
Natural leaders
Perfectionist
Driven
Conventional
Always have things under
control
• Assertive
• Want things their way
Both compliant and aggressive may seem very
different but share quite a few characteristics.
Common Traits
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Energetic
Logical
Ambitious
Enterprising
Scholarly
Strengths of 1st born
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Greater level of confidence
Helpful
More adult oriented
Excel in academics
Taken seriously
Patient
Organized
Strong powers of concentration
Confident to dream and plan
Feel supported
Choose careers that require a high
degree of precision; law, medicine,
computer programming, or architecture
No gray area in work field
Often boss or owner of company
Weaknesses of 1st born
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Have an innate fear of being de-throned
Perfectionists
Overachievers
More guilt and anxiety
Difficulty coping with stressful situations
Higher admissions to child guidance clinics
Feel as though they are never good enough
Tend to be selfish with possessions and attention
Do not like to be told what to do
Have a hard time with creative projects
Do not work well with little direction
Do not gravitate towards jobs such as; sales, advertising,
art, or music because no structure or stability in those jobs
Fun Facts about 1st born
• More than ½ of the US Presidents were first
born children
• 21 of the 23 first astronauts were first born
children
• Famous 1st born children; Walter Conkrite,
Dan Rather, Oprah Winfrey
• 2/3 of entrepreneurs are first born
Middle Children
(Black Sheep)
• Most difficult to both read and
raise
• “Mysterious Middle Child”
• Two main types of middle
children
• Not clearly defined as the two
types of first born
• Difficult to pin down
• Tend to be opposite of their
older sibling
• Children with the most friends
• Gets along best with others
Middle Children
1st type
2nd type
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Loner
Quiet shy
Impatient
Uptight
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Outgoing
Friendly
Loud
Laid back
Patient
Common Characteristic with
Middle Born
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Flexible
Diplomatic
Rebellious
Attention seeking
Competitive
peacemakers
Strengths of Middle born
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Peacemakers
Mediators
Able to keep secrets
No spoiled
Take risks
Realistic
Get along well with others
Read people well
Independent
Loyal to supporters
• Imaginative
• Choose careers that allow
them to be creative; arts,
sales, advertising, or a
career that requires
negotiating
• Well suited for management
• Levelheaded
• Able to be unbiased
• competitive
Weaknesses of Middle born
• Does not do well with
hierarchy system
• Doesn’t like strict rules
• Prefer to work at their
own pace
• Therefore may not
complete tasks on time
• Does not work well with
detail
• Does not work well with
cut and dry material
• Prefers to make things
more creative than
needed
• Hates confrontation
• Stubborn
• Cynical
• Suspicious
• Rebellious
Fun Facts of Middle born
• Famous middle born
children; Donald
Trump, Ted
Kennedy, Tim Allen,
Julia Roberts, and
Rosie O’Donnell
• Love to stand out
• Want to “do their
own thing”
Last Born children
(clowns)
• Quite often the life
of the party
• Easiest to define
when it comes to
the correlation
between birth order
and personality
• Only one main type
of last born
Last Born Traits
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Risk takers
Idealists
Good sense of humor
Hard working
Immature
Attention seeking
Secretive
Sensitive
• Known as the “baby”
• Live up to that role
• Difficult for child to find
his or her place in the
family
• 1st and middle child
have already left huge
footprints to follow in
Strengths of last born
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Outgoing
Sociable
Affectionate
Caring
Creative
Empathetic
Confident
• Careers in sales
• Invention corporations
• Good ability to sell
things, including
themselves
• Work well alone
• Want to be the boss
• Do their own thing in
their own space
Weaknesses of last born
• Do not like to be tied
down to a
commitment
• “cut throat”
• Try too hard at times
• Alternative routes in
life may make them
odd man out
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Spoiled
Manipulative
Immature
Self-centered
Capricious
Fun Facts of Last born
• Famous last born
children; Howard Stern,
Jay Leno, Ralph Nadar,
Bill Gates, and Danny
DeVito
• Tend to go against the
norm
• Make the biggest stirs
in life
• Know no boundaries
Only Children
st
(greater 1 born)
• Special type of birth order
• Capable of being any of the
three “main”types of birth
order
• Most of these only children
do posses characteristics
commonly associated with
the aggressive first born
• “First Born in Triplicate”
• Extreme versions of first
born children
• Extremist in all aspects of
life
Only child Traits
• Mature faster
• Get along well with
older people
• Responsible
• Self-Centered
• Perfectionists
• Attentions seekers
• Use adult language
• Prefer adult
company
• Have difficulty
sharing
Strengths of only children
• Trust their own
opinion
• Prompt
• Ambitious
• Enterprising
• Energetic
• Set goals
• Good problem
solvers
• Careers similar to
those of the 1st born;
law, medicine, and
architecture
• Like black and white
concepts
• Often prefer to work
alone or be the boss
• Successful
Weaknesses of Only Children
• Do not like to be told what
to do
• Often stray from team
work situations
• Take too much
responsibility
• May no respond well to
criticisms
• Self-Centered
• Fearful of trying new
things
• Criticize themselves
and others
• Worry too much
• Feel they are always
right
• Inflexible
• Too busy to see the
big picture
Fun Facts of Only Children
• Famous only children;
Nancy Reagan,
Chelsea Clinton, Carol
Burnett, and Ted
Koppel
Variables
• Parents; marital status, parenting style, critical eye
of parent, parents birth order
• Gender, does not occur every instance but if there
is a male or female born first and the child
immediately proceeding is the opposite sex, the
birth order could repeat.
• Separate families; more than a five year gap in age
of children, or starting a new family.
• Adoption or Remarriage
• Death of parent or sibling
Variable (continued)
• Birth order effect might be
a strong predictor of
behavior.
• However an increasing
number of family
researchers believe that
when all of the factors that
influence behavior are
considered birth order
itself shoes limited ability
to predict behavior.