Socialization: From Infancy to

Old Age
Socialization
The lifelong process of social interaction
through which individuals acquire a self
identity and the physical, mental, and social
skills needed for survival in society.

The social experience by which people learn

culture

Socialization is the essential link between the

individual and society.
Why Socialization Is Important
Teaches us ways to think, talk and act that
are necessary for social living.

Ensures that members of society are

socialized to support the existing social
structure.

Allows society to pass culture on to the next

generation.
Human Development

Each of us is a product of two forces:

1. Heredity- nature
Determines our physical makeup.

2. Social environment -nurture.

Determines how we develop and
behave.
The Biological Sciences: The
Role of Nature
Charles Darwin
Human behavior was instinctive our
nature

U.S. economic system reflects instinctive

human competitiveness

People are born criminals

Women are naturally emotional and

men are naturally more rational
 The Social Sciences: The
Role of Nurture
John B. Watson (1878-1958)
Behaviorism
Held that behavior is not instinctive but
learned
People are equally human, just culturally
different
Human behavior is rooted in nurture not
nature
Social Isolation
Ethically, researchers cannot place humans
in total isolation to study what happens
Harry & Margaret Harlow (1962)
Studied rhesus monkeys
Found that complete isolation for even six
months seriously disturbed development
Unable to interact with others in a group
Confirmed the importance of adults in
cradling infants
Isolation caused irreversible emotional and
behavioral damage
Studies of Isolated Children
Anna
Social isolation caused permanent
damage
At age 8, mental development was less
than a 2-year-old
Began to use words at age 10
Because mother was mentally retarded,
perhaps Anna was similarly challenged
 California Case
Childhood isolation resulting from parental
abuse
At age 13, mental development of a 1-year-
old
Became physically healthy with intensive
treatment
Language ability remained that of a young
child
CRITICAL REVIEW

Evidence points to the crucial role of social

experience in forming personality
Humans can sometimes recover from abuse
and short-term isolation
There is a point at which isolation in infancy
causes permanent developmental damage
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Human development occurs in three states

that reflect different levels of personality:

Id: Present at birth; Pleasure principle

Ego: Develops over the first few years;

Reality principle

Superego: Develops in a preschool child;

Morality principle
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Personality Development
To the id, the world is a jumble of physical
sensations that bring pleasure or pain
As the superego develops, moral concepts
of right and wrong are learned
Id and superego remain in conflict
Managed by the ego in a well-adjusted
person
Freuds Theory of Personality
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget used five key concepts to explain

how cognitive development occurs:
Schema
Assimilation
Accommodation
Equilibrium
Equilibration
Piagets Stages of Cognitive
Development

1. Sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2) -

children understand the world through
sensory contact and immediate action.

2. Preoperational stage (age 2 to 7) - children

begin to use words as symbols and form
mental images.
Piagets Stages of Cognitive
Development

3. Concrete operational stage (7 to 11) -

children think in terms of tangible objects
and events.

4. Formal operational stage (12 and up) -

adolescents begin to think about the future
and evaluate different courses of action.
Conservation and Reversibility
Problems
Conservation and Reversibility
Problems
Lawrence Kohlbergs Stages of Moral
Reasoning

1. Preconventional level (7 to 10)

Childrens perceptions are based on
punishment and obedience.

2. Conventional level (10 to adult)

People are concerned with how they are
perceived by peers and how one conforms
to rules.
Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Reasoning

3. Postconventional level (few adults reach this

stage)
People view morality in terms of individual
rights; moral conduct is judged by
principles based on human rights that
transcend government and laws.
Carol Gilligans Stages of Female
Moral Development
Stage 1: A woman is motivated primarily by
selfish concerns.

Stage 2: She recognizes her responsibility to

others.

Stage 3: She makes a decision based on a

desire to do the greatest good for self and for
others.
The Looking-Glass Self

1. We imagine how we look to others.

2. We imagine how other people judge the

appearance that we think we present.

3. If we think the evaluation

is favorable our self-concept is enhanced.
If we think the evaluation is unfavorable,
our self-concept is diminished.
Mead and Role-taking

The self is divided into I and Me:

I represents the unique traits of each person.

Me is composed of the demands of others and the

awareness of those demands.

I develops first. Me is formed during first three

stages of self development.
Meads Three Stages of
Self-Development

1. Preparatory Stage (up to age 3)

Children prepare for role-taking by imitating
the people around them.

2. Play Stage (3 - 5)
Children begin to see themselves in relation
to others.
Meads Play Stage
Meads Three Stages of
Self-Development

3. Game Stage (early school years)

Children understand their social position and
the positions of those around them.
Children become concerned about the
demands and expectations of others.

4. Generalized Other (Later school years) The

concept of socially acceptable behavior is
internalized.
Erik H. Eriksons Eight Stages
of Development
Stage 1
The challenge of trust versus mistrust
Birth to about 18 months
Gain a sense of trust that the world is
safe
 Stage 2
Toddlerhood The challenge of
autonomy (versus doubt and shame)
Up to age 3
Failure to gain self control leads to
doubt in abilities
Stage 3
Preschool The challenge of initiative
(versus guilt)
Four- and 5-year-olds
Learn to engage their surroundings or
experience guilt at having failed to
meet expectations
 Stage 4
Preadolescence The challenge of
industriousness (versus inferiority)
Between ages 6 and 13
Feel proud of accomplishments or fear
they do not measure up
Stage 5
Adolescence The challenge of gaining
identity (versus confusion)
Teen years
Struggle to establish identity
Almost all teens suffer confusion in
establishing identity
 Stage 6
Young adulthood The challenge of intimacy
(versus isolation)
Challenge of forming and keeping intimate
relationships
Balancing the need to bond with the need to have
a separate identity
Stage 7
Middle adulthood The challenge of
making a difference (versus self-
absorption)
Challenge of middle age is to contribute to the lives
of others
Failing leads to self-centeredness or becoming
caught up in own limited concerns
 Stage 8
Old age The challenge of integrity
(versus despair)
Near the end of life, people hope to look
back on accomplishments with a sense
of integrity
For the self-absorbed, old age brings a
sense of despair over missed
opportunities
Agents of Socialization

Family

School

Peer group

Mass Media
Functionalist Perspective:
Functions of Schools
Teach students to be productive members of
society.

Transmit culture.

Social control and personal development.

Select, train, and place individuals on different

rungs in society.
Conflict Perspective: Schools

Experiences depend on social class, racial

ethnic background, gender, and other factors.

Children learn to be neat, punctual, quiet, wait

their turn, and remain attentive to their work.

Schools socialize children for later roles in the

work force.
Media As Socializing Agents

1. Inform us about events.

2. Introduce us to a variety of people.
3. Provide an array of viewpoints on current
issues.
4. Make us aware of products that will
supposedly help us.
5. Entertain us.