Socialization: The Shaping of Human Behaviour

Unit 2

So what is “Socialization”???

It is the process through which individuals acquire an identity and the skills to survive in society

It is a lifelong and continuously interactive process in which each individual is shaped by their society

And what factors affect that process??

Norms: are the agreed upon expectations and rules that a society uses to guide behaviour

● Create a sense of conformity and control among members of a society

● Informal norms vs. formal norms

Mores: the customs that carry a moral significance that help members differentiate between right and wrong

● Ex: belief that uttering the name of God is wrong

Folkways: the customs that are present in casual, day to day interactions- ranging from dress code to attitudes to social greetings

● Ex: not burping at the dinner table

Achieved status: a social status that a person earned or gained through personal effort. It reflects personal achievement

vs.

Ascribed status: a social status that a person inherits at birth or is assumed later on in life involuntarily. It is neither earned or chosen, but assigned.

Carol Gilligan

Erik Erikson

Jean Piaget

Sigmund Freud

George Herbert Mead

Lawrence Kohlberg

Important Theorists

Create a graphic organizer with each theorist and why they are important. Include their theory, and any key terms

Jean PiagetPiaget (1936) was intrigued with the reasons children gave wrong answers to the

questions on tests that require critical thinking. He believed that these incorrect

answers revealed important differences between the thinking of adults and children.

Piaget was the first to make a systematic study of cognitive development. His

contributions include the theory of child cognitive development- a detailed

observational studies of cognition in children, and a series of simple but ingenious tests

to reveal different cognitive abilities.

Before Piaget’s work, the common assumption in psychology was that children are

merely less competent thinkers than adults. Piaget showed that young children think in

strikingly different ways compared to adults.

Nature vs. nurtureNature: Our temperaments and attitudes which are all set from birth

Nurture: The relationships that surround us and shape us

ex: love, respect, trust and a sense of security

Genetic makeup (nature) vs. Social environment (nurture)

RolesRole: describes a set of expected behaviours and obligations a person has based on their particular place in society

Role strain: occurs when a person has difficulty meeting the responsibilities of a particular role in his/her life

Role conflict: when two roles conflict with one another

Sex vs. Gender“Sex” refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women.

“Gender” refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women

Think of them like this...

"Male" and “Female" are sex categories

“Masculine" and “Feminine" are gender categories.

SexPrimary sex characteristics- physical features directly involved in reproduction, such as the sex organs

Secondary sex characteristics- physical features which appear at puberty that identify a person’s sex

SexSexual orientation- refers to one’s attraction to members of the same sex, other sex, or both sexes

Intersex- refers to someone whose anatomy or genetics at birth do not correspond to the typical expectations for either sex

Transgender- refers to someone who believes their gender and sex are not aligned

GenderGender roles- a set of norms dictating what behaviors are generally considered acceptable or desirable for a person based on their sex

Gender identity- an individual’s personal sense and view of their own gender

Body consciousness- how a person perceives and feels about his or her body

Gender belief system- all of the ideas regarding masculine and feminine attributes that are held to be valid in a society

Gender socialization is the process of learning the social expectations and attitudes associated with

one's sex.

Race and Ethnicity“Ethnicity” refers to shared cultural practices and perspectives that set apart one group of people from another. Ethnicity is a shared cultural heritage

“Race” refers to groups of people who have differences and similarities in biological traits

Think of them like this...

Ethnicity is culturally determined

Race is biologically determined

Degradation ceremonies are rituals that are used to remove an individual’s identity

These ceremonies can be formal, such as a jail sentencing for a crime, or informal, such as an initiation into an institution