SOCIALIZING THE INDIVIDUAL Personality Development
Transcript
Slide 1
SOCIALIZING THE INDIVIDUAL Personality Development
Slide 2
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT What comes to mind when you hear the
word personality? Personality the sum total of behaviors,
attitudes, beliefs, and values that are characteristic of an
individual Our personality determines how we adjust to our
environment and how we react in specific situations No two
individuals have the same personality
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PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT Peoples personalities continue to
develop throughout their lifetime Personality development is more
obvious during childhoodwhy? Rapid physical, emotional, and
intellectual growth During adulthood, personality traits change at
a slower pace Personality development varies from person to
person
Slide 4
NATURE VERSUS NURTURE For many years, sociologists have debated
what determines personality and social behaviorheredity or
environment? Heredity the transmission of genetic characteristics
from parents to children Social Environment contact with other
people This debate is usually referred to as Nature vs. Nurture
Inherited genetic characteristics vs. environment and social
learning
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NATURE VERSUS NURTURE What do you think? Nature Nurture
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NATURE VERSUS NURTURE The nature viewpoint states that behavior
is instinctual in origin Instinct an unchanging, biologically
inherited behavior pattern The nurture viewpoint states that a
persons behavior and personality are the result of their social
environment and learning Pavlovs Dogs Psychologist John B. Watson
believed that he could take a dozen healthy babies and train them
to become anything he wanted
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FACTOR #1 HEREDITY Everyone has certain characteristics that
are present at birth: Body build Hair type Eye color Skin
pigmentation Hereditary characteristics also include certain
aptitudes Aptitude a capacity to learn a particular skill or
acquire a particular body of knowledge Example Natural talent for
music, art, or athletics
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FACTOR #2 BIRTH ORDER Our personalities are influenced by
whether we have brothers, sisters, or neither The order in which we
are born into our families also influence our personalities How
might the order in which you were born impact your
personality?
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BIRTH ORDER Later-born Children: Better social relationships
More affectionate More friendly Risk-takers Firstborn Children:
Achievement-oriented Responsible Conservative Defend the status
quo
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FACTOR #3 PARENTAL CHARACTERISTICS Personality development in
children is also influenced by the characteristics of their parents
The age of parents can impact their childrens development Parents
in their 20s >>>>>>>>>> Parents in
their 40s Other parental characteristics that can influence a
childs personality development Level of education / occupation
Religious orientation Economic status Cultural heritage
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FACTOR #4 CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT The cultural environment can
determine basic types of personalities that will be found in a
society Each culture gives rise to a series of personality traits
that are typical of members of that societymodel personalities
United States = Competitiveness, Assertiveness, and
Individualism
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CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT How we experience our culture also
influences our personality Experiences differ depending on whether
you are male or female Subcultures affect personality: Growing up
in an Italian family Growing up in an Irish family Having a family
with no heritage Different regions of the country Different types
of neighborhoods
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ISOLATION IN CHILDHOOD Several instances exist in which
children have been raised without the influence of a cultural
environment Feral children Wild or untamed children Sometimes found
living with animal Sometimes found isolated in their own homes
Other than appearance, they have few human characteristics: No
ability to control their bodily functions No reasoning ability No
manners
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EXAMPLES OF CHILDHOOD ISOLATION Anna and Isabelle Anna was born
to an unmarried woman (enraged her father) Forced to live in
isolation in the attic She was not spoken to, held, bathed, or
loved Discovered by a social worker at the age of 6 She could not
walk, talk, or feed herself Over time she learned simple tasks Anna
died at the age of 10
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EXAMPLES OF CHILDHOOD ISOLATION Isabelles grandfather kept her
and her deaf mother confined to a dark room Isabelle did have the
advantage of her mothers company Mom and daughter only communicated
through gestures Isabelle was found at the age of 6 Crawled on her
hands and knees Made grunting, animal like sounds Ate with her
hands
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ISABELLES STORYCONTINUED Isabelle was originally thought to be
incapable of speech Began speaking after several months of
intensive training After two years, she reached a level of social
and mental development consistent with her age group Experts
believed Isabelles constant contact with her mother allowed her to
overcome her early social deprivation
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ISOLATION IN CHILDHOODGENIE Genie was discovered in 1970 at the
age of 13 Confined to a small bedroom from the age of 20 months
Spent her days tied to a potty-chair She was beaten if she made
noise When Genies father interacted with her, he would behave like
an angry dog (barking, growling, baring his teeth) When Genie was
found she had the social and psychological skills of a one-year-old
Genie did learn basic social norms Never able to function as a
social being
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INSTITUTIONALIZATION Sociologists have studied the human
development of children living in institutions Institutions include
hospitals and orphanages These children show some of the same
characteristics as isolated children Children received food and
shelter but little or no contact These cases show the importance of
human interaction for social and psychological development
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THE SOCIAL SELF At birthbabies cannot talk, walk, feed
themselves, or protect themselves People are transformed into
participating members of society through: Interactions with their
social environment Interactions with their cultural environment
Socialization Interactive process through which people learn the
skills, values, beliefs, and behavior patterns of a society
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THE SOCIAL SELF Many theories exist to explain how people
become socialized and develop a sense of self Self Conscious
awareness of possessing a distinct identity that separates your and
your environment from other members of society We will look at
three theories of socialization: John Locke Charles Horton Cooley
George Herbert Mead
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LOCKE: THE TABULA RASA English philosopher from the 1600s
Thought that each newborn was a tabula rasaor clean slate Locke
felt we were born without personalities We acquire our
personalities from social experiences Believed he could shape a
newborns personality (Watson) Most sociologists believe
socialization is a process Through socialization, we develop a
sense of society
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COOLEY: THE LOOKING-GLASS SELF Looking glass self The
interactive process by which we develop an image of ourselves based
on how we imagine we appear to others Other people act as a mirror,
reflecting back the image we project through their reactions to our
behavior The looking glass self is a three-step process: First, we
imagine how others see us Second, we imagine how others are judging
us Finally, we use perceptions of how others judge us to develop
feelings about ourselves
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COOLEY: THE LOOKING GLASS SELF The process of identity
development begins very early in childhood Newborn babies have no
sense of person or place Members of the childs primary group
interact with the infant They provide the child with a mirror that
reflects his or her imagethey talk to the child, they reward or
punish behavior This theory puts a lot of responsibility on
parents: Parents who think little of a childs ability = inferiority
in the child Parents who treat their child as capable and competent
= capable and competent children
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MEAD: ROLE TAKING Seeing ourselves as others see us is only the
beginning Mead visualized role taking as a three step process:
Imitation, play, and games Children under three lack a sense of
selftherefore, they can only imitate the actions of others At
around three, children begin to play and act out roles This is the
first time children see the world through someone elses eyes
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ROLE TAKING CONTINUED By the time children reach school age,
they play organized games Organized games require children to take
on roles The game stage of role-taking most closely resembles real
life Through role-taking, an individual develops a sense of self I
= The unsocialized, spontaneous, self-interested component of
personality and self-identity Me = The part of ourselves that is
aware of the expectations and attitudes of society
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ROLE TAKING CONTINUED In childhood, the I component is stronger
than the me component Through socialization, me acts together with
I This socialization brings a persons actions in line with the
expectations of society Me never dominates I A well-rounded member
of society is a person with both aspects of self
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AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION Agents of socialization Specific
individuals, groups, and institutions that enable socialization to
take place Agents of socialization: Family Peer Group School
Media
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FAMILY Most important agent of socialization Children learn the
values, norms, and beliefs of society through their families
Socialization in a family can be both deliberate and unintended
Deliberate = Importance of telling the truth, How to save money
Unintended = Important to be politeparents not always polite
Socialization process differs from family to family
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PEER GROUP As children get older, they relate more and more to
peer groups Peer group A primary group composed of individuals or
roughly equal age and similar social characteristics Extremely
influential during pre-teen and teenage years Parents become
worried that the norms and values of the peer group are more
important than those of the family or society
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SCHOOL School occupies large amounts of time and attention The
majority of socialization in school is deliberate Schools transmit
cultural values, patriotism, and responsibility Unintentional
socialization can occur
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MASS MEDIA Mass media involves no face-to-face interaction Mass
media Instruments of communication that reach larger audiences with
no personal contact between those sending and receiving the
information Mass media includes books, television, movies, and the
Internet Which form of mass media do you feel has the most
influence? Television probably has the most influence (98% of
homes)
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NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF MEDIA What are some negative socialization
effects of mass media? Research indicates: By the age of 18, most
children have witnessed 200,000 fictional act of violence This
includes 16,000 murders Can fictional violence create aggressive
individuals? Media can include positive socialization: Introduces
viewers to new subjects and places Informs the viewers
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RESOCIALIZATION Total Institution A setting in which people are
isolated from the rest of society for a set period of time and are
subject to tight control Examples of total institutions: Prisons
Military Boot Camp Monasteries Psychiatric Hospitals
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RESOCIALIZATION Total institutions are concerned with
resocializing their members Resocialization A break with past
experiences and the learning of new values and norms Most total
institutions are concerned with changing an individual's
personality and behavior People in total institutions are denied
freedoms enjoyed by the outside world