THE INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITY SOCIAL ROLES

SOCIAL STRUCTUREMcDONALDIZATION OF SOCIETYSOCIAL NATURE OF EDUCATION

Mrs. Eleanor F. Moreno

OBJECTIVES:

1. Define personality2. Identify the nature and theories of personality3. Understand the sociological theories of human development4. Define social roles and understand the different concepts related to social roles5.Give the sociological significance of social roles

6. Define social structure7. Discuss McDonaldization of society8. Discuss the sociological perspectives on education9. Discuss the manifest and latent functions of education10. Discuss the conflict perspectives on education11. Problems in education

Personality - some theorists prefer to view personality as a unified whole

- others focus on specific traits

Definition - “Those inner psychological characteristics that both

determine and reflect how a person responds to his or her environment.”

Nature of Personality

1. Personality reflects individual differences

2. Personality is consistent and enduring3. Personality can change

Theories of Personality

A. Freudian TheoryB. Neo – Freudian TheoryC. Trait Theory

A. Freudian TheoryPersonality is consists of three interacting systems:a. Id - related to physiological or impulsive

needs to which one seeks immediate satisfaction

b. Ego - individual’s conscious controlc. Super Ego - individuals internal

expression of moral/ethical codes of conduct ; or commonly called the conscience

Freudian Theory Built on the premise that unconscious

needs or drives, especially sexual and other biological drives are at the heart of human motivation – ulterior motives.

Although Ego is capable of resolving many of the conflicts that arise between the personality components; there are certain occasions when no solutions could be achieved, leading to tensions within

Defense Mechanisms

a. Repression - resolving conflict by minimizing aspects of the conflicting situation

b. Projection - feelings generated by individual’s id or super ego isascribed to another person orgroup

c. Identification - the individual unconsciously imitates the behavior of another person whohas successfully handled a similarconflict

d. Reaction Formation - unconscious feelings held toward others areconsciously expressed as opposites

B. Neo – Freudian TheorySocial relationships are fundamental to formation of personality (Freud – impulsive and sexual in nature) Three Personality Groups1. Compliant individuals2. Aggressive individuals3. Detached individuals

C. Trait Theory Departure from qualitative measures that

typify the earlier theories. Quantitative or empirical in approach Measurement of personality in terms of

specific psychological characteristics called “traits”

Checks personality traits related to how consumer makes his choices

The trait theory is based on three assumptions:1. Individuals possess relatively stable

behavioral tendencies.2. Different people differ in the degree to

which they possess these tendencies.3. When identified and measured, these

relative differences between individuals are useful in characterizing their personalities.

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

According to a sociological perspective, we cannot form a sense of self or personal identity without intense social contact with others.

The self represents the sum total of perceptions and feelings that an individual has of being a distinct, unique person – a sense of who and what one is.

Self-concept - the totality of our beliefs and feelings about ourselves

Four Components of Self-Concept1. The physical self (“I am tall.”)2. The active self (“I am good at badminton.”)3. The social self (“I am nice to others.”)4. The psychological self (“I believe in world

peace.

Self-identity

our perception about what kind of person we are

we gain information about the self largely through language, symbols, and interaction with others

A. Cooley and the Looking-Glass Self

Looking-glass self is a self-concept derived from a three-step process:

1. We imagine how our personality and appearance will look to other people.2. We imagine how other people judge the appearance and personality that we think we represent.3. We develop a self-concept.

B. Mead and Role-Taking

Role-taking - the process by which a person mentally assumes the role of another person or group in order to understand the world from that person’s or group’s point of view Often occurs through play and games, as

children try out different roles (such as being mommy, daddy, doctor, or teacher) and gain an appreciation to them

Steps:

a. Role-taking - people come to take the role of the other

b. Role-making - the person begins to construct his/her own roles and to anticipate other individual’s responsesc. Role-playing - the person plays at her/his particular role

Significant Others

are those persons whose care, affection, and approval are essentially desired and who are most important in the development

Mead divided the self into the “I” and the “me”

a. “I” - subjective element of the self and represents the spontaneous and unique traits of each person

b. “me” - objective of the self, which is composed of the internalized attitudes and demands of other members of society and the individual’s awareness of those demands

Three Stages of Self-Development:

1. Preparatory Stage - up to about age three, interactions lack meaning, and children largely imitate the people around them - At this stage, children are preparing for role-taking

2. Play Stage - from about age three to five, children learn to use language and other symbols, thus enabling them to pretend to take the roles of specific people

- At this stage, they begin to see themselves in relation to others, but they do not see role-taking as something they have to do

3. Game Stage - begins in the early schools years, children understand not only their own social position but also the positions of others around them

In contrast to play, games are structured by rules, are often competitive, and involve a number of other players

At this time, children become concerned about the demands and expectations of others and of the larger society

Generalized Others

refers to the child’s awareness of the demands and expectations of the society as a whole or of the child’s subculture

SOCIAL ROLES

A role is a dynamic aspect of a status. Whereas we occupy a status, we play a

role.

Role - set of behavioral expectations associated with a given statusRole expectation - a group’s or society’s definition of the way a specific role ought to be played- Typically based on a range of acceptable behavior rather than on strictly defined standards

Role ambiguity - occurs when the expectations associated with a role are unclear

Role performance - how a person actually plays the role

Role strain - occurs when incompatible demands are built into a single status that a person occupies (Goode, 1960)

Role conflict - occurs when incompatible role demands are placed on a person by two or more statuses held at the same time May occur as a result of changing statuses

and roles in society

People use distancing techniques when they do not want others to take them as the “self” implied in a particular role, especially if they think the role is “beneath them”

Role distancing - occurs when people consciously foster the impression of a lack of commitment or attachment to a particular role and merely go through the motions of role performance (Goffman, 1961b)

Role exit - occurs when people disengage from social roles that have been central to their self-identity (Ebaugh, 1988)

Four Stages of Role Exit

1. Doubt - people experience frustration or burnout when they reflect on their existing roles2. Search for alternatives - people may take a leave of absence from their work or temporarily separate from their marriage partner3. Turning point - people realize that they must take some final action, such as quitting their job or getting a divorce4. Creation of a new identity

THE SOCIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF ROLES

The sociological significance of roles is that they lay out what is expected of people. They are like a fence. They allow us a certain amount of freedom, but for most of us, that freedom doesn’t go very far. Almost all of us stay within the fences that mark out what is “appropriate” for our roles. Most of us are little troubled by such constraints for our socialization is so thorough that we usually want to do what our roles indicate is appropriate.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

The framework that surrounds us, consisting of the relationships of people and groups to one another, which give direction to and set limits of behavior

Tends to override personal feelings and desires Gives us the ability to interpret the social

situations we encounter Creates boundaries that define which persons or

groups will be the “insiders” and which will be the “outsiders”

Crucially affects who we are and what we are like

THE McDONALDIZATION OF SOCIETY

The process by which ordinary aspects of life become rationalized and efficiency

comes to rule them, including such things as food preparation.

As sociologist George Ritzer (1993, 1998, 2001) say, our everyday lives are being “McDonaldized”; which means that the standardization of everyday life - does not refer just to the robot-like assembly of food. As Ritzer points out, this process is occurring throughout society and it is transforming our lives.

Efficiency brings dependability and efficiency also lowers prices. But efficiency does come at a cost. Predictability washes away spontaneity, changing the quality of our lives. It produces a sameness; a bland version of what used to be unique.

SOCIAL NATURE OF EDUCATION

Education - social institution responsible for the systematic transmission of knowledge, skills, and cultural values within a formally organized structure

Functionalist Perspectives of Education

a. View education as one of the most important components of societyb. According to Durkheim, education is the “influences exercised by adult generations on those that are not yet ready for social life”.c. Durkheim asserted that moral values are the foundation of a cohesive social order and that schools have the responsibility of teaching a commitment to the common morality.d. Etzioni suggests that “shared” values should be transmitted by schools from kindergarten through college.

Manifest Functions of Education

Some functions of education are manifest functions, previously defined as the open, stated and intended goals or consequences of activities within an organization or institution. Examples of manifest functions in education include teaching specific subjects such as science, mathematics, reading, history and English.

Five Major Manifest Functions in Society:

1. Socialization - from Kindergarten through college, schools teach students the student role, specific academic subjects, and political socialization. In primary and secondary schools, students are taught specific subject matter appropriate to their age, skill level, and previous educational experience. At the college level, students focus on more detailed knowledge of subjects they previously have studied while also being exposed to new areas of study and research.

2. Transmission of culture - schools transmit cultural norms and values to each new generation and play an active part in the process of assimilation, whereby recent immigrants learn dominant cultural values, attitudes, and behavior so that they can be productive members of the society.

3. Social control - Schools are responsible for teaching values such as discipline, respect, obedience, punctuality, and perseverance. Schools teach conformity by encouraging young people to be good students, conscientious future workers, and law abiding citizens.

4. Social placement - Schools are responsible for identifying the most qualified people to fill available positions in society. As a result, students are channeled into programs based on individual ability and academic achievement. Graduates receive the appropriate credentials for entry into the paid labor force.

5. Change and innovation - Schools are a source of change and innovation. As student populations change over time, new programs are introduced to meet societal needs; for example, sex education, drug addiction, and multicultural studies have been implemented in some schools to help students learn about pressing social issues. Innovation in the form of new knowledge is required of colleges and universities. Faculty members are encouraged, and sometimes required, to engage in research and share the results with students, colleagues and others.

Latent Functions of Education

In addition to manifest functions, all social institutions, including education have some latent functions; which are hidden, unstated, and sometimes unintended consequences of activities within an organization or institution.

1. Restricting some activities

Early in the twentieth century, all states passed mandatory education laws that require children to attend school until they reach a specified age or until they complete a minimum level of formal education. Out of these laws, students were kept off the streets and out of the fulltime job market for a number of years, thus helping keep unemployment within reasonable bounds. (Braverman, 1974).

2. Matchmaking and production of social network

Because schools bring together people of similar ages, social class, and race/ethnicity, young people often meet future marriage partners and develop social networks that may last for years.

3. Creating a generation gap

Students may learn information in school that contradicts beliefs held by their parents or their religion. When education conflicts with parental attitudes and beliefs, a generation gap is created if students embrace the newly acquired perspective.

Conflict Perspectives on Education

In contrast with the functionalist perspective, conflict theorists argue that all schools often perpetuate class, racial – ethnic, and gender inequalities as some groups seek to maintain their privileged position at the expense of others (Ballantine, 2001).

a. Cultural Capital and Class Reproduction

social assets that include values, beliefs, attitudes, and competencies in language and culture (Bourdieu and Passeron, 1990)

Cultural capital involves “proper” attitudes toward education, socially approved dress and manners, and knowledge about books, art, music, and other forms of high and popular culture

b. Tracking and Social Inequality

refers to the practice of assigning students to specific curriculum groups and courses on the basis of their test scores, previous grades or other criteria

Conflict theorists believe that tracking seriously affects many students’ educational performance and their overall academic accomplishments.

c. The Hidden Curriculum

According to conflict theorists, hidden curriculum is the transmission of cultural values and attitudes, such as conformity and obedience to authority, through implied demands found in the rules, routines, and regulations of schools

PROBLEMS IN EDUCATION1. Unequal funding of public schools2. School violence3. Dropping out4. Racial segregation and resegregation5. Class, race, and social reproduction in Higher Education

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