HSB4UI – Challenge and Change in Society

Unit III – Social TheoryAgents of Socialization

Socialization - Review

• From Unit I:• What is Socialization?• Learning values, norms, customs and culture of

a society• Primary vs. Secondary Socialization• Primary = Family

• Basic behaviors needed to interact with other humans

• Secondary = Everything Else• Specific behaviors needed to interact

amongst humans in specific group settings / situations (IE School, Church, Work etc.

Agents of Socialization

• Human societies need to replace members who can function within and integrate successfully into those societies• Culture: defined as all the information that is

passed onto new humans from their parents• Information = Customs, language, gesturing,

norms, values, etc.• Since culture is not genetically transmitted, these

new members must be taught how to live and act within their society

Agents of Socialization

• This process is known generically as “socialization”• Ongoing process that begins at birth and carries

on till death

• Agent of Socialization – General Points:

• People, groups and organizations that influence the process of integrating into the society in which we live

• Influences our sense of self-concept, emotions and attitudes

• Teaches morals, values, norms which are important to a society

• Organization that is recognized and exists to prepare people for the role they will play in society

• Agent of Socialization – General Points:

• Lastly, exist to keep people in a state of conformity:• They are controlled and help control other

new members of society

THE FAMILY

• First human group that affects an individual is usually their family

• Unlike animals, humans cannot survive on their own after they are born

THE FAMILY

• Family gives humans a basic sense of self, values, beliefs, and directs motivations• This also includes how much value we place on

ourselves / sense of self concept

THE FAMILY

• Family is where humans first learn to compare themselves to other humans• “adjective comparisons” • Smarter, Stronger, Better Looking etc.

• We also learn our first Dominance Hierarchy in the family:• Parents, Older Siblings etc.• Children begin to understand that the family is a

“structure” and try to figure where they fit in• Generally the most powerful Agent of Socialization

in peoples’ lives is their family

RELIGION

• Religion has traditionally been an important element of socialization in societies

• Typically influences peoples’ ideas of right and wrong (morals and ethics)

• Reinforces values such as conformity, tradition, and adherence to ceremony

• Also shapes peoples’ belief about the “afterlife”• This frequently serves as a way to further keep

people in a state of conformity

SCHOOL AND EDUCATION

• Schools have two purposes in society:

• MANIFEST FUNCTION

• The stated, intended purpose of an action• On the surface, schools serve to educate people• Teach technical skills such as literacy, math,

critical thinking and knowledge

SCHOOL AND EDUCATION

BUT

Schools have a second, more sinister purpose…

SCHOOL AND EDUCATION

• LATENT FUNCTION:

• The secondary, hidden or often unintended consequences of an action

• Schools exist for other purposes other than education• Children are supervised by adults (teachers)

• Teachers are a “bridge” between parents and other adults in society

• Teachers do not love children unconditionally like their parents do

• However, they are not impersonable employers either

SCHOOL AND EDUCATION

• Universality:• The same rules that apply in the home apply at

school• Apply to everyone regardless of who they or

their parents are (Rule of Law)

• Evaluative:• Children begin to recognize that their behavior is

being evaluated and written into permanent records

SCHOOL AND EDUCATION

• THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM• Refers to the values and norms that society

considers important that get taught in schools• IE Blending of questions in different subjects

relating to:• Tolerance• Fairness• Democracy• Honesty• Equality• Capitalism

PEER GROUP

- When children enter school for the first time they are introduced to peers their own age

- PEER GROUP:- Individuals of roughly the same age who are

linked by a common interest- IE Friends, Clubs, Gangs, Teams, Co-Workers etc.

- Peer Group frequently overthrows the family as the primary agent of socialization

- Reinforces children’s conception of GENDER SOCIALIZATION- Expectations of our gender roles are highly

defined by the peer group

PEER GROUP

- What are considered to be “good” traits for boys?- Athletics, Competition, “Coolness,”

Agressiveness, Lack of Emotions- Girls?

- Maturity, Clothing and Appearance, “Sexiness,” “Drama,” Academics (?)

PEER GROUP

- Peer groups are the most compelling agent of Soc.- Conform or be rejected- Most peer groups are not compulsory- Desire to fit in- Provide opportunities / excuses for other

activities:- “Going to the mall” “parties” etc.

- Peer groups set standards for music, clothing, attitudes and lifestyle choices

THE WORKPLACE

- Comes into play later in life- Range = Part-Time jobs to Lifelong Careers

- Consider: What skills have you learned from your current jobs?

- Career Socialization involves four stages:- Career Choice: Selection of career based on

many needs and desires of the individual- Anticipatory Socialization: Preparing to take on

the role you will play for that career (school, volunteer etc.)

THE WORKPLACE

- Conditioning and Commitment: Learning the positives and the negatives of a career but accepting them as part of the job (stay or run)

- Continuing Commitment: People tend to stick with a career in spite of the alternatives that might arise

- Master Role- Term meaning a role that a person considers

themselves before all others- As people get further in a career, that job

becomes their master role:- Teacher, Doctor Lawyer

THE WORKPLACE

- Note that some roles carry certain norms and expectations with them:- Police and speeding, illegal downloading etc.

THE MEDIA

- The media is the newest Agent of Socialization in most societies

- Traditionally television has been the principal medium used by the media to socialize people

- Media can create perceptions of society which frequently are not accurate:

THE MEDIA

THE MEDIA

- Strongly reinforces gender socialization:- What we believe to be male or

female comes from media stereotypes

- What does the media tell us about our gender roles?

THE MEDIA

John Bobbit Lorena Bobbitt

THE MEDIA – Representations in Video Games / Electronic Media

THE MEDIA – Representations:

THE MEDIA - Representations

THE MEDIA - Representations

THE MEDIA - Representations

THE MEDIA - Representations

(Image in 1993) (Image in 2013)

THE MEDIA

Female representation in video games

THE MEDIA

- Violence in the Media:- Major influence on our perception of violence:

- Does exposure cause the behavior?- Desensitization

THE MEDIA

- Consider: Entertainment becoming based on increasing levels of “shades of grey”

- Questionable morals, ethics and characters the new norm for modern television

THE MEDIA

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3hecGO_04