CHAPTER 4 Socialization

1 Whether at the micro, meso, or macro level, our close family and friends plus various organizations help us learn how to be human and humane in our society. Skills are taught, as are values such as loyalty and Human and Humane4 CHAPTERC opyright 2012 by SAGE Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Organizationsand CommunityMicro: Family, networks of friends, and local clubs as socializing agentsNational Organizations,Institutions, and Ethnic Subcultures Meso: Political parties andreligious denominations transmit valuesMacro: Socialization for national loyalty and patriotismMacro: Socialization for tolerance and respect across bordersGlobal CommunitySocietyMe (and MySignificantOthers)Copyright 2012 by SAGE Publications, Inc.

2 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Structure, Processes, and ControlRam, a first grader from India, had been attending school in Iowa for only a couple of weeks. The teacher was giving the first test. Ram did not know much about what a test meant, but he rather liked school, and the red-haired girl next to him, Elyse, had become a friend. He was catching on to reading a bit faster than she, but she was better at the number exercises. They often helped each other learn while the teacher was busy with a small group in the front of the teacher gave each child the test, and Ram saw that it had to do with numbers.

3 He began to do what the teacher instructed the children to do with the worksheet, but after a while, he became confused. He leaned over to look at the Think About ItSelf and Inner CircleWhat does it mean to have a self ? How would you be different if you had been raised in complete isolation from other people?Local CommunityHow have your local religious congregation and schools shaped who you are?National Institutions; Complex Organizations;Ethnic GroupsHow do various subcultures or organizations of which you are a member (your political party, your religious affiliation) influence your position in the social world?National SocietyWhat would you be like if you were raised in a different country? How does your sense of national identity influence the way you see things?

4 Global CommunityHow might globalization or other macro-level events impact you and your sense of self?page Elyse was working on. She hid her sheet from him, an unexpected response. The teacher looked up and asked what was going on. Elyse said that Ram was cheating. Ram was not quite sure what that meant, but it did not sound good. The teacher s scolding of Ram left him baffled, con-fused, and entirely incident was Ram s first lesson in the individual-ism and competitiveness that govern Western-style schools. He was being socialized into a new set of values. In his parents culture, competitiveness was discouraged, and individualism was equated with selfishness and rejection of community. Athletic events were designed to end in a tie so that no one would feel rejected.

5 Indeed, a well-socialized person would rather lose in a competition than cause some-one else to feel bad because he or she is the lifelong process of learning to become a member of the social world, beginning at birth and continuing until death. It is a major part of what the family, education, religion, and other institutions do to pre-pare individuals to be members of their social world. Like Ram, each of us learns the values and beliefs of our culture. In Ram s case, he literally moved from one cultural group to another and had to adjust to more than one culture within his social you ever interacted with a newborn human baby? Infants are interactive, ready to develop into members of the social world. As they cry, coo, or smile, they gradually learn that their behaviors elicit responses from other humans.

6 This exchange of messages this interaction is the basic building block of Socialization . Out of this process of inter-action, a child learns its culture and becomes a member of society. This process of interaction shapes the infant into a human being with a social self perceptions we have of who we main elements provide the framework for social-ization: human biological potential, culture, and individual experiences. Babies enter this world unsocialized, totally dependent on others to meet their needs, and completely lacking in social awareness and an understanding of the Babies interact intensively with their parents, observing and absorbing everything around them and learning what kinds of sounds or actions elicit response from the adults.

7 Socialization starts at the beginning of 2012 by SAGE Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the 4. Socialization : Becoming Human and Humanerules of their society. Despite this complete vulnerability, they have the potential to learn the language, norms, val-ues, and skills needed in their society. They gradually learn who they are and what is expected of them. Socialization is necessary not only for the survival of the individual but also for the survival of society and its groups. The process continues in various forms throughout our lives as we enter and exit various positions from school to work to retire-ment to this CHAPTER , we will explore the nature of socializa-tion and how individuals become socialized.

8 We consider why Socialization is important. We also look at develop-ment of the self, Socialization through the life cycle, who or what socializes us, macro-level issues in the Socialization process, and a policy example illustrating Socialization . First, we briefly examine an ongoing debate: Which is more influential in determining who we are our genes (nature) or our Socialization into the social world (nurture)?Nature Versus Nurture or Both Working Together?What is it that most makes us who we are? Is it our biologi-cal makeup or the environment in which we are raised that guides our behavior and the development of our self? One side of the contemporary debate regarding nature versus nurture seeks to explain the development of the self and human social behaviors violence, crime, academic perfor-mance, mate selection, economic success, gender roles, and other behaviors too numerous to mention here by exam-ining biological or genetic factors (Harris 2009; Winkler 1991).

9 Sociologists call this sociobiology, and psychologists refer to it as evolutionary psychology. The theory claims that our human genetic makeup wires us for social behaviors (Wilson et al. 1978).The idea is that we perpetuate our own biological fam-ily lines and the human species through various social behaviors. Human groups develop power structures, are territorial, and protect their kin. A mother ignoring her own safety to help a child, soldiers dying in battle for their com-rades and countries, communities feeling hostility toward outsiders or foreigners, and neighbors defending property lines against intrusion by neighbors are all examples of behaviors that sociobiologists claim are rooted in genetic makeup of the species.

10 Sociobiologists would say these behaviors continue because they result in an increased chance of survival of the species as a whole (Lerner 1992; Lumsden and Wilson 1981; Wilson 1980, 1987).Most sociologists believe that sociobiology and evolu-tionary psychology explanations have flaws. If social behav-ior is genetically programmed, then it should manifest itself regardless of the culture in which humans are raised. Yet there are vast differences between cultures, especially in gender behaviors and traits. The range of differences would not occur if we were biologically hardwired to certain behaviors. In CHAPTER 1, for example, we saw that in some societies men wear makeup and are gossipy and vain, vio-lating our stereotypes.