Family and Socialization (Unit 4) Flashcards
WHY DO WE STUDY FAMILY?
- To understand how families are organized and the various types of families
- To examine various family behaviors, traditions, beliefs, roles, responsibilities, etc, and how culture plays a role in these factors
- To understand the role and impact of family and family upbringing on our socialization and the ways in which we socialize, or don’t, with others
3 history of the family:
- Hunter-Gatherer Families
- Pre-industrial Families
- Modern Families
Hunter-Gatherer Families
- Women were responsible for gathering fruits, nuts, grains, herbs, and small prey
- They were also responsible for nurturing the family and children, and to provide stability in the community while the men were hunting.
- Both men and women held high status in the communities and their roles were greatly valued, because they were such different roles
Families had multiple children
Pre-industrial Families:
- Canada came from societies in which the family organization was different of those from agricultural societies
- Men without land moved where wives and children could help with work into towns and cities
- Men were dominant both in the house and in the public, and women and children were seen as the property of the male
Families had multiple children
Modern Families:
- From the nuclear family to now, families have changed roles both in the house and in society
- Women whose sole focus to stay home, have been taking high-paying positions in the modern world, sometimes making more income than their partners
- Men with children are now more and more taking paternity leaves to take care of newborn children, rather than the wife
Families are made up of so many different versions; same sex parents, one parent households, blended families etc
6 key functions of a family:
- Addition of New member
- Birth
- Marriage - Physical Care
- Family provides care for its members - Socialization
- Families teach children: skills, knowledge, values, attitudes of larger society - Regulate behavior
- Maintain order in family and society - Maintain morale & motivation
- Sense of civic duty
- Meeting emotional needs is the foundation of our community = contributes to the health of society - Economic Function
- Producing and consuming
- Families earn income to obtain services
Family Structures
- Various cultural groups in Canada have organized their family structures for different cultural traditions, values and reasons
- In the last couple of centuries, in Canada and throughout the Western world specifically, the “nuclear family (post World War II 1940’s)
had emerged as more or less the norm - In a nuclear family, a husband and wife live with their children and place more importance on the marital relationship than on relationships with their parents and relatives
- The development of the family as we know it today has continuously changed, as we can even see how less and less importance is placed on the nuclear family
What is Socialization?
- Socialization is a process that introduces people to social norms and customs.
- This process helps individuals function well in society, and, in turn, helps society run smoothly
This process typically occurs in two stages:
1. Primary Socialization: birth through adolescence.
2. Secondary Socialization: adolescence and onwards.
What is the purpose of socialization:
- In the process of socialization, an individual is exposed to knowledge and teachings that shows them how to become members of a community, or in larger terms society, and what their role in it is
- Of the many purposes of socialization, it allows the upkeep of various social norms and customs throughout a society, and makes sure that the expectations of various groups are continually being met (process of sustaining).
- In a sense, socialization allows for control over groups, communities and society as a whole
- Throughout all the major stages of life, we have been socialized in ways we might not recognize such as getting a reward for hard work or to obey the rules of a teacher in the classroom
Primary Socialization
- Primary socialization is the socialization that takes place from the moment your born, and continues into childhood through adolescence.
Who guides this socialization?
Caregivers, teachers, coaches, religious figures, and peers.
Secondary Socialization
- Secondary socialization takes places in situations and experiences that are part our primary socialization.
- This form of socialization instills new norms, values, and behaviors as individuals interact with different groups and people.
- As we learn about unfamiliar places and adapt to them, we experience secondary socialization.
Who guides this socialization?
- Post-secondary schooling experiences, travel, different friend groups, new job opportunities, moving from place to place, experiences.
Organizational Socialization
- Organizational socialization is found specifically within institutions or organizations.
- In this process, an individual becomes socialized to the norms, values, and practices of the institution/organization.
Who guides this socialization?
- Classroom/school organization and norms;
- Nonprofits and companies: New employees in a workplace have to learn how to collaborate, meet management’s goals, and take breaks in a manner suitable for the company.
Forced Socialization
- Lastly, forced socialization takes place where individuals are deemed of needing re-socialization and learning on fitting into norms, values, and customs of both society and the institution they are in.
- This is a process that some may be willing to participate in, however, that is not always the case.
Who guides this socialization?
Prisons, psychiatric hospitals, military units, and boarding schools are all examples of forced socialization.
What are Agents of Socialization?
- People, groups, institutions and influences that provide early experiences for socialization (either intentionally or not).
- These “agents” provide foundations for one’s attitudes, values, beliefs, experiences, perspective and much more.
ex. family, Peers, Education, Mass Media, Culture, Religion, Government
Socialization through childhood:
- When you were very young, you related to others from your OWN point of view.
Your ideas centered on yourself. - Children are primarily concerned with their toys, their mom, their dad, their friends and their home.
- When playing outside of the family begins, children are able to consider others’ viewpoints and upbringing.
For Example: a child sharing a ball during recess & take turns jumping rope lead them to already learning components of socialization in schooling:
You were learning to:
consider the thoughts and feelings of others.
beginning to develop social skills.
- As children grow and develop, their ideas of relationships changes from what they know at home (learning how to share in relationships with others).
- The socialization in one’s family has already laid the foundation for how a child is socialized to behave with others and in the childhood stage, the socialization or lack of may become highly visible.
