Functionalism on socialisation Flashcards
Is Socialisation in the best interest of all social groups?
Yes.
Socialisation is in the best interest of all social groups.
What is Organism Analogy?
Organism Analogy: Agents of socialisation are working to bring about and effective working system based on value consensus
Why is Socialisation critical?
Socialisation is crucial in ensuring all members of society share the same norms and values (value consensus).
How does Value Consensus affect Integration and Social Order?
Include two names in your answer.
This value consensus (Parsons) ensures integration and social order (Durkheim).
Theoretical Views on Socialisation.
Parsons has two statements.
Parsons: socialisation is a powerful influence and ensures that people internalise values derived from the cultural system and then act according to these values when they car out their individual roles.
Parsons: Agents of socialisation, such as the family important. The family provides primary socialisation preparing children for their adult roles; men learn to take an instrumental role in the family (breadwinner) and women learn to take an expressive role (caring). The family is a ‘personality factory’, shaping individual’s identity according to one cultural pattern.
Are individuals a product of their values?
Theoretical Views on Socialisation, a Functionalism’s view
Individuals are no more that the product of the values, beliefs and expectations that operate in the social system that we are apart (classic structural view – we are a product of the structure in society).
Theoretical Views on Socialisation.
Durkheim’s view.
Durkheim: Value consensus is gained through individuals agreeing to the norms and values in society which then created social order (predictable patterns of behaviour). Individuals learn through socialisation and are controlled formally through laws (formal social control) and informally through expectations reinforced by peers or family (informal social control).
Theoretical Views on Socialisation. Conflict Theorists ague what?
Conflict theorists (Marxists and feminists) argue that socialisation is not a benign process that benefits all members of society, but a process whereby powerful groups impose their norms and values on less powerful groups. E.g. women learn to accept their subordinate position in society through gender role socialisation in the family
Theoretical Views on Socialisation. Interactionists ague what?
Interactionists argue that Functionalist’s ‘structural’ approach presents an ‘over-socialised’ view of individuals who are merely puppets on a string and are completely guided by the cultural values that exist in society – Interactionists argue that this completely ignore ‘choice’ and ‘freewill’ of the individual. They argue that an individual can ‘choose’ whether to agree to the norms and values in society.
