Socialization Flashcards
How is the self a big business?
- people making money off the fact that so many people are unhappy with themselves and want to change
- the self-help industry is a big business eg: books, workshops, yoga, resort retreats
How is the formation and transformation of the self a major site of social inequalities?
- people’s self is very different when raised in poverty vs raised in the upper class (feeling cared for vs feeling neglected)
- if you are older and discontent, the rich are able to go to self-improvement resorts, access therapy, etc while the poor cannot?
What is socialization?
- an ongoing process that helps share an individual; who is able to function in society
- intense in childhood and even old age
- involves people being socialized as well as the people and agents who carry out the socialization
What do we mean by an individual who is able to “function in society”
-is an individual who understands and can perform the roles they need to perform eg: caregiver, mother, father, student
What is a social role?
- the roles that a member of society has to play in their social interactions eg: father, neighbor, patient, elderly person, boss, employee, drug dealer, criminal, etc
- everyone has a basic level of socialization to prepare for their new roles eg: idea of language, hierarchy, notion of school
Who does socialization affect?
- everyone, it is a lifelong process
- adolescents, adults, seniors, immigrants (re-socialization)
- once socialized can also choose not to participate and can deviate from what is taught
What are the agents of socialization?
- families (most important b/ formative years of someone’s life)
- schools (implicit things eg: hierarchy, obedience, social skills, nationalization, morals, measures of worth)
- peer groups
- mass media
- religious institutions
How is socialization classed?
- there is a separate working-class culture and upper-class culture
eg: upper-class kids are more likely to politely contest authority
How can socialization be violent?
eg: concentration camps in a war
Are we born a blank slate or are we born social? What would Cooley and Mead say?
-nature and nurture act together and overlap, the space between them is a “mirage”
Does re-socialization have to involve the breakdown of ur whole previous identity?
No, can be more subtle, like transitioning from high school to university
What are mirror neurons?
- neurons designed to allow you to connect with others, it is the basis of empathy
- the brain mirrors the movements it sees (humans learn by looking and copying) eg: when you see faces, it activates the same part of the brain as if you were making a face yourself eg: when you see happy faces, the happy part of the brain is activated
- are involuntary responses eg: wincing during violent movie scenes
What would life without human contact look like? Does Genie have a self or mind? Is she socialized?
- language is a pre-requ to the self, she didn’t have interaction so she permanently lost the ability to have language (has no thoughts or internal communication)
- sense of self is determined through interactions, therefore she would have a very rudimentary mind and sense of self
What is attachment theory?
- care, social stimulation, and affection are crucial in infancy
- the importance of close, intimate contact with the mother
- babies are passive (don’t realize they are apart from the mother), they receive attention from their mother and follow cues
What was the WHO report on maternal care and how does it relate to attachment theory?
-emphasized the importance of babies spending time with their mothers, which let to policies like maternal leave