Week 4 - Socialization

Question 1

define socialization?

hint: 2 types

Answer 1

can be voluntary and invountary
Involves multiple agents: Families, institutions, peer groups, school/education, work, religion and media

Primary soci: early/during childhood
Secondary soci: later in life

typically starts w/family influences - 1st teachers
socialization is very lateral

Question 2

define the catagorization of agents of soci? thinker?

Answer 2

George Mead

1. Significant/specific others - individuals primarly
2. Generalized others - attitudes, viewpoints, gerneral exectations of the society that the child is socialized into - ex: media institutions etc

ex: beliefs taught by 50s can differ from 60s

Question 3

Agents of socialization?

hint: 3

Answer 3

peer group: changing dynamics - “reference groups” : groups that help us with evaluating ourselves

social media: changing standard of measurement/comparison, could be randon strangers, presentation of the “online self” - dramatization of self image

family: Often the first and most powerful agent
what is defined as family can change - think pluralistically, not just nuclear (extended, blended, single-parent)

Question 4

What is the process of re-socialization?

rite of passage?

Answer 4

process of unlearning old ways and learning new ways upon moving into a significantly different social envrionment
evolving skills and behaviour - voluntary and involuntary
ex: change from HS to university

rites of passage: helps socially indicate changed status
ex: turning 18, turning 19 legally drinking

Question 5

Define total institutions? thinker?

Answer 5

Erving Goffman

A systematic breakdown of the regular self - powerful place for resocialization
See a breakdown of normally seperated speheres (where we eat, play, sleep)
Person is cut off/removed from their usual social world and stripped of their everyday identity kit resulting in role dispossesion
All of the processes help to make the person docile or more willing/able to fit into new environment

normal society: sense of self is scattered under different authorities

Ex: prisons, psychiatric hospitals, military boot camps, residential schools

Question 6

Methods of total institutionalization?

Answer 6

Admission process: fingerprinting, haircutting, institutional clothing

Mortification of the self
- no/less control over the physical environment and social environment

Question 7

Characteristics of total institutions?

hint: 4

Answer 7

1. all activities in one place under single authority
2. activities are done with many others in the same situations and doing the same things
3. strictly scheduled times, timetables and rules
4. all activities are meant to instrumentally fulfill the overall goal/function of the institutions

Question 8

Define identity kit and role dispossesion?

Answer 8

conception of self and social role drastically changes

I.D Kit: different aspects of indentity that your wear to give a sense of who your are
ex: clothing, social status

Role dispossesion: roles are statuses are collapsed into 1 instead of many different types of roles/statuses - person is cut/off removed from their usual social world