Lecture Five -
This chapter covers society and socialization. We cover: 1)types of society; 2) the nature of socialization; 3) social groups; 4) perspectives on the self; 5) Agents of Socialization and 6) resocialization
Here we look at the taking on of a social identity. It is a good idea to reevaluate ourselves occasionally. This is a good chance to so. I like to focus on the community and the mass media. A key point is the increasing influence of corporations on our daily lives.
I. Society
Modern society is a process. It is a state of becoming. In other words, human history has led to this. Technology plays an important role in how people live. The level of technology differs for all societies. Your text, in chapter four, overviews the types of societies found in the world. You can compare them on page 184 in chapter seven. Earlier societies (hunting and gathering, pastoral, and horticultural) are found in only a few places in the world today. They make up few of world's people. They maintain communal relations with very little division of labor. That is, they all do much the same job and have few social positions.
Agrarian societies make up most of the world's people today. Asia, Latin America, and Africa have large populations still engaged in agriculture. The use of technology and harnessing energy make specialization possible. This creates more positions within society. Large-scale cultivation makes large populations possible. It also creates a situation where social power can be concentrated at the top of society. Traditional social roles and forms are important in agrarian societies. Past values and beliefs guide society. Traditional societies are reluctant to change.
Industrial and postindustrial societies are a recent phenomena. The production of goods with advanced forms of energy allows developed countries to create many positions within society including a greater equality of material resources. The middle class in the U.S. is a product of this equality. Today, postindustrial society is characterized by the application of information technology and the rise of consumer society. People use, process, and create information at work and at home.
The rise of technology in modernized nations has been at the detriment of some groups and other nations. Marx and other social theorists have also argued that work is modern society has left people alienated from other people, themselves, and their potential. This is a byproduct of the wealth and riches found in modern society. Others such as Max Weber argue that modern society is characterized by the rise of rationality and a system dominated by calculation. Weber argues that the application of science, the pursuit of wealth, and a worldview based on a work ethic has led to modern society.
II. The Nature of Social Identity or Socialization
Who we are is a very complex question. We live in a culture and at a certain time in history. Socialization is the process of taking on the norms and roles of larger society. There are many social forces behind the making of a person. Sociologist are interested in tracing these influences.
The nature versus nurture debate mentioned in your text is an old one. Nature is your physical and mental capacity and nurture is your social relationships and the learning process you experience. Nature is what you are born with. We are tall, short, thin, and fat. We are able to run fast or lift heavy things. It is our genes. Everyone deals with the genes they are born with. Nurture, on the other hand, is the social and physical environments and their influence on us.
As we saw in the last chapter the environment and culture shape who we are. However, we are also a product of interpersonal relationships. Social contact creates the individual. Stop for a second and ask yourself, "Who has the most influence on my worldview (how I understand the world)?" What groups are most influential in my development? The answer varies for everyone. East Tennessee is dominated by small communities, religious, and family groups. For many in this and other areas of the country these are the main forces behind their identity. Urban areas provide large amounts of alternative experiences. Yet people seek community in all aspects of their lives. Today, communities are evolving in the new economy. Community is defined in many different ways.
III. Social Groups
Community and family are important social groups in rural areas. That is, people relate to each other in face-to-face, close-nit relationships. Primary groups provide us with our beliefs and values. The family is the most important primary group. We gain an understanding of our society, patriotism, and class values in the family. Studies show that working class families often socialize children to obey authority. Middleclass and upper class families teach children to be autonomous and understand the reason for punishment. This is due to how parents are socialized at work. Professions have more autonomy on the job. Factory workers and semi-skilled workers are more likely to have less autonomy on the job. This varies with circumstance.
We get our world view from many social forces. Secondary groups are situations where we have fleeting contacts. We may make friends at WSCC and then they become primary group members. Work is the main secondary group in modern society. We work more hours than any other culture in the world. We seek time saving devices to adapt to our schedule.
Ingroups and outgroups are another way we define ourselves. Ingroups are groups we identify with. We are loyal to ingroups. We might be a cheerleader, play on a sports team, or identify with an ethnic group. These situations create a us versus them mentality. Outgroups are groups we compete with. The other team, for instance, is an outgroup. Subcultures are often seen as outgroups by a dominant culture.
IV. Perspectives on the Self
The emergence of an individual is a complex process. Reflexive thinking is the basis of the first perspective on the self and self-awareness.
The mind is a process whereby individuals communicate and create meaning and act on that meaning. Our mind is a social product created by interpreting symbols and experiences. Reflexive thinking is the idea that we develop our self from other people. Throughout our lives we step outside ourselves and see how others view us. We adjust to the expectations that others have for us. This might be in a family or church setting or in a gang or occupational setting. We learn to take on the behaviors and appearance others expect of us. This is called role taking.
Symbolic interactionist identify symbols and socialization as important factors in childhood development. Infants learn by imitating facial expressions. The smile is the first thing we teach a child. An infant is egocentric. That is he or she does not know that others exists and they are the entire world. Overtime as an infant becomes aware of others in society. This occurs in the process of role taking.
George Mead describes role taking in stages. The preparatory stage; play stage; the game stage. In these stages we take on the roles expected by groups. We learn by playing. We address significant others who shape our lives. In the game stage we learn structured activities which give us rules for group behavior. Children learn how societies operate and their role in it playing little league baseball. As we learn rules for living society lives through us.
The looking-glass self is an important idea used by symbolic interactionist. Cooley's perspective is based on the idea that we develop our sense of self through interaction with others. Others provide a mirror where we see the behaviors and beliefs that becomes who we are. As other people respond to our behavior we adapt to their reactions. We develop our rules, taste, demeanor, manners, and other habits from how other people respond to us. Our self-awareness is influenced by reflexive thinking or seeing oneself from another's perspective. We, of course, are not totally conditioned by others but we are influenced greatly by the social world.
Another way to understand development is by looking at the cognitive level. Jean Piaget is the main advocate of this perspective. The main point of the perspective is that individuals develop as cognitive beings who make independent decisions. They learn to reason which is a habit found mainly in humans. Animals may reason but only in limited capacities. We as humans do digress on occasion.
Piaget argues that we adapt to the world in development stages. We learn to reason by imitating parents and eventually see ourselves in an historical context living with abstract rules such as formal laws. We go from egocentrism (seeing the world through our eyes only) to understanding the world from the perspectives of many others.
Cooley, Piaget, and Mead tell us that social groups play a significant role in the formation of the individual. In primary and secondary groups we take on the roles expected of individuals.
V. Agents of Socialization
The agents of socialization are primary and secondary groups. We can look at social institutions as agents of socialization. The agents of socialization are as follows: family, religion, education, peers, schools, mass media, and occupations.
As we have seen throughout this lecture, primary groups such as the family are important to human development. In modern society, secondary groups like occupations and education are becoming more important to our relative survival. Information technology as we have discussed is key to living in the modern world. The mass media also plays an important role in defining who we are today.
Television and advertising are becoming important to how we see ourselves. There are a number of examples that we can use to reveal the impact of television on the development of the self. Television is a predominant factor in presidential elections, in news production, and in the defining of social problems. Here we look at the role of advertising.
In his book, "The Un-TV and the 10 MPH Car" (The Small Press, Fort Bragg California, 1993), Bernard McGrane argues that we often learn to see ourselves through "advertisers eyes".
First, lets look at children 's beginners eyes. Children have fresh perspectives. They ask 'why' over and over. Why do adults not ask why more often? Perhaps they are tired? No, they have been taught not to ask big questions. Children are scientists by nature. What are advertisers eyes? Its when we critique our own appearance or see ourselves as better off with a product. We often have dissatisfaction over who we are when we watch television commercials. TV provides a powerful mirror and sells us a world of products based on who we are and who we could be after we purchase.
Companies will pay millions to let you see them during the Superbowl or Oscars. McGrane argues that when we buy a product we are often partly paying for the recovery of our feelings. We are buying ourselves. Television does more than entertain us it also creates us.
Of course we do not always buy every product we see. What is important is that the modern individual, in part, defines their sense of self in this environment. We live is a world where companies survive when advertising successfully links a product with our sense of self.
What are examples of advertising and lifestyle choices you make everyday? What do you think about McGrane's thesis.
VI. Resocialization
People are socialized through many types of group experiences. Resocializing institutions are another example. Resocialization is the process of becoming socialized over again. We experience this when we go into the army, a mental institution, rehabilitation therapy, or go to prison. In a total institution we are given a new identity. Mental patients often have very little control over their lives. Prisons are controlled environments. Where, when, and how we sleep, eat, and socialize are strongly controlled. We shed past roles and take on new identities according to the goals of the institution. We may be a member of a cult and wish to change. De-programing requires developing a new sense of self. Graduate school was the closest I have came to a total institution. What are your experiences?
This concludes lecture 5. You should have an understanding of the main ideas on socialization. I have added a section on agents of socialization. For your writing assignments you will need to think about who is most important in your socialization.
What do you think about McGrane's thesis? Are we manipulated by advertising?
Sites
http://www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu/information/biography/fghij/hall_edward.html
Read about Edward T. Hall
http://www2.soc.hawaii.edu/css/dept/com/resources/intercultural/Hall.html
Edward T. Hall on Interpersonal Communication
http://www2.soc.hawaii.edu/css/dept/com/resources/intercultural/Websites.html
Intercultural Communication/International Websites
http://wizard.ucr.edu/~bkaplan/soc/lib/goffimpr.html Impression Management
http://www.artoftravel.com/02communication.htm Travel and Communication