FamilyA family serves to reproduce society biologically, through procreation, and socially, through the socialization of children. Show
Learning Objectives Analyze the pivotal role a family plays in the socialization of children and the continuation of society through procreation Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
The primary function of the family is to reproduce society, both biologically through procreation and socially through socialization.
Given these functions, the individual's experience of his or her family shifts over time. From the perspective of children, the family is a family of orientation: the family functions to locate children socially, and plays a major role in their socialization. From the point of view of the parent(s), the family is a family of procreation: The family functions to produce and socialize children. In some cultures, marriage imposes upon women the obligation to bear children. In northern Ghana, for
example, payment of bridewealth, which is an amount of money, wealth, or property paid to the bride's parents by the groom's family, signifies a woman's requirement to bear children, and women using birth control face substantial threats of physical abuse and reprisals. Family: Families have strong ties and, therefore, are powerful agents of socialization. NeighborhoodA neighborhood is a geographically localized community within a larger city, town, or suburb. Learning Objectives Justify the importance of
neighborhoods and communities as units of socialization, especially when specialized, such as by ethnicity or religion Key TakeawaysKey Points
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A neighborhood is a geographically localized community within a larger city, town, or suburb. Neighborhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. Neighborhoods are typically generated by social interaction among people living near one another. In this sense, they are local social units larger than households, but not directly under the control of city or state officials. In some preindustrial urban traditions, basic municipal functions such as protection, social regulation of births and marriages, cleaning, and upkeep are handled informally by neighborhoods and not by urban governments; this pattern is well documented for historical Islamic cities. In addition to social neighbourhoods, most ancient and historical cities also had administrative districts used by officials for taxation, record-keeping, and social control. Specialization and Differentiation Neighborhoods in preindustrial cities often had some degree of social specialization or differentiation. Ethnic enclaves were important in many past cities and remain common in cities today. Economic specialists, including
craft producers, merchants, and others could be concentrated in neighborhoods. Other neighborhoods were united by religious persuasion. One factor contributing to neighborhood distinctiveness and social cohesion was the role of rural to urban migration. This was a continual process for preindustrial cities in which migrants tended to move in with relatives and acquaintances from their rural past. Chelsea: This image is of Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. SchoolEducation is the process by which society transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, customs and values from one generation to another. Learning Objectives Explain the role of both formal and informal education in the socialization process, such as learning norms and expectations, as well as gaining social equality Key TakeawaysKey Points
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Education is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people is transmitted from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts. In its narrow, technical sense, education is the formal process by which society deliberately
transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, customs and values from one generation to another. The sociology of education is the study of how public institutions and individual experiences affect education and its outcomes. It is most concerned with the public schooling systems of modern industrial societies, including the expansion of higher, adult, and continuing education. School: School serves as a primary site of education, including the inculcation of "hidden curricula" of social values and norms. Day CareDay care, in which children are cared for by a person other than their legal guardians, contributes to their socialization. Learning Objectives Discuss how the use of day care (ranging from relative care to preschools) impacts the socialization of children in both a positive and negative way Key TakeawaysKey Points
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Day care is the care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family. Day care is typically a service during specific periods, such as when parents are at work. Child care is provided in nurseries or crèches, or by a nanny or family child care provider caring for children in their own homes. It can also take on a more formal structure, with education, child development, discipline, and even preschool education falling into the fold of services. Day Care: A mother who works in construction drops her child off at daycare prior to work. The day care industry is a continuum from personal parental care to large, regulated institutions. The
vast majority of childcare is still performed by the parents, in house nanny, or through informal arrangements with relatives, neighbors, or friends. Another factor favoring large corporate day cares is the existence of childcare facilities in the workplace. Large corporations will not handle this employee benefit directly themselves and will seek out large corporate providers to manage their corporate daycares. Most smaller, for-profit day cares operate out of a single location. Peer GroupsA peer group, whose members have interests, social positions, and age in common, have an influence on the socialization of group members. Learning Objectives Analyze the importance of the peer group in terms of childhood and adolescent socialization Key TakeawaysKey Points
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A peer group is a social group whose members have interests, social positions, and age in common. This is where children can escape supervision and learn to form relationships on their own. The influence of the peer group typically peaks during adolescence. However, peer groups generally only affect short term interests unlike the family, which has long term influence. Mass Media and TechnologySince mass media has enormous effects on our attitudes and behavior, it contributes to the socialization process. Learning Objectives Analyze the connection
between media, technology and society Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
Mass media is the means for delivering impersonal communications directed to a vast audience. The term media comes from Latin meaning, "middle," suggesting that the media's function is to connect people. Since mass media has enormous effects on our attitudes and behavior, notably in regards to aggression, it contributes to the socialization process. Media BiasMedia bias refers the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media. Bias exists in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening the standards of journalism, rather than the perspective of an individual journalist or article. The direction and degree of media bias in various countries is widely disputed. Media Bias: A panel in the Newseum in Washington, DC shows the September 12 headlines in America and around the world. Note the different treatment of 9/11 by different sources. A technique employed to avoid bias is the "round table," an adversarial format in which representatives from opposing views comment on an issue. This approach theoretically allows diverse views to appear in the media. However, the person organizing the report still has the responsibility to choose people who really represent the breadth of opinion, to ask them non-prejudicial questions, and to edit their comments fairly. When done carelessly, a point/counterpoint
can be as unfair as a simple biased report, by suggesting that the "losing" side lost on its merits. Video Game Violence Debates have been going on for years about the problem and effect of violent video games. Many people believe that violent video games, when
played regularly, lead to real-life violence. In fact, video game violence can lead to an increase in a person's thoughts and behaviors. There have been incidents of children acting out the violence they see in a game, often with dire consequences. The key is being involved in other activities; when teenagers who played violent video games also participated in sports or clubs, there was less indication they would become violent in any potential situation. WorkplaceThe workplace performs its socialization process through onboarding, through which employees acquire skills to adjust to their new role. Learning Objectives Analyze the process of onboarding as it relates to workplace socialization Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
The workplace performs its socialization function through onboarding. This is the mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and behaviors to become effective organizational members. Tactics used in this process include formal meetings, lectures, videos, printed materials, or computer-based orientations. Research has demonstrated that these socialization techniques lead to positive outcomes for new employees including higher job satisfaction, better job performance, greater organizational commitment, and reduction in stress. These outcomes are particularly important to an organization looking to retain a competitive advantage in an increasingly mobile and globalized workforce. Employees with certain personality traits and experiences adjust to an organization more quickly. These traits are a proactive personality, the "Big Five" traits, curiosity and greater experience levels. "Proactive personality"
refers to the tendency to take charge of situations and achieve control over one's environment. This type of personality predisposes some workers to engage in behaviors like information seeking that accelerate the socialization process. The Big Five personality traits—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—have been linked to onboarding success. Specifically, new employees who are extraverted or particularly open to experience are more likely to seek out
information, feedback, acceptance and relationships with co-workers. Organization Socialization Model: A model of onboarding (adapted from Bauer & Erdogan, 2011). ReligionReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to spirituality and moral values. Learning Objectives Explain how people come to be socialized in terms of religion and how parental influence is a key factor in religiosity Key TakeawaysKey Points
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Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions, and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws, or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature. Socialization through Religious Ceremonies: Religious ceremonies, such as Catholic mass, socialize members of the faith to the practices and beliefs of the religion. The Division of LaborDivision of labor is the specialization of cooperative labor in specific, circumscribed tasks and similar roles. Learning Objectives Interpret Durkheim's division of labor theory in terms of mechanical and organic solidarity, as well as progression from primitive to advanced societies Key TakeawaysKey Points
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Division of labor is the specialization of cooperative labor in specific, circumscribed tasks and roles.
Historically, an increasingly complex division of labor is closely associated with the growth of total output and trade, the rise of capitalism, and of the complexity of industrialization processes. Division of labor was also a method used by the Sumerians to categorize different jobs and divide them between skilled members of a society. Division of Labor: An assembly line is a good example of a system that incorporates the division of labor; each worker is completing a discrete task to increase efficiency of overall production. The Incest Taboo, Marriage, and the FamilyAn incest taboo is any cultural rule or norm that prohibits sexual relations between relatives. Learning Objectives Analyze the different constructs of the incest taboo, ranging from biological (the Westermarck effect) to cultural (endogamy and exogamy) Key TakeawaysKey Points
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Inbreeding: An intensive form of inbreeding where an individual S is mated to his daughter D1, granddaughter D2 and so on, in order to maximise the percentage of S's genes in the offspring. D3 would have 87.5% of his genes, while D4 would have 93.75%. An incest taboo is any cultural rule or norm that prohibits sexual relations between relatives. All human cultures have norms regarding who is considered suitable and unsuitable as sexual or marriage partners. Usually certain close relatives are excluded from being possible partners. Little agreement exists among cultures about which types of blood relations are permissible partners and which are not. In many cultures, certain types of cousin relations are preferred as
sexual and marital partners, whereas others are taboo. IdeologyIdeology is a coherent system of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. Learning Objectives Explain the purpose
of an ideology and how it is used in various contexts (i.e. religion or politics) to create change or conformity in society Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitute one's goals, expectations, and
actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things, as in several philosophical tendencies, or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to all members of this society. The main purpose behind an ideology is to offer either change in society, or adherence to a set of ideals where conformity already exists, through a normative thought process. Ideologies are systems of abstract thought applied to public matters and thus make this
concept central to politics. Resocialization and Total InstitutionsA total institution is a place where a group of people is cut off from the wider community and their needs are under bureaucratic control. Learning Objectives Review Goffman's five types of social institutions and their functions, including their
processes of resocialization Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
A total institution is a place of work and residence where a great number of
similarly situated people, cut off from the wider community for a considerable time, lead an enclosed, formally administered life together. The term was coined by the American sociologist Erving Goffman. Within a total institution, the basic needs of a entire bloc of people are under bureaucratic control. These needs are handled in an impersonal and bureaucratic manner.
The goal of total institutions is resocialization, the radical alteration of residents' personalities by deliberately manipulating their environment. Key examples include the process of resocializing new recruits into the military so that they can operate as soldiers. Resocialization is a two-part process. First, the staff of the institution tries to erode the residents' identities and independence. Second, resocialization involves the systematic attempt to build a different personality or self. This is generally done through a system of reward and punishment. The privilege of reading a book, watching television, or making a phone call can be a powerful motivator to conform. Conformity occurs when individuals change their behavior to fit in with the expectations of an authority figure or the expectations of a larger group. Total Institutions: Prisons are examples of total institutions. Licenses and AttributionsCC licensed content, Shared previously
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Which type of group plays a pivotal role in the socialization process?Family is the most significant agent of socialization as it is the”original group” and a source of primary socialization. The family is where members receive their earliest exposure to society's expectations. Family begins the life-long process of learning language, norms, and values.
Which type of group plays a pivotal role in the socialization process and the development of roles and statuses group of answer choices?The primary group is usually made up of significant others, those individuals who have the most impact on our socialization. The best example of a primary group is the family.
Which type of group is most important for socialization quizlet?Coalitions are the most important form of group for primary socialization.
Which sociological perspective emphasizes that social roles contribute to a society stability?Thus functionalism emphasizes the importance of social institutions such as the family, religion, and education for producing a stable society. Émile Durkheim was a founder of sociology and is largely credited with developing the functionalist perspective.
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