Agents of Socialization

Agents of Socialization?

• Agents of Socialization– People or groups that affect our . . .

• Self-concept• Attitudes• Behaviors

1.) The Family• 1st to have an impact• Intense experiences• Lifelong impact• Sets basic sense of self• Establishes initial motivations, values, and

beliefs

Family and Social Class

Working-class• Main concern - stay out of

trouble

• Kids develop naturally

• Use more physical punishment

Middle-class• Focus on development of

curiosity, self-expression, and self control

• Believe need lots of guidance

• More likely to reason with children

•Melvin Kohn•Working-class and middle-class parents raise kids differently

Why Such Different Attitudes?

Hypothesis - World of Work

Working-class• Bosses tell workers exactly what to do• Parents expecting children will have similar jobs . . . • Socialize qualities they have found useful at work

(conformity, obedience)

Middle Class• Jobs usually more initiative/decision making• Parents expecting children to have similar jobs . . . • Socialize qualities they have found useful at work

(independent thinking, taking initiative)

*BUT . . . not all parents followed the “correct” model

Kohn - Conclusions• Type of work and level of decision making

freedom was key!

• Middle class office workers– Closely supervised followed the working-class model

• Working class parents who had a fair amount of freedom in decision making at work . . . – Ex. - carpenters, plumbers, painters, home repair– Followed the middle-class model

2.) The NeighborhoodSociologists: Wilson(1987), Brookes (1997), Sampson (2001)

• Kids from poor neighborhoods are more likely to: – get in trouble with the law– become pregnant– drop out of school

• Residents of more affluent neighborhoods watch out for children more

• In riskier neighborhoods adults watch out for children less

3.) Religion

• Significant even for people who do not grow up in religious homes

• Ideas pervade U.S. society

• Provide basic ideas of morality

4.) Day CareSociologists: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Study (1999), Guensburg (2001)

• More hours in daycare more likely to:– Fight– Be cruel or “mean”– Have weaker bonds with mother

• Less time in day care:– more cooperative– more affectionate toward mother

BUT WHY?

Benefits to Day Care

• More hours in day care . . . higher language skills

• Children from dysfunctional families benefit the most (Scarr and Eisenberg 1993)

5.) The School

• Learn a broader perspective• Prepares to take roles in the world beyond the

family

6.) Peer Groups

• Very powerful agent!!• Standards of our peer group tend to

dominate our lives• Members of a peer groups tend to have

the same likes/dislikes, goals, values, and behaviors

7.) The Mass Media• 32% of children under 12 in the U.S. have their

own TV • 53% of ages 12-18 have own TV

• Young people average 5.5 hours a day with some form of media

• Over 200 studies have shown links between watching violence in the media and short term increases in aggressive behavior in young people

8.) The Workplace

• U.S. teenage employment higher than any other industrialized country

• Teens working more than 20 hours/week often leads to lower grades (Greenhouse 2001)