SOURCES OF SOCIAL EXPERIENCE

Agents of Socialization

Family – Key institution – orientation to the culture

Locus Affection ProtectionSocialization

Locus – placement in society

Meaning of each w/in cultural context

Source of cultural capital Way one sees the world and place in

it Factors/”locators”

SES – Kohn Race Ethnicity Gender religion

Protection

Physical Emotional

Socialization

Orientation Learn norms &

valuesLanguages and

symbols“tools” and “Lens”Material culture

Development of the SELF

Affection – “Specialness”

Love – unconditional – you are special and unique - irreplaceable Brofenbrenner

Support Decisions Growth Successes failures

School – benefit to societyGracey – Kgartern = bootcamp

NOT SPECIALFormal

Skills and Knowledge – replacement parts

Sort & Select What opportunities are open

Social interaction –new peeps & encounters

Intellectual growth – new ideasPersonal development – new

experiencesCultural transmission –

values,history, normsSocial control – hidden curriculum

Peer Groups – continues through life

Key focus time = Autonomy – sense of independence Belongingness – sense of worth &

acceptance – “earned”Knowledge and conformity necessary

for membership“peer pressure”

Mass Media Cultural transmission – reinforces

values“Meaning” – social reality is created

SES,race,ethnicity,gender,religion,ageMaterialism- stuff we should wantVicarious living/entertainmentInformation/interpretation of key

eventsCan create change/can reflect status

quo

Public Opinion

Ideas on major issuesReflects the culture at a given time Indicates areas of culture strain and

change

Shaping ideas

Gender socialization – ideas, messages about being male or female in specific groups

SES – differing values, goals, normsRacial socialization – ideas, messages

about race/ethnicity in specific groups Personal & group identity Intergroup and interpersonal relationships Position within the social

structure/hierarchy

Gender

Socially and culturally constructed differences between males and females

Found in the meanings, beliefs & practices associated w/

FemininityMasculinity

“Gender is a human invention, like language, kinship, religion, and technology; like them, gender organizes human social life in culturally patterned ways. Gender organizes social relations in everyday life as well as in the major social structures, such as social class and the hierarchies of bureaucratic organizations.” Lorber

Gender Roles

Attitudes and activities that society defines as appropriate for each sex

Learned through the socialization process

Gender Identity

Person’s perception of him or herself as female or male

Evaluation Body consciousness

Gendered belief systems

All ideas regarding masculine and feminine attributes held to be valid by the society

Reinforces ideas of appropriate behaviors, choices, norms, etc.

Gendered institution

Embedded ideas of gender – images, language, ideas

Divides power, resources, tasks, rewards

Equity

Different is merely different – not one better than the other

Social perceptionsMeta analysis

GENDER AS MASTER STATUSSOCIALLY DEFINED AND CONSTRUCTED

Gender Socialization

Social Construct of Reality

“To be a woman means to inhabit from early infancy to the last day of life, a psychological world which differs from the world of a man.” Mirra Komarovsky

We occupy intersecting, but different realities.

Role of culture

DP---DE----DT----DBDifferential perceptionsDifferential expectationsDifferential treatmentDifferential behaviorsGender-appropriate behavior is

learned through the socialization process

Self Concept: A Social Construction-develops and changes

throughout life

Total of all our beliefs and feelings about ourselves

Foundation of our communication w/other

Physical self Active self Social self Psychological self

Self Concept: Two Parts

Self identityWho am I?Define through

relationship to others

Self esteemWhat am I worth?Interpretation of

messages we receive about ourselves from others

Factors that contribute to the shaping of SELF

Developmental ist v. Interactionist

DevelopmentalistStage theoristsbiological emphasis maturation process

Individual = passive

Childhood emphasis

InteractionistNo fixed stagesSocial experience

& interaction basis – socially defined

Individual = active; uniqueness

Continuous process-life long – feedback loop