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Ivette Hernandez

Socio 51256
June 6, 2015
Socialization Nature vs. Nurture
1.

Nature and Nurture: What do twin studies tell us about nature/nurture? Also,
discuss the influence of heredity in explaining the process of ones personality and
intellectual development. Provide examples.
Twin studies have told us that when separating twins their environment will
mold who they become but their heredity determines who they are. Our
environment or our nature side, determines our political views, how we
respond to emotions, who we chose as a significant other or even what
makes us comfortable. While our nurture side tells us what we have inherited
from our parents like our temperament or our nervous habits. Our nurture
side is the area of ourselves that we cannot change while our nature side is
what we grew up being molded into.

2. What is the self? According to Charles Horton Cooley, explain the looking glass

self (discuss the three phases). George Herbert Mead also discusses the stages of
the self: identify differences between I and Me. What is meant by significant others?
How are significant others related to the self? Identify Meads three-stage process of
self-development.
The self is the sense of who we are. It distinguishes us as individuals based on our social
interactions. The self is developed and changed according to our life experiences.
Sociologist Charles Horton Cooleys idea of the looking glass-self implies that we
become who we are by the interactions that we have with others. Those interactions mold
us to become who we think others see us as. Cooley broke down the looking glass-self
into three self-development phases: We imagine how others see us, we imagine how other
evaluate what we think they see, and we define our self as a result of these assumptions.
All three of the phases relate to every ones everyday life, it is ongoing and happens in
each of our interactions. We constantly over analyze everything that we do and
sometimes that even gets us into trouble. George Herbert Mead agreed with Cooleys idea
of the self and sought to clarify and expand on the idea. Mead argued two components of
the self, the I and the Me. He believed that the I is our acting self, it likes to stay
silent. It is the part of us that performs any action such as walking and talking. The Me
is considered to be our socialized self, it plans and judges. It is the part of us that takes all
of our past experiences and uses them to set a standard for our future actions. Mead
believes that our significant others like our family members and friends are the most
important factor in the development of our self. Mead breaks down the realization of self-

development into three stages: Preparatory stage, Play stage, and Game stage. The
preparatory stage is the idea that children imitate the people that are around them, usually
their parents or siblings. This stage lasts until the child is three years of age. As the child
grows they begin to associate meaning to their actions and become keen on using
symbols to communicate. As the child begins to develop their interaction skills they learn
to use their symbols to get things their way by saying things like please and thank
you. In the play stage; that is usually between the ages of three and five, kids learn new
symbols and they gradually become more aware of the social relationships from which
these symbols have grown from. During this stage children usually begin to pretend play
by acting like doctors, a superhero, or their parents. Mead believes that playing makebelieve is a critical part of our self-development. Also during the play stage children also
learn role faking, which is when a child can mentally assume the perspective of another
person and initiate an action based on that mental response. In the game stage children of
ages six to nine grasp not only their own social positions but also the position of others
around them. They develop a blueprint of who should be where and who should do what.
That blueprint represents the final stage of development.
3. Explain the dramaturgical approach. What occurs on front-stage? What happens in
backstage? How can Erving Goffmans idea of impression management and facework be used to understand social behavior?
The dramaturgical approach-studies human interaction as if we were all actors on a stage
seeking to make a successful performance. Our performance takes place on the front
stage and on the back stage. The front stage is where we put on our performance for our
audience. It includes a set, props, and may even involve other cast members. The
backstage is where we get ready for our performance. Its where we put our costumes on
and gather the appropriate props to make our performance believable. We must use the
right lines and correct props to prevent our show from falling apart and undermining our
sense of self. Goffmans idea of impression management states that we alter ourselves in
order to create an appearance that will satisfy our audience. His idea of face work is the
efforts we make to keep up a proper image and avoid embarrassment. Face work is a lie
that we have made up to protect ourselves or our family, we feel the need to lie to them to
avoid them thinking negatively of us.
4. Identify the agents of socialization. What is the role of schools in gender role
socialization? How has technology (computer, cell phone, email, & TV) influenced
the socialization process?
The agents of socialization are the people with whom we interact with, they are the
people that influence how we think about ourselves and how we depict ourselves to
others. These people are our family members, friends, schools, peers, the mass media, our
work place, religion, and the state. Schools in the Unites States have a mandate to

socialize people, especially children, into norms and values of U.S. culture. By doing so,
schools influence a childs gender role by socializing them into feminine or masculine
roles. A study showed that popularity in schools also showed a gender stereotype. It
showed that popularity in males is thought to be about athleticism and not to be
academically inclined. While popularity in females lied with their attractiveness, ability
to manipulate others with their social skills, as well as, to come from a wealthy family
that can afford expensive outfits and the latest gadgets. Technology has had a positive and
a negative effect on the socialization process. Television programs can introduce our
youth to unfamiliar lifestyles and culture. It presents a common more standardized view
of culture through mass communication. The internet has also become a very common
place where people come together and talk. However, technology can also unfortunately
lead to narrowcasting, where we interact mainly with people who are most similar to us.
That can lead to us lacking in our personal relationships and not being attentive to one
anothers ideas.
5. What are total institutions? Identify Goffmans four traits of total institutions.
Discuss how a degradation ceremony is used to mortify ones sense of self.
Total institutions are places where people are regulated in all aspects of their life under a
single authority. They are places like prisons, the military, or a convent. People in total
institutions are cut off from the rest of society, they become their own miniature society.
Erving Goffman developed four traits of total institutions: All aspects of life are
conducted in the same place under the control of a single authority, Any activities within
the institution are conducted in the company of other in the same circumstances, The
authorities devise rules and schedule activities without consulting the participants, and
finally all aspects of life within a total institution are designed to fulfil the purpose of the
organization. When entering a total institution a person might undergo a degradation
ceremony. Which is an aspect of the socialization process, in which people are subjected
to humiliating rituals. This is seen in prisons, where prisoners are stripped of their
clothes, jewelry, and other personal possessions. The degradation ceremony is intended to
make everyone alike, there is no superior other than the authority. Once the participants
have undergone this ceremony they are no longer distinguished as unique but as equals.
6. How does society deal with an elderly population? Discuss differences between
disengagement theory and activity theory? Finally, provide solutions to ageism.
Every society views their elderly differently. Some societies treat older people with
respect and praise, whereas others view them as unproductive and difficult. In places
like Nepal the elderly own their own homes and are typically in good condition, but in
places like Africa the elderly are moved to the edges of their family homestead where
they sleep in what will ultimately become their own grave. The disengagement theory
suggest that the elderly should drop most of their social roles because their death is

approaching. It also suggest that the ageing pass on their social roles to a younger
generation to ensure social stability. On the other hand, the activity theory suggest that
elderly people who remain active and socially involved will have an improved quality of
life. The theory has studied that elderly people who work beyond their prime simply
because they want to, are typically happier. Older people have the same need for social
interaction as any other younger group. Ageism refers to the prejudice and discrimination
of a persons age. Some solutions for ageism can be employers that offer equal
opportunity to have job fairs for older people. Maybe employers can hire based on
experience and not age or some employers can hire elderly people to do simple positions
like cashier, greeter, and ticket taker. In my opinion no matter what your age maybe, there
is always something that one person can offer that another cant, thats what makes our
society so great, we are all different individuals.

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