The Sociology of Socialization
Sociology of Socialization is an interesting field to study because it relates to human behavior. It is a way of determining what is valued and important within a culture. This study examines the process through which people learn to conform to the norms of a society. This article focuses on five areas that affect socialization: Gender, Racial, Mass media, and Organizational structure. We will discuss the importance of each area in the next section.
Gender socialization
The study of gender roles in society has implications for the way that people socialize. Gender socialization occurs in both Western and non-Western contexts. Individuals are typically socialized to either the masculine or feminine gender, with both social roles being associated with certain behaviors. However, many individuals do not fall neatly into either of these categories. These individuals are known as transgender and believe that their gender identity does not correspond to their biological sex.
The process of gender socialization involves parents treating children differently and assigning tasks based on their sex. Throughout human history, gender socialization has been studied in different contexts, focusing on various stages of human development. However, this article will focus on gender socialization in families. While there are many factors that go into socialization, family play a significant role. Parents begin teaching children role-based behavior as soon as they are born. For example, boys are taught to play the role of a boy because they are praised for their toughness. They also learn to play with girls when they feel like it.
In chapter three, “culture,” the authors identified four agents of socialization: family, peers, schools, and religion. These agents contribute to gender socialization through repeated exposure to those agents. The process also contributes to gender inequalities in education, employment, income, and empowerment, as well as other important outcomes of well-being. The UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti, and the International Centre for Research on Women study the process of gender socialization in society.
Racial socialization
The role of racial socialization in the sociology of development is well known. It has been linked with positive psychological outcomes and academic achievement among BIPOC youth. It has also been demonstrated that racial socialization influences white youth’s attitudes towards race and ethnicity. The study highlights the importance of racial socialization in racial and ethnic discrimination and its relation to the well-being of both white and BIPOC youth.
Racial socialization processes are complex and multidimensional. Different salient messages are transmitted via multiple pathways at once. Each process domain reflects a distinct feature of the ethnic-racial socialization process. While some processes have been empirically measured, many others remain uncharted. Therefore, the range of assessment tools has been limited. Racial socialization research provides an opportunity to understand the multidimensional nature of the process.
In addition to studying the role of racial socialization in education, researchers are now beginning to investigate the racial identities of young African Americans in the US. The role of high school U.S. history and college coursework in shaping the way young African Americans perceive race and ethnicity has been shaped and interpreted. Racial socialization research is a critical aspect of understanding socialization processes and how to make them more inclusive.
Organizational structure
The idea of organizations as bounded entities is increasingly unpopular, both in concept and practice. Insidious control and the deprivation of discretion and sovereignty are hallmarks of a structural perspective. Organizations once seemed to possess an infinite capacity for complexity. In the modern world, outsourcing, downsizing, and reengineering have become the norm. The very concept of structure as a thing has been undermined by externalization.
The nexus of agency and structure has dominated sociology since its inception. Theories that assert the preeminence of structure argue that individual behavior is determined by the socialization of a person. Such socialization may be based on gender and class expectations, or on the expectations of another. This process is continuous and multi-level. Societies are divided into several levels of social structure, each of which influences and imposes its own set of values and expectations.
In addition to a person’s socialization, a society is a complex set of social structures and behaviors. Societies have complex structures, and individuals within them may not be aware of these systems. In some societies, such as Canada, socialization is a fundamental component of survival. Children raised in deprived areas tend to rely on nonformal education and effort to survive, while children in prosperous areas depend on formal education.
Mass media
The sociology of mass media and socialization focuses on how people create meaning and experience media. This study of media content argues that people create meaning in different ways depending on their experiences and knowledge. Because of this, they produce widely divergent interpretations of the same media content. A broader perspective would examine the role of the media as a medium for individual expression. Various theories of mass media and socialization are presented in this section.
Mass media include television, radio, newspapers, and the internet. All of these media captivate audiences and influence their beliefs. The mass media affects every sector of society. They influence public opinion and influence political agendas, shaped individual behavior and formed relationships between people and their government. Artifacts from ancient civilizations contain evidence of mass media, including paintings on cave walls, pottery, field sculptures of stones, and etchings on metal plates.
This aspect of socialization can be further explored in Chapter 12 “Aging and the Elderly.” Despite its decreased importance in people’s lives compared to a few generations ago, religion is still a powerful agent of socialization and is an important factor in the development of our culture. Therefore, sociologists should be aware of the role of mass media in our society. It has the potential to change the world and its society.
Religion
The study of religious socialization is not limited to the specific study of religion. It should also be inclusive of non-religious socialization, since the concept of non-religion is rarely studied in a socialization frame. In this article, we discuss the various paths that lead to non-religion, and the contexts in which such socialization occurs. The study also highlights the importance of religious socialization for sociological research.
The general literature on religious socialization has focused on commitment, but it has only been studied in isolation in certain institutional settings. Greeley and Rossi, for example, studied religiously affiliated schools. Gockel and Schoenherr, on the other hand, examined the socialization of individuals to religious professions. Kanter has noted that commitment is a multidimensional phenomenon. For example, individuals can feel committed to a certain religion because of its values and beliefs.
While religious socialization is a dynamic, interactive process, social agents are able to influence individuals’ religious preferences. These preferences ultimately determine their affiliations to religious organizations. Moreover, religion is only influenced by social agents when they are perceived as trustworthy and relevant. Religious experience, and temporal ordering of contact with socialization agents are also crucial in guiding religious preferences. It is important to note that socialization processes can change over time and across places.
Race
Racial socialization is the process of shaping a child’s perception of race, ethnicity, and cultural belonging. Children acquire information about different ethnic-racial groups through interactions with peers, as well as through observations of others. This process of racial socialization shapes the meaning adolescents ascribe to being a member of particular groups, and the expectations they have for group experiences. Racial socialization also shapes children’s beliefs about how others view different groups.
Racial socialization happens in many forms, ranging from deliberate attempts to socialize a child to unconscious transmissions. Parents’ socialization influences children’s perceptions of race and adds strategies for coping with racism. Racial socialization occurs in schools, neighborhoods, and even within families. In addition to verbal and written messages, children learn about race through their parents’ voices, posture, and other behaviors.
Most social scientists believe that race is a cultural construct, not a biological one. It is an artificial distinction created by humans. Others conceptualize human variation in terms of populations, and many scholars have replaced the word race with ethnicity. Ethnicity refers to groups of people who self-identify based on shared culture, religion, or nationality. While some social scientists still debate the precise meaning of ethnicity, they both rely on the idea that race has material and symbolic consequences.
Class
Historically, social class has been defined by different definitions. Today, sociologists view class as a fluid concept that changes over time. In the United States, there are three main levels of class: lower, middle, and upper. The difference between them is primarily based on wealth, which can be passed on to children and perpetuate class structures. Sociologist J.D. Foster categorizes the top 20 percent of U.S. citizens into the lower and upper classes, while the middle class makes up sixty percent of the population.
Media is another source of socialization, though it is less important than family. In Canada, religious communities are abundant, and many show important family ceremonies connected to religious rituals. Many of these formal institutions maintain gender norms, and they are also class-dividing. A recent study suggests that television shows are a powerful tool for forming class-based opinions. A middle-class member, for instance, believed that the TV show Royle Family provided a legitimate perspective of life on the lower classes.
In a recent study by Jiyoung Park, PhD, she found that people with higher status were more likely to express anger and frustration. In contrast, those with lower social status in the United States were more likely to express anger and frustration when making important decisions. While this might seem like an obvious distinction, it’s not the only factor in class. Researchers can’t know for sure whether or not class-based socialization has a role in socialization, but it is a valuable tool.