Chapter 4: Socialization and the Life Course

To understand this chapter one must understand what exactly socialization is. In Sociology: the Essentials Andersen and Taylor (2011) define socialization as: the process by which human beings learn the social expectations of society.

Socialization and the Life Course really builds a foundation for an understanding of many sociological concepts.

One thing the chapter covers is the agents of socialization, a few of which are:

·         Family

·         Media

·         Peers

·         Sports

·         Religious Institutions

·         Schools

There are many different approaches for explaining socialization such as

·         Psychoanalytic theory

·         Social Learning Theory

·         Functionalism

·         Conflict Theory

·         Symbolic Interaction Theory

Socialization is one of the key factors of diversity. Every person grows up to be a unique person because there were different factors that affected their lives. So many people will have some things in common, such as living in the same area or environment, but each has a unique set of circumstances that define how that person developed to fit society's expectations.

What I think of when I think of socialization is the Harry Chapin song Cat's in the Cradle (1974). Here are the lyrics for those of you who don't know the song.

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Here is a link to an article by Ross L. Matsueda and Karen Heimer (n.d.) about how symbolic interaction theory is applied to socialization, and how sometimes socialization leads to delinquency.

http://faculty.washington.edu/matsueda/Papers/Role.PDF

This is a link to a website by Dennis O'Neill (2009) that gives a brief description to the process of socialization. It is really helpful in gaining a basic understanding of the process of socialization around the world.

http://anthro.palomar.edu/social/soc_1.htm

This is a link to a webpage by John Baldwin (2003) that discusses socialization as well as some of the positive and negative forms of socialization. The site also refers to the effects that socialization has on people's perspectives and lifestyles.

http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/baldwin/classes/soc142/scznDEF.html

This is a link to a video about the effect media has on socialization that was created by a student for one of her communications classes it is titled, "The Influence of Television Media on Society" (2009).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqRNRw0eBIE&feature=related

References

Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. F. (2011). Sociology: The essentials. (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Baldwin, John (2003).What is the Socialization Process? Retrieved from http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/baldwin/classes/soc142/scznDEF.html.

Chapin, Harry (1974). "Cat's in the Cradle." Retrieved from http://www.lyricsdepot.com/harry-chapin/cats-in-the-cradle.html.

Matsueda, Ross L. and Karen Heimer. (n.d.) A Symbolic Interactionist Theory of Role-Transitions, Role Commitments, and Delinquency. Retrieved from http://faculty.washington.edu/matsueda/Papers/Role.PDF.

O'Neill, Dennis (2009).  Process of Socialization: Socialization. Retrieved from http://anthro.palomar.edu/social/soc_1.htm

The Influence of Television Media on Society (2009, November 29). [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqRNRw0eBIE&feature=related