Socialization The Life Course The Socialization Process Socialization is how we learn society s expectations Socialization occurs during interaction with each other People absorb the culture For some who we are is defined as how others see us Through the process of socialization one can internalize the expectations of society Agents of Socialization There are six major agents in order of importance 1 Family a b There is great variation in what children learn from their family family teaches children norms and values of culture 2 Mass Media a we have access to this early on in life b by the age of 18 the average person has spent more time watching television than in school 3 Peers a b do not discredit peers as a major agent sometimes a peer relationship can be those who you interact with on equal terms closer to a family relationship it contributes to constructing children s identity it shapes the beliefs that people develop it is a powerful agent because it teaches us things like how to work as a team a b in schools teachers and other students can affect how people behave they can reinforce some distinction stereotypes social classes differences The US spends more on students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds This leaves those in poor racially segregated schools disadvantaged on education 4 Religion a b 5 Sports a 6 Schools Class Schooling achievement Santa Ana in higher class school students are being positively reinforced and encouraged the differences in the appearance of schools the most affluent schools are offered first rate material while the less fortunate schools are offered second rate materials and sometimes don t have some learning materials There is a difference in the school s funding A school in Arlington VA spends 18 500 on their students however a poor districts like in Utah with 5 000 on their students Agents of Socialization Teachers are likely to perceive working class children and poor children as less bright and less motivated than middle class children teachers are also more likely to define working class students as troublemakers AGING AND THE LIFE COURSE During Childhood Socialization establishes this initial identity and values The family is very influential Children learn about their culture through subtle cues This teaches them about society Adolescents Try to become independent from their families Have not yet moved into adult roles Swing between childhood and adulthood Adult Socialization Involves learning behaviors and attitudes that are appropriate to specific situations and specific roles in which they play Usually involves unlearning and re socializing They often resist change This makes aging extremely difficult Everyone wants to stay young