In chapter 5, socialization,
one of the topics that is mentioned is the role of nurture. A psychologist
named John B. Watson developed a theory called behaviorism. It means that
behavior is not instinctive but learned. How a person develops inherited
potential depends on how they were raised. I believe this to be accurate. I
have noticed that most of who I am and how I act is because of the environment
around me. My family and friends were the greatest influences in my life. I
learned manners from my mother such as how to be polite, what to say and when,
as well as what things are considered polite when you do them.
Another thing mentioned
in the chapter is Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Human
cognition is how people think and understand. There are four stages of
cognitive development. The first is sensorimotor stage. This is the level of
human development at which individuals experience the world only through their
senses. Through the first two years of a person's life they use touch, taste,
smell, vision, and hearing to learn things. This stage in my opinion continues
on past those years. I still learn what things are through the five senses. The
second stage is the preoperational stage which is the level of human
development at which individuals first use language and other symbols. A person
begins this stage around age two. Children now begin to think about the world cognitively
and use their imagination. Stage three is the concrete operational stage which
is the level of human development at which individuals first see casual
connections in their surroundings. Between the ages seven and eleven, people
focus on how and why things happen. The final stage is the formal operational
stage which is the level of human development at which individuals think
abstractly and critically. Around the age of twelve, people think about things
such as what they would like to be when they mature. This is a very important
stage for a person to reach. I remember when I was around this age and I wanted
to be many things when I was older. At first I wanted to be a veterinarian.
Then I wanted to be a firefighter. Finally, I came to the decision that I
wanted to be a high school Spanish teacher and that is currently what I am
working my way towards.
Finally, the chapter
brings up the agents of socialization. This talks about how every social
experience we have affects us in some way. Four groups play a very special role
in this; family, school, peer group, and the mass media. The family to most
people is the most important one of the social groups. The family teaches children
skills, values, and beliefs along with teaching them to see themselves as
strong or weak, smart or stupid, loved or tolerated. Social class also plays a
huge part in shaping a child’s personality. They learn that their social
standing affects how others see them. I personally agree with the family being
the most important of the social groups. My father had left my mother when I
was very young. I was so young that I don’t have a single memory of him. But my
mother took on his role and guided me to become who I am today. She was there
for me through every tough time I went through and helped me become a strong
person. She also constantly told me how proud she was of me when I would do
something that impressed her. This helped me feel as though I was a smart
person and because of that I have always applied myself to the things that
matter. Knowing that I was without a father was difficult for me when I was younger.
All of the friends I made had two parents which often left me feeling as though
I wasn’t loved as much as they were. But as I grew older I came to realize that
my mother had done everything for me and had been there every time I needed
her. She loved me more than anything in the world and that was all I ever
needed to hear from her when I was feeling down. The school teaches children to
include people with different backgrounds such as race, gender, and social
class. School not only teaches the planned lessons, but teaches many things
which some may call the “hidden curriculum”. An event such as a spelling bee
teaches them about winning and losing. Sports teach children about cooperation
and competition. Next is the peer group which is usually discovered in school.
Peer groups allow children to escape adult supervision. They also have the
ability to share interests that they can’t share with adults such as music,
films, and clothing. The importance of peer groups happens during the
adolescence stage when young people start to move away from their families and
see themselves as adults. Lastly is the mass media which spreads information on
a massive scale. It introduces people to ideas and images that reflect the
larger society and the entire world. On the negative side the mass media can
affect a child by slowing their cognitive development. It also causes them to
use their imagination less and they have a higher risk of obesity. Obesity can
oftentimes occur when one relies heavily on the mass media.
http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/a/keyconcepts.htm
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/types-of-families/Pages/Single-Parent-Families.aspx
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