Socialization and Personality

“Socialization makes it possible for a society to perpetuate itself from

one generation to another”

Socialization Defined:
 Socialization refers to that lifelong process of learning and
relearning as people move from one social group to another

 Socialization is the process by which we acquire those modes of

thinking, feeling and acting that are necessary to participate
effectively in the larger community.

 Socialization is the process by which we acquire social identities

and internalize the values and roles of our social world.

 Socialization is the process by which a society transmits its cultural

values to individuals in order that they can function properly as it’s
members.

 It is a process whereby a person acquires and internalizes the

beahvior, concepts,knowledge and skills that are essential for
social living

 Socialization is the process of fitting into an organized way of life

and established cultural tradition; It includes the complementary
process of transmission of the a.culture b. social heritage c.
development of personality.
  Socialization is the learning process where the individual acquires
a status, plays a corresponding role and emerges with a
personality.
 Social Status
Refers to the social position of a person in a group.
 Ascribed Status
- Is determined by birth where a person has no choice
like Sex(Male or Female) and Age
 Achieved Status
- Refers to the status which the person attains through
his Efforts, Intelligence and Choice.
 Social Role
- Refers to the function, duties, responsibilities and
behavioral expectation attached to the social status.

Personality Defined:
 Personality
is the organization of the biological,psychological,social,cultural,
and moral factors which underlie a person’s behavior.

 Personality refers to the sum total of all the physical or

biological, psychological or mental, social or cultural, emotional,
and spiritual traits of a person which underlie his behavior and
which makes him distinct, unique, or different from all the
others
Factors that influence PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

1. BIOLOGICAL INHERITANCE or HEREDITY

 The child inherits the biological or physical and mental capacity of
his parents.

2. ENVIRONMENT
• Environment refers to the physical surroundings, both natural and
artificial, which affect the growth, development and existence of
living organisms. It refers to the geographic, cultural, and social
environment.

a. Geographic Environment
 Geographic environment refers to nature and all natural resources
which affect personality formation.

b. Cultural Environment
• Culture environment refers to the artificial or man-made
environment like building, schools, factories, clothing, machines,
tools, and other objects made by man. It also includes the learned
ways of living, norms, values, patterns of behavior, which are
transmitted to the chilf through social groups. Culture determines
what can be learned and acquired from one’s society; thus, a
person behaves or acts within the premise of his culture.

c. Social Environment
 Social environment refers to the different social groups and the
social interactions that take place in the groups of which a person
 is a participating member. The members of different groups exert
a strong influence on an individual’s personality formation.

Relative roles of HEREDITY and ENVIRONMENT In PERSONALITY

DEVELOPMENT

• Heredity and environment interact in complex ways in forming

our social identities.

• nature and nurture

• Heredity provides the raw materials or the potentialities for

growth and personality formation.

• Environment provides the opportunities, nurturance and

stimulation that would determine whether the inherited
biological make-up would be developed or stunted.

Functions of Socialization

Media (1991) gives the functions of socialization as follows:

1. Through the process of socialization, the group transmits its values,

customs and beliefs from one generation to another. Culture is socially
transmitted through the formal and informal education apprenticeship
training or experience.
2. Socialization enables the individual to grow and develop into a socially
functioning person, socialization provides the knowledge, skills and
abilities necessary for his effective functioning person. Socialization
provides the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for his effective
functioning in the society.

3. Socialization is means of social control by which members are

encouraged to conform to the ways of the group by internalizing the
group’s norms and values. Self-discipline, conformity to expected
behavior, compliance to codes of conduct, and obedience to the laws
and established values are developed through socialization.

Agents of Socialization
 1. The Family
 2. Peer Groups
 3. Media
 4. School
 5. Workplace

The Family
The family- In the first few years of the child’s life, the parents serve as
the mirror in which the child begin to see his self and the sources of
ideas about what is important and what is not. It is from parents and
family that children first learn values and behaviors. Moreover, the
family reflects the attitudes, values, and customs of the social class,
religion. Ethnic group and region of which it is a part.
The Peer Group
Peer Groups-Peer groups refers to groups whose members are more or
less of the same age, sex, and rank. According to K. Davis(1949), peers
stand in the same relation to persons in authority and therefore "see the
world through the same eyes”

The Media
• Television being part of media has become a major agent of
socialization
• It has been observed that children tend to spend more time
watching television rather than schooling or family matter

Good Effects of Watching Television

• Emphasize sharing, cooperation and self-discipline
• Portrays good health attitudes
• Major source of stimulation and instruction
• Widely used in schools as an effective teaching device
• A great source of entertainment and recreation

Bad Effects of Watching Television

• Excessive violence on television leads directly to aggression and
violent behavior among individuals
• Early viewing of television violence can lead to behavioral problem
in both pre-school and elementary student
• It tends to promote sex roles and stereotypes
• It supplanted traditional recreational activities
The School
• It is an institution that is established explicitly for the purpose of
socializing people. It is the primary agent for weaning children
from home and introducing them into the larger society
• It teaches young people technical and intellectual skills through
the curriculum specifically designed at their learning stage and
capacity
• Cultural values and attitudes are also being taught on school

The Workplace
• On the Job Training (OJT) – informal socialization through their
organization’s values and outlook
• Resocialization - mostly seen on the field of medicine, law,
military and police
• Desocialization – training programs to strip away the self-images
and perspectives that are the results of previous socialization

Theories of Personality Development

There are physiological and sociological explanations of personality

development namely:

Freud’s theory of socialization

Sigmund Freud, a Viennese psychologist, holds that personality consists
of three major systems, namely: id, ego and superego. The “id” is the
reservoir of sexual and aggressive urges. It is centered on the
satisfaction of basic needs like food and sex and dominated by the
pleasure principle.
• The “ego” is the rational part of the self that interprets
information obtained through the senses and that finds realistic
and acceptable ways of satisfying biological cravings. The
cognitive and intellectual processes are controlled by the ego. The
superego or conscience stands for the internalized ideas of right
and wrong, the traditional values and morals of the society. The id
(biological drives) and superego (conscience) are continually in
conflict, while the ego mediates between them.

Cultural Determinism Theory

The cultural determinism theory held by anthropologists views culture

and the cultural environment as the main factor that determines human
behavior. Frans Boas’ view is that personality development is a result of
learned ways of the group. Ruth Benedict maintains that individual
personalities of members of society are tiny replicas of their overall
culture, with the culture as the sum total of their personalities.
Personality is culturally conditioned. The personality of a member of a
social group generally reflects the culture of the group to which he/she
belongs.

Symbolic Interactionism Theory

 The basic idea in this theory is that personality is the result
of the interaction between individuals mediated by symbols or language.
Language is crucial in the development of the social self.

According to Mead, the self consists of two parts, namely:

the “I”, which is active, spontaneous, and idiosyncratic, and the “me”,
which is the product of socialization, resulting in the social self. The
“me” refers to the self which has acquired a social status through social
interaction and recognition of the status and roles of others.

Charles Horton Cooley (1964) calls the social self the “looking glass
self”. This is the conception of the self or the ability to visualize oneself
through the response of others. We acquire our sense of self by seeing
ourselves reflected in others’ behavior and attitude toward us and by
imagining what others think about us. The looking glass self involves
three processes: presentation, identification, and subjective
interpretation. We start by ‘imagining’ the way we appear to others,
and then we ‘identify’ with how we imagine others judge that
appearance, and finally we ‘interpret’ those judgments for our own self-
image. For instance, before we buy a polo shirt, we first imagine how
others will evaluate our appearance when we are wearing that shirt.

Next, we conclude that others perceive us as charming and

fashionable (or sloppy and ‘badoy’), and we think of ourselves in similar
terms. Then we react to this image. We experience feeling of joy,
happiness, and satisfaction (or despondency, sadness, and
dissatisfaction). Whether we will buy the shirt or not depends to a large
degree upon our positive or negative self-image based on the would-be
behavior of other people once we wear the shirt.

Biological Determinism Theory

This theory views the inherited biological structures as the main factor
that determines human behavior. The genetic endowments provide
the foundations that determine the type and quality of personality that
will be formed through social interaction. Superior physical and mental
endowments are likely to produce individuals with better physical
attributes and above-average mental abilities. Great leaders of men and
nations, men and women who guide the destinies of human history,
people who have contributed outstanding works for the betterment of
mankind like scientists, investors, philosophers, social and political
thinkers, saints, heroes and martyrs are men and women endowed with
better genetic potentials.

Labeling Theory

In this theory, personality is viewed as the result of society’s labeling

on human behavior as either good or bad. Different forms of behavior
are given labels or tags through the consensus of the members of the
society: Behavior which conforms to the values, customs, beliefs, and
norms of the society is labeled as good , ethical, acceptable and
appropriate. Behavior which is unacceptable and inimical to the group’s
welfare is labeled as bad. In fine, the labeling theory suggests that a
particular behavior is neither good nor bad. It is society’s labeling that
makes a particular behavior as either good or bad.
Sex and Gender

Sex Defined:
 Refers to the general classification of human beings as males and
females on the differences of their primary sex organs and their
anatomical and biological characteristics

Gender Defined:
 Connotes the physical, Social, and Cultural differences between
males and females
 Refers to the differences of Men and Women based on how they
are molded and conditioned by the society and culture.
 Result of Socialization

Gender Identity Defined:

 Refers to the conception that we have of ourselves as men or
women.

 Constitues our inner experience and or sense of ourselves as being

male or female as a result of socialization.

Gender Training
Gender training or socialization for sex roles begins at birth. It starts
in the family and reinforced by the schools by the media, and by other
social settings. The traditional role of bearing children and
housekeeping is assigned to females, while the role of being
 productive and providing for the needs of the group is assigned to
male.
• GIRLS
• -”weak”
• -”soft” • BOYS:
• -”fine-featured” • -”strong”
• -”delicate” • -”firm”
• -”modest” • -”large-featured”
• -”fragile” • -”well-coordinated”
• -”hard”

DISTINCTIVE COLLEGES COURSES

FEMALE
EDUCATION, NURSING, HOME
ECONOMICS, SOCIAL WORK,
NUTRITION AND SECRETARIAL
MALE
MATHEMATICS, NATURAL
SCIENCE, POLITICAL SCIENCE,
ENGINEERING, AVIATION,
MEDICINE AND LAW

WOMEN MEN
TEACHING, NURSING, SALES MASCULINE OCCUPATIONS
WORK AND MARKETING, INCLUDE ADMINISTRATIVE AND
OVERSEAS DOMESTIC HELPING, MANAGERIAL WORKS, HIGHLY
SECRETARIAL WORK, SKILLED AND TECHNICAL
BEAUTICIANS, HAIRDRESSERS, OCCUPATIONS, MILITARY AND
RECEPTIONISTS AND GUEST POLICE WORK, TENACY AND
RELATION OFFICER FARM LABOR, TRANSPORT AND
FISHING.

Universidad De Manila
College of Nursing
 Batch 2012

WRITTEN REPORT
IN
SOCIOLOGY

“SOCIALIZATION
AND PERSONALITY”
Submitted by:
GROUP IV

Aragona, Galileo
Francisco, Mervin
Fontanares, Merlinda
Ramoss, Rizza Anne
Sarmiento, Alfonse
Tan, Rachel Mae
NR – 31

Submitted to:
Mr. Cajiles