for only a couple of weeks. The teacher was giving the first test. Ram did not know much about what a test meant, but he rather liked school, and the red-haired girl next to him, Elyse, had become a friend. He was catching on to reading a bit faster than she, but she was better at the number exercises. They often helped each other learn while the teacher was busy with a small group in the front of the class. The teacher gave each child the test, and Ram saw that it had to do with numbers. He began to do what the teacher had instructed the children to do with the worksheet, but after a while, he became confused. He leaned over to look at the page Elyse was working on. She hid her sheet from him, an unexpected response. The teacher looked up and asked what was going on. Elyse said that Ram was “cheating.” Ram was not quite sure what that meant, but it did not sound good. The teacher’s scolding of Ram left him baffled, confused, and entirely humiliated.
This incident was Ram’s first lesson in the individualism and competitiveness that govern Western-style schools. His teacher was socializing him into a new set of values. In his culture of origin, competitiveness is discouraged, and individualism is equated with selfishness and rejection of community. Often, athletic events end in a tie so that no one will feel rejected. Indeed, a well-socialized person would rather lose in a competition than cause others to feel badly because they lost. Like Ram, each of us learns the values and beliefs of our culture. In Ram’s case, he moved from one cultural group to another and had to adjust to more than one culture within his social world. Many migrants and immigrants around the world go through similar experiences. Some immigrants face humiliation and bullying as they learn the social norms of their new culture.
At the micro level, most parents teach children proper behaviors to be successful in life, and peers influence children to “fit in” and have fun. In fact, the process of socialization in groups allows the self to develop as individuals learn to interact with others in their culture. Interaction theory, focusing on the micro level, forms the basis of this chapter. At the meso level, religious denominations and political groups teach their versions of the truth, and educational systems teach the knowledge and skills considered by leaders as necessary for functioning in society. At the nationwide macro level, television ads encourage viewers to be more masculine or feminine, buy products that will make them better and happier people, and join the military or other institutions. From interactions with our significant others to dealing with government bureaucracy, most activities are part of the socialization experience that teaches us how to function in our society.
Keep in mind that socialization is a lifelong process. Even your grandparents are learning how to live at their stage of life. The process of socialization takes place at each level of analysis—micro, meso, and macro—linking the parts of society. Groups at each level have a stake in how we are socialized because they all need trained and loyal group members to survive. Organizations need citizens who have been socialized to devote the time, energy, and resources that these groups rely on to survive and meet their goals. For example, volunteer and charitable organizations cannot thrive unless people are willing to volunteer their energy, time, skills, and money. Lack of adequate socialization means social organizations will not receive the support they need to thrive—or even, possibly, survive.
Most perspectives on socialization focus on the micro level because much of socialization takes place in an individual’s family, with peers, and in small groups. However, meso- and macro-level theories add to our understanding of how socialization prepares individuals for their roles in the larger social world. Structural-functionalist perspectives of socialization tend to see organizations at different levels supporting each other. For example, families often organize holidays around patriotic themes, such as a national independence day, or around religious celebrations. These activities can strengthen family members’ commitment to the nation and buttress the moral values emphasized in churches, temples, and mosques. All of these values, in turn, help prepare individuals to support national political and economic systems.
At the meso level, the purposes and values of organizations or institutions sometimes directly contrast with one another or conflict with other parts of the social system. From the conflict perspective, the linkages between various parts of the social world are based on competition with or even direct opposition to another part. Socialization into a nation’s military forces, for example, stresses patriotism and ethnocentrism, sometimes generating conflict and hostility toward other groups and countries. Demands from various organizations for people’s time, money, and energy may leave little to give to our religious communities or even our families. Each organization and unit competes to gain our loyalty in order to claim some of our resources.
Conflict can occur in the global community as well. For example, religious groups often socialize their members to identify with humanity as a whole (“the family of God”). However, in some cases, nations do not want their citizens socialized to identify with those beyond their borders. Leaders of nations may seek to persuade Christians to kill other Christians, Jews, or Muslims, whom they define as “the enemy.” If religion teaches that all people are “brothers and sisters” and if religious people object to killing, the nation may have trouble mobilizing its people to arms when the leaders call for war. Quaker, Mennonite, and Amish religious groups, among others, promote peace and refuse to engage in warfare.
Thinking Sociologically
What would happen if all religious groups taught that all people are “brothers and sisters” and that we should not take the life of a fellow human?
Conflict theorists believe that those who have power and privilege use socialization to manipulate individuals so that they will support the power structure and the self-interests of the elite. For example, parents decide how they would like to raise their children and what values they want to instill in them, but as their children enter school, parents must share the socialization process with school personnel who teach curricula established and approved by those in power in society. One reason why some parents choose to homeschool their children is to control external influences on the socialization process.
Whether we stress harmony in the socialization process or conflict rooted in power differences, the development of a sense of self through the process of socialization is an ongoing, lifelong process. Let us now focus on the micro level: How does the self develop? How did you develop your sense of self?
Thinking Sociologically
Although the socialization process occurs primarily at the micro level, it is influenced by events at each level in the social system. Give examples of family, community, subcultural, national, or global events that influenced how you were socialized or how you might socialize your child.
Development of the Self: Micro-Level Analysis
Have you seen a young child, 3 years or under, using a tablet, smartphone, or other interactive device? Some research shows that the impact of mobile devices on preschool children can be detrimental to their social-emotional, sensorimotor, problem-solving, math and science, and reading skills. Preschool children who use such devices do not develop as much empathy as children who spend more time in social interaction during unstructured play with peers. Using mobile devices can also affect their ability for self-regulation of behavior and early literacy skills (Walters 2015).
On the other hand, educational television and mobile device programs can get parents reading to young children and help children who are closer to school age gain technological skills (Pearson 2018). Still, researchers suggest more direct human-to-human interaction, and designated “family time” is beneficial for young children’s socialization. Children under 30 months learn primarily from human interaction. We are talking here about the development of the self.
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