Essay on Socialization

Essay on Socialization Essay on Socialization This is a free example essay on Socialization: Nature versus nurture: According to one side of the debate, individuals and social behavior are a product of heredity or nature. The others say that individual and social behavior are a product of experience and learning or nurture. Darwin pushed the nature viewpoint in his theory of evolution. â€Å"Humans are a product of natural processes†, he said. Evolutionary theorist used his theory to explain cross cultural differences and social inequalities. According to this, the dominant positions the Europeans occupied in the world was a result of natural selection – Asian, African and other people were regarded as biologically inferior. Within a group, people were believed to be rich and poor due to â€Å"survival of the fittest†. The concept of survival of the fittest was used to justify genocide. In the 20th century the pendulum swayed toward â€Å"nurture†. Pavlov experimented to show that dogs could be taught to salivate even at the sound of a bell, Skinner showed that pigeons could be taught ping-pong. The experiments were done through â€Å"reward† and â€Å"punishment†. These social scientists argued that human mind is equally malleable. It was believed that human mind is tabula rasa, upon which experience writes. Watson wrote: Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-informed, and my own specified world, to bring them up in, and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select – doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant chief and, yes, even beggar man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race.(1924). In other words, for behaviorists, socialization is everything. According to sociobiology, biological principles may be used to explain social activities of social animals including humans. According to sociobiology, human sexual behavior and courtship are based on inborn traits. They point out that in most animals, males are much larger and more aggressive and tend to dominate the â€Å"weaker† sex and that is the reason in all human societies, males tend to hold positions of greater authority. However, these issues have remained highly controversial and have been much debated about. Usually animals placed low on the evolutionary scale grow with little or no help from adults. Behavior of the â€Å"young† is more or less similar to the behavior of the â€Å"adults†. However, â€Å"higher† animals need to learn appropriate behavior. A human infant is most dependent of all. A child can not survive unaided for at least the first four to five years. Socialization is the process whereby people learn the attitudes, actions and values appropriate to individuals as members of a particular culture. Ways in which people learn to conform to their society’s norms, values and roles. People learn to behave according to the norms of their culture. For example in the U.S., people grow up to view wealth as desirable and to blame the poor for their condition. Socialization occurs through human interaction, family members, teachers, best friends and also the media and the Internet. Socialization helps us acquire a sense of personal identity and learn what people in the surrounding culture believe and how they expect one to behave. Socialization connects different generations to one another (Turnbull 1983). Birth of a child alters the lives of those who bring up the child. Thus learning and adjustment go on throughout the life cycle. The process of socialization Freud viewed socialization as a confrontation between the child and society. According to him there is constant struggle between the child driven by powerful, inborn sexual and aggressive urges and elders who try to impose on the child appropriate behavior. Other sociologists like Cooley and Herbert Mead view it as collaboration between the child and society. Freud’s theory has been largely criticized. Some have rejected the idea that infants have erotic wishes and that what happens during infancy and childhood has its impact throughout life and the feminists have criticized him for directing his theories too much toward male experience. Mead’s ideas focus on symbolic interactionism. This is the notion that interactions between humans take place though symbols and interpretations of meanings. According to Mead, young children develop as social beings by imitating the action of those around them. In their play, small children often imitate the adults. Mead called this, â€Å"taking the role of another† – learning what it is like to be in the shoes of another. At this stage they acquire a sense of self. Agents of Socialization In all cultures, the family is the main source of socialization. Later in life, other agencies come into play. In modern societies, children spend most of their early years within a domestic unit consisting of mother, father and maybe siblings. In many cultures, uncles, aunts and grandparents do the caretaking of infants. Another agency of socialization is peer group. This is a friendship group of children of a similar age (peer means equal). Peer relations are founded upon mutual consent and the relations are reasonable egalitarian. Schools are another agency of socialization. Alongside the formal curriculum there is also hidden curriculum. Children learn discipline. Mass media – newspapers, magazines, radio and TV have become important to our lives and hence important socializing agencies. Television violence leads to violence in some children but educational programs also teach children prosocial behaviors like sharing and getting along with others – Sesame Street, The Cosby show etc. Children are as susceptible to good TV messages as they are to bad ones. Work place involves learning to behave appropriately within a work environment. Socialization at work place represents the harsh reality and realization of an ambition. Sesame Street Workshop for children This is a TV workshop that brings certain messages to children and help bring about change in people’s attitudes. The messages help break stereotypes and bridge understanding between people. It teaches them to be respectful and tolerant of others. CapeTown version of Sesame street is called Takalani Sesame. It has introduced an HIV positive character who is talented but tires very fast. This is done to ensure that kids do not demonize people with AIDS, to destigmatize AIDS victims and to make them socially acceptable. In an episode, when the muppet is asked what she wishes for, she says, â€Å"I wish that my mom was alive, that people were kind and that people were healthy†. The Middle East version of Sesame Street is called Sesame Story. It emphasizes on peace education by connecting Palestinian and Israeli muppets. It narrates stories that humanize people around the world and enhances understanding between people. â€Å"Unsocialized† children (feral or â€Å"untamed† children) What would children be like if they were raised in the absence of adult humans. The story of â€Å"the wild boy of Aveyron† goes as follows – In early 1800, a strange creature emerged from the woods in southern France. He walked erect, but looked more animal than human. He spoke only strange sounding shrills. He had no sense of hygiene and relieved himself wherever he chose. He wore no clothes. He was brought to a police station and then taken to an orphanage. He refused to wear clothes, tore them off as soon as they were put on him and no parents came to claim him. After a thorough medical examination, no major physical abnormalities were found. Observation revealed that the boy was not completely without intelligence. Later he was toilet-trained and taught to wear clothes. He learned some human speech but made little progress and died around the age of 40 years. In another case, a Californian girl named Genie, born with a defective hip was kept locked by her psychotic father for twelve years. Her mother who was blind and highly dependent was also locked up in isolation. The only contact they had with outside world was through a teenage son who went to school and did grocery shopping. Genie was not toilet trained. She had never heard anyone talk, had no toys and was kept tied up by her father who also beat her frequently. When the girl was around 12 years of age, her mother escaped with her and placed her in a rehabilitation center. Here she was toilet-trained, she learned to eat, talk and walk etc. Her mastery of the language never progressed beyond that of a 3 – 4 year old. She was a case of a child who had been deprived of social learning. She was alive but not a social being. In both the cases of â€Å"feral† children, (raised without adults, and in isolation) by the time they came into contact with humans, children had grown beyond the age of learning language and other behaviors. This goes to show how limited our faculties would be in the absence of an extended period of early socialization. Even the most basic human traits depend upon socialization. Need for love All studies point to the undeniable need for nuturance in early childhood. Extreme isolation is related to profound retardation in acquisition of social and language skills. Cross-cultural variations Cross-cultural studies are also a good indication of the impact of socialization on human behavior. Margaret Mead (1935) conducted a classic study to find out whether women are nurturing by â€Å"nature† and men aggressive by â€Å"nature†? Her study in New Guinea showed that males proved as mild–mannered and nurturing as the females. Little boys treated infant girls like dolls. Men could not stand to hear a baby cry. Members of both sexes behaved in ways that we might call â€Å"feminine†. In another tribe she found that women were as hot-tempered, combative and uncaring as men were. Her work indicated that human behavior is largely learned. Resocialization Many adults and even adolescents experience the need to correct certain patterns of prior social learning that they and others find detrimental. Resocialization is a process whereby individuals undergo intense and deliberate socialization designed to change major beliefs and behaviors. Often aimed at changing behaviors like drinking, drug abuse, overeating etc. ______________ is a professional essay writing service which can provide high school, college and university students with 100% original custom written essays, research papers, term papers, dissertations, courseworks, homeworks, book reviews, book reports, lab reports, projects, presentations and other assignments of top quality. 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Critical Thinking Discussion Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Thinking Discussion Question - Essay Example Framing a problem before offering up solutions can influence the outcome. Prior to an early morning board meeting a look out the window shows heavy snow falling. A check online at The Weather Channel shows a forecast of heavy snow for the next forty-eight hours. With this information you head down the hall to the boardroom where others are gathering. There is murmuring about the weather and the desire of many to go home. The chairman of the board enters and begins to discuss the need to draft a coordinated plan to hire contractors to build a bridge that the team designed. It is Wednesday and he wants the finished product on his desk by Friday. The others in the room are periodically glancing toward the window where they can see the snow falling. The room is quiet. The Chairman looks out the window and then back at the room full of employees. He chuckles and says: Oh yeah, grab your laptops and go home. Set up a conference call to compile your work and have it in my email box by Friday. A sigh of relief fills the room. The Chairman leaves the room followed by the team heading towards the doors with coats and laptops in hand. Problem solved! Forces of influence can change how one frames an argument and that influences the outcome.

The Need Of Imposing Age Limit On Energy Drinks Research Proposal

The Need Of Imposing Age Limit On Energy Drinks - Research Proposal Example This report was authorized to examine the health risks and impacts of energy drinks on the human health, particularly in adolescents because of the increasing number of emergency visits and death incidents. The research will help in drawing attention to the fact that energy drinks contain various substances in an extremely high amount causing serious health issues and even deaths. Energy drinks are extreme caffeinated beverages that are designed to boost the energy level of its consumers because caffeine has been proven as a drug to change the mood. A small can of Monster energy drink contains 160mg caffeine and people usually drink two or more energy drinks within 24-36 hours. In this regard, energy drinks are very harmful to adults but are more harmful to children and teenagers who are very young to bear such a high amount of caffeine. Recently, the death of a 14-year-old girl from Maryland was reported as a result of the consumption of two 24 ounce Monster energy drink within 24 h ours. Such a huge amount of caffeine in the body of a very young girl caused toxicity. In the US in 2011 alone, 20,000 emergency visits were reported as a result of energy drink consumption. Further, the online survey revealed that most of the consumers of energy drinks are unaware about the contents and its impacts on human health and they are assuming energy drinks as a source of safe refreshment and energy booster. In our survey, 14% participants were very young to consume energy drinks, i-e, between the age group 13-15.

DBQ Andrew Jackson Essay Example for Free

DBQ Andrew Jackson Essay Andrew Jackson was a man of the people because he was once a part of the people. Before he was elected into office, he was a man who had lived a tough childhood but learned to manage and move forward to become a successful prosecutor and eventually a well known general. A man who has lived through a life filled with challenges knows what is best for his people and knows what they want. He wanted the people to be a part of the government. He wanted them to have a voice, which is why he believed in democracy but the way that he acted throughout his political career was not democratic at all. Andrew Jackson accomplished to changed many things in the government without the people’s vote. He had a part in the spoils system and he made decisions for groups of people that were completely unfair. Andrew Jackson was not a big fan of how the government was previously ranned. There was always something that he wanted to change. One of the things he changed were the rotation of the government officials in office. Of course he kept in mind that the people should be able to control all offices in congress so he proposed a constitutional amendment. He was changing the time period elected officials should remain in office. Not only did he change it for everyone else but he also wanted to changed it for himself. (Document D).

Arcimboldos Water :: Visual Arts Paintings Art

Arcimboldo's Water The picture is of a head made up of many different sea features with a plain black background. It would be nearly impossible to name all the aquatic animals that make up this head. It seams as though there is a chest plate at the top of the body which is made of a crab and there are also shoulder plates which are made up by using a turtle and a large mussel, an octopus has also attached itself to the shoulder plates. Hanging around the neck there is a necklace made of pearls. The cheek is a ray of some sort, the ear is a mussel with a pearl as an earring. There is some sort of crab in place as the eyebrows and the mouth seams to be a dogfish with its jaws open revealing all its teeth. The figure seams to be wearing a crown which is made up of whales, seals, sea horses and coral. The nose is also made up by a fish. There is an array of different colours used but only the coral and a lobster seam to be bright and really stand out. Arcimboldo has arranged this piece so that when you look at the picture you are not struck by individual features but the picture as a whole and I found that happened with me. Arcimboldo has used oil on limestone to create this picture and it seams as though he has built the picture up from the background and added layers as he painted. The ideas used are obviously derived from the sea and sea creatures and are created together in a harmonious way and it shows a sign of peace with so many different creatures layed together in harmony. I think it was made to show that people can live together peacefully just as the animals are in the picture. It shows that fighting and arguing can be discarded and that everyone can get along no matter what or who they are: within the picture many of the animals would be each others enemy and prey. I like this picture because Arcimboldo has incorporated so many different species into the image but it is still very clearly a face and shoulders. Also the message of peace is clearly illustrated and is

Language-rich classroom

It is necessary to admit that acquisition of new words shouldn’t be only particular stage in child development. Developing language skills is very important stage in literacy development of every child. Children acquire new words through everyday interactions with parents, friends and school teachers. Recent researches suggest that â€Å"number of words spoken to children in the first three years of life and the quality of the feedback they receive have a significant impact on their success in school†. (Lynn 1997) Many researchers and psychologists claim that children should be placed in language-rich environment to develop their skills better and faster. Language-rich environment at school is of great importance because children are provided with abundance of environmental print and text to practice reading, as well as they face written and oral language. Furthermore, children are allowed to ask for support of parents or caregivers. Such classrooms increase children’s awareness and help to develop alphabetic principles and enrich vocabulary. The role of a teacher in such classroom is integral as he/she supplies children with necessary textbooks and other materials. Distinguished feature of such classroom is that teachers don’t criticize their students; instead, they encourage them and involve in writing and reading activities. Conversation is an essential part of language-rich environment. The main characteristics of language-rich classroom are the following: 1.   teachers read books aloud every day because reading motivates conversation and, therefore, children develop new vocabulary, sentence structures, and they overcome fear to speak aloud; 2.   teachers encourage pretend talk and pretend play because opening â€Å"the frame of reference into the world of pretend gives additional opportunity for new vocabulary and predicting skills†; (What Are The Features 2006) 3.    teachers value children’ efforts and options meaning that teachers ask children to support their hypothesis or claim; it will help to develop though process and make children to defend their position and extend their thinking; 4.    children are treated as people with interesting and extraordinary experience meaning that children are encouraged during their mealtime or play time to discuss interesting moments with each other; (What Are The Features 2006) 5.    teachers introduce words – they can be written of every object in a classroom. There are many instructional strategies how to support language-rich environment. For example, teachers should speak slowly at first and shouldn’t distort their language. Nevertheless, two strategies seem to be of top priority in every classroom. Firstly, teachers should label every object in classroom because it will help newcomers to understand the meanings of the objects at school. Secondly, teachers school from the very beginning of the studies to assign classroom duties among all students because it will help them to consider themselves part of the classroom. Duties will also develop the sense of duty and responsibility. It goes without saying that all strategies suggest that students should be praised for their work, eve if the task is very simply. (Literacy Development 2004) Finally, parents and caregivers should be also interested and encourage taking part in children’s development. Researchers say that children who communicate with parents every day develop language skills better than children who don’t. Therefore, parent should understand that their children are interesting personality and they want to develop speaking, reading, writing and listening skills. Parents should talk to their children, firstly, about children’s everyday experiences and activities, ask them to describe object, relations with other students. Parent should consider that children are fond of pretend play and should make up stories and poems with them. Drawing and scribbling are the best ways to encourage writing. (What Are The Features 2006) References Lynn, Leon. (1997). Language-Rich Home and School Environments Are Key to Reading Success. Retrieved July 12, 2007, from http://www.edletter.org/past/issues/1997-ja/language.shtml   

The Existence of Absence in Keats On Seeing the Elgin...

In his sonnet On Seeing the Elgin Marbles for the First Time, John Keats presents a series of various forms of conflict and tension. Most prominent is the poets sense of his own fleeting existence juxtaposed with the eternity of the Greek marble sculptures and, perhaps, with the timelessness of art in general. However, there is another, more subtle tension between what is in existence, and what is not, an absence which paradoxically manifests as a form of existence in itself. The presence of this conflict within the sonnet shows Keatss self-coined Negative Capability, the ability to be in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason (Keats 863). Furthermore, the Negative Capability†¦show more content†¦The image plays heavily both on what was, the eagle soaring through the skies, and what remains, a gaping absence: an eagle-less sky and a lacking eagle. Hence, a fundamental element of the image is the existence of an absence. Two lin es later, the speaker describes the cloudy winds (7) which he does not have. The unusual description of the winds as â€Å"cloudy† implies a fraught and stormy sky, and stimulates both visual and tactile senses; yet, these same cloudy winds are absent to the speaker. Thus, here too is an instance of the existence of absence; the vivid and sensuous imagery creates something substantial and tangible, and, as such, the negation of the images existence, becomes all the more palpable; its absence becomes distinct and almost like an entity in its own right. The oxymoron â€Å"dim-conceived glories† (9) produces a similar tension. On a superficial level, the oxymoron is interesting in that it combines â€Å"dim,† connoting darkness, with â€Å"glories,† which often connotes radiance or light. Furthermore, there is a tension between the â€Å"dim† and â€Å"conceived,† the latter implying creation and thus existence, while the first paradoxically su ggests something barely or non-existent. Implying the creation of that which does not exist embodies the tension between existence and the