instructions

Write a sociological autobiography of your life( 5-7 or more pages double-spaced), with special emphasis on your socialization process. Use C. Wright Mills sociological Imagination to view as an outsider might. According to sociologist C. Wright Mills, people usually see the world through the limited experience of family, relatives, friends, and coworkers. This viewpoint places blinders on our view of the wider society. The sociological imagination allows us to escape from this cramped personal vision and to see the link between personal and social events. The sociological imagination helps us see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society.  It allows us to understand how seemingly personal troubles may be related to the larger social context of public issues.  Developing our own sociological imagination requires that we take into account perspectives of people from diverse backgrounds. Respond to the following items below:  Do not use the sample research paper under resources module as this is a personal autobiography and not a research paper.

 

 •Identify the major agencies of socialization in your life.

•Who are the significant others in your life?

•What were some of the earliest messages about yourself that you internalized from your significant others?

•What were the most important cultural and social values that were transmitted to you by your family? Or what do you believe to be the most important values that you want to transmit to your own family?

•Who were the generalized others in your life? What impact did they have?

•In what way did any of the above shape your self-image and goals?

•Can you recall some of the things you learned through the “hidden” curriculum during your elementary and secondary school years? Have these things helped or hindered your college education?

•How has race and ethnicity influenced your perspective? Your gender? Your economic status?

•Do you have friends outside your racial and or ethnic group?  If yes, how has the relationship impacted your life?

 

According to the book

Socialization is the lifelong process through which individuals acquire a self‑identity and the physical, mental, and social skills needed for survival in society.  Socialization is essential for the individual’s survival and for human development; it also is essential for the survival and stability of society.

People are the product of two forces: heredity and social environment. Most sociologists agree that while biology dictates our physical makeup, the social environment largely determines how we develop and act.

Humans need social contact to develop properly.  Cases of isolated children have shown that individuals who are isolated during their formative years fail to develop their full emotional and intellectual capacities and that social contact is essential in developing a self, or self‑concept.

The basic assumption in Freud’s psychoanalytic approach is that human behavior and personality originate from unconscious forces within individuals.

Piaget believed that in each stage of human development, children’s activities are governed by their perception of the world around them.

Using Piaget’s theories, Kohlberg classified the development of moral reasoning in children.

Gilligan, a critic of Kohlberg, has pointed out the differences in the moral development of males and females due to gender socialization.

Cooley developed the idea of the looking‑glass self to explain how people see themselves through the perceptions of others.

Mead linked the idea of self‑concept to role taking and to learning the rules of social interaction.  When children do not have a positive environment in which to develop a positive self‑concept, it becomes difficult to form a healthy social self.

Significant others are those persons whose care, affection, and approval are especially desired and who are most important in the development of the self.

The generalized other refers to the child’s awareness of the demands and expectations of the society as a whole or of the child’s subculture.

The symbolic interactionist approach emphasizes that socialization is a collective process in which children are active and creative agents, not passive recipients of the socialization process.

According to sociologists, agents of socialization – including families, schools, peer groups, the media, and workplace – influence us in   what we need to know in order to participate in society.

Social class, gender, and race are all determining factors in the life‑long socialization process.

We learn knowledge and skills for future roles through anticipatory socialization.  Resocialization – the process of learning new attitudes, values, and behaviors, voluntarily or involuntarily – sometimes takes place in total institutions.

As we approach the twenty‑first century, we must note that the family is likely to remain the most important agent of socialization.  Experts predict that those with access to information technology will not only better learn about the past but would also acquire the knowledge and skills to think about the future in a practical manner.