Hello fellow bloggers and childhood socialization enthusiasts! At the end my last post I mentioned a study I was going to refer to this time, but I think I am going to save that for next week instead! My sociology classes this week totally correlate with my blog so instead I decided I wanted to divert this post towards socialization influences.
My notes suggest that "Society makes us human". Personally, I feel like being considered a unique individual is trending as the "cool" thing to do nowadays (ironic, heh?) so no one would really be happy to hear that society is actually manipulating your personality through the subconscious. I was asked to respond to the question along the lines of "what agents of socialization are most effective to myself".My first answer was family, because I've been surrounded by them literally since the day I was born so of course their going to mold my character. And my immediate second answer was peer groups, but than I realized unlike my family they have not surrounded me my entire life, besides a few exceptions, as I've grown up most of my friends changed. Then I went to think what else has been apart of my entire life.. mass media! I was never a "couch potato" or a pop culture junkie but even though I am not trying to keep up with this stuff it is all over! Implanting of so many aspects of my life! Unless you live in alone in the rain forest there really is no escaping mass media. What society labels as right, wrong, beautiful, ugly, masculine, feminine, in style, out of style, is constantly shoved in our faces...for the entirety of our life's... even before we were born!
This brings me back to my topic, if we are subliminally being fed messages from the mass media of how we are supposed to act, than what does that say for children? (Of course media has positive effects on developing youth, like educational T.V. shows and....wait that might be it....point taken, the media is defiantly not dominated by goals to positively influence children.) At a highly impressionable stage of life kids are being fed standards of what is dictated as right and wrong before they are old enough to even consider their personal opinions, judgement's and morals. Actually never mind that, before they are even old enough to pronounce those words!
Just the other day my niece (who is now almost 10) asked me if in high school the cafeteria is really split up by cliques. Alyssa has not even finished elementary school yet, she is not sure what order "Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior" go in, or what the heck a "common app" is for!? Why would she know any of that, she has years until she experiences it. BUT she does know that the tall skinny cheerleader is popular and dating the tan strong star QB (which might I mention is not factual to any highschool I know of). Alyssa did not just come up with this ideal for highschool she's been exposed to it...for almost a decade! So many children are brainwashed by these concepts. Strong is hot, skinny is beautiful, tan is sexy, money is popularity, long hair is for girls, short hair is for boys, tight is feminine, sports are manly.. this list is practically endless . In the 21st century lot of people are aware of how the ideals are false, but it seems there is trouble letting go of these concepts because they are still promoted to us. I know children do not read "cosmo" or watch MTV or even skim the fashion or sports section while they're drinking their morning sippy cup...but not everything is that direct.. when Mommy picked out a pink dress for her newborn daughter or Daddy brought his three year old son to the baseball game... that was the concepts that are directed through mass media (subconsciously) being regurgitated to children, before they are capable of making any personal choices, by the people that pick them up when they cry, feed them when their hungry, and cuddle them endlessly, the people they trust! So of course these standards are right...right?
What does this say for a child? their self-esteem? relationships? friendships? future?
Friday, September 21, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Second Post: Article/Website
63 views! Wow I did not expect people to be viewing my blog so that is exciting to see! In my last post I reflected on how the environment affected Alyssa's behavior at the soccer game. After a little bit of research I have learned that a household environment is a huge contributing factor to childhood socialization.
But before I get into that I think it would be a good idea to back track a little. What exactly is childhood socialization? I was surprised because my sociology text book (Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach) doesn't provide a concrete definition. But the website I have hyper linked below provides an insightful explanation for the concept...
Sounds pretty obvious, huh? Maybe so, but the matter of the fact is it is very difficult for a parent to remember and utilize this in the moment. In the introductory paragraph of this article the author mentions her experience as a kindergarten teacher on the first day of school. Over the summer I worked as a teacher aide for my towns summer school program. The classroom I worked in was a special ed./general ed. pre-k class. We had about 12 students but one boy stopped coming after the second week. During the day he would be fine but in the morning he would throw fits when his mom dropped him off. When I say fits I mean crying, screaming, clinging to his mom, full out tantrums. Unfortunately, this was all mom saw of his experience in the program and it was much easier to pull him out of it than continue to watch her sons desperate refusal each morning. As a bystander to the situation it was upsetting for me because here is a kid who would clearly benefit from being a part of the program. That particular agent of socialization (people or groups that affect our self-concept, attitudes, behaviors, or other orientation towards life), his mother, felt like she was looking out for the greater good of him. But she failed to see that if he was grouped in the classroom being disciplined from an adult with that does not have that maternal tie to him his attitude and behavior would most likely shift, diverting away from tantrums and more towards an easygoing acceptance.
*Thoughts for next post: consider the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 1999; Guensburg 2001 study and findings of children in Day Care because it kind of contradicts the conclusion I just came to...
(page 79 in textbook)
Social Emotional Development
But before I get into that I think it would be a good idea to back track a little. What exactly is childhood socialization? I was surprised because my sociology text book (Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach) doesn't provide a concrete definition. But the website I have hyper linked below provides an insightful explanation for the concept...
In this article the author continues to speak about the effect parent's have on their children's social future. The treatment they receive at home, this includes discipline tactics and attention (or lack of), molds the basis of a child's development. How children are punished, respond to punishment, and how they develop independent behavior are each contributing factors to the process of socialization."The term social refers to a relationship or interaction between two or more people, who by definition respond to each other and influence each other’s behavior. Socialization is an important process in child development. Stated simply, it is the process whereby individuals, especially children, become functioning members of a particular group and take on the values, behaviors, and beliefs of the group’s other members. Although the process begins shortly after birth and continues into adulthood, the age of early childhood is a crucial period of socialization."
Sounds pretty obvious, huh? Maybe so, but the matter of the fact is it is very difficult for a parent to remember and utilize this in the moment. In the introductory paragraph of this article the author mentions her experience as a kindergarten teacher on the first day of school. Over the summer I worked as a teacher aide for my towns summer school program. The classroom I worked in was a special ed./general ed. pre-k class. We had about 12 students but one boy stopped coming after the second week. During the day he would be fine but in the morning he would throw fits when his mom dropped him off. When I say fits I mean crying, screaming, clinging to his mom, full out tantrums. Unfortunately, this was all mom saw of his experience in the program and it was much easier to pull him out of it than continue to watch her sons desperate refusal each morning. As a bystander to the situation it was upsetting for me because here is a kid who would clearly benefit from being a part of the program. That particular agent of socialization (people or groups that affect our self-concept, attitudes, behaviors, or other orientation towards life), his mother, felt like she was looking out for the greater good of him. But she failed to see that if he was grouped in the classroom being disciplined from an adult with that does not have that maternal tie to him his attitude and behavior would most likely shift, diverting away from tantrums and more towards an easygoing acceptance.
*Thoughts for next post: consider the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 1999; Guensburg 2001 study and findings of children in Day Care because it kind of contradicts the conclusion I just came to...
(page 79 in textbook)
Social Emotional Development
Sunday, September 9, 2012
First Post
This is cool because its my first time every really blogging. But that also makes it not cool because I don't know how to work this website. I am not sure if I am supposed to introduce myself or just cut to the chase. I am just gonna go for it though... Hi fellow bloggers I am Morgan Raspanti! This is my blog for sociology about Childhood Socialization. So, as of now my account is not exactly "pretty" and my hyper link has far too many characters but at least the content is going to be up to par...
Well I dont know much about Childhood Socialization (YET) besides personal accounts.My oldest brother, Dan is a single father and has work 5 or 6 times a week so he decided to move back into my parents house when Alyssa was about 2. Now Alyssa is 9, turning ten October 22, I am actually gonna add a picture of her(when I figure out how to post to the class group and set this to private) because I probably will reference her often. But Alyssa started hitting puberty probably like last year and her hormones are all out of wack. Plus shes still a little kid, so this combination sometimes just makes her SO annoying. I swear sometimes she'll intentionally try to get on my nerves and then act like I was bullying her for getting mad about her behavior. Like I'll tell her to stop eating so much and say she's going to get fat and she'll think I am trying to make her feel bad and start crying and whining. So basically Alyssa does alot of nit picking things to bother me. She did it so much at the end of the summer I just hated being with her. And I feel terrible saying that because I love my niece but she was just being so bothersome! But yesterday I had to babysit her and wanted to watch the Bergen Catholic soccer game so Alyssa came along. She knew three of my friends that were there but that was all out of the group of ten. Occasionally Alyssa will get very shy and its weird because that's so out of character to how she acts at home. BUT yesterday I was so surprised. She was fine! Behaved completely normal. At ten years old she was hanging out with a group of 17 year old's. I want to say it was because she is a little older now but if I were to have that same group in my backyard Alyssa would be hesitant to come outside and say hi. So I guess the environment was a big factor that made her comfortable. It was a public place and we were the first ones there. Everyone was talking to her normally too though, like no one really censored themselves around her. Which you would think is bad but I think that being treated basically like just another one of friends helped her break the awkward behavior she would sometimes resort to.
Well I dont know much about Childhood Socialization (YET) besides personal accounts.My oldest brother, Dan is a single father and has work 5 or 6 times a week so he decided to move back into my parents house when Alyssa was about 2. Now Alyssa is 9, turning ten October 22, I am actually gonna add a picture of her(when I figure out how to post to the class group and set this to private) because I probably will reference her often. But Alyssa started hitting puberty probably like last year and her hormones are all out of wack. Plus shes still a little kid, so this combination sometimes just makes her SO annoying. I swear sometimes she'll intentionally try to get on my nerves and then act like I was bullying her for getting mad about her behavior. Like I'll tell her to stop eating so much and say she's going to get fat and she'll think I am trying to make her feel bad and start crying and whining. So basically Alyssa does alot of nit picking things to bother me. She did it so much at the end of the summer I just hated being with her. And I feel terrible saying that because I love my niece but she was just being so bothersome! But yesterday I had to babysit her and wanted to watch the Bergen Catholic soccer game so Alyssa came along. She knew three of my friends that were there but that was all out of the group of ten. Occasionally Alyssa will get very shy and its weird because that's so out of character to how she acts at home. BUT yesterday I was so surprised. She was fine! Behaved completely normal. At ten years old she was hanging out with a group of 17 year old's. I want to say it was because she is a little older now but if I were to have that same group in my backyard Alyssa would be hesitant to come outside and say hi. So I guess the environment was a big factor that made her comfortable. It was a public place and we were the first ones there. Everyone was talking to her normally too though, like no one really censored themselves around her. Which you would think is bad but I think that being treated basically like just another one of friends helped her break the awkward behavior she would sometimes resort to.
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