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Socializing the Individual

Socializing the Individual. Chapter 5, Section 1- Personality Development. What is it?. Personality= sum total of behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and values that are characteristics of an individual.

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Socializing the Individual

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  1. Socializing the Individual Chapter 5, Section 1- Personality Development

  2. What is it? • Personality= sum total of behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and values that are characteristics of an individual. • No two individuals have exactly the same personality. Traits change at different rates and to different degrees. • Personality changes are more obvious in childhood because individuals are undergoing rapid physical, emotional and intellectual growth.

  3. Nature vs. Nurture- The Debate • Social scientists have long debated what determines an individual’s personality. • Some believe that it was heredity= transmission of genetic material from parents to children . • ‘Nature’ argument • Others believe that is an individual’s social environment. • ‘Nurture’ argument

  4. Arguments for each • Nature: • Instinct= an unchanging biologically inherited behavior pattern. • Sociobiology= systematic study of biological basis of social behavior. • Cultural variations stem from similar genetic makeup. • Originated in the 1970s. • Nurture • Work of Ivan Pavlov conditioned dogs to salivate at the ringing of a bell. • American sociologist believed he could take infants and mold them into being a certain type of person.

  5. Harry Harlow and his Monkeys • Summary: • Separated baby monkeys from their mother 6 – 12 hours after birth • Placed them with surrogate mothers of either wire, OR cloth; wire had food, cloth had a heat source inside. • Findings: • Babies preferred cloth monkey 23 hours/day • Moved to wire monkey only when hungry • As adults, the monkeys were seriously disturbed: • Very strange behaviors • Did not know their cultural behavior patterns

  6. Factors Influencing Personality • Most agree that is a combination of ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’. Four main factors influencing personality: • Heredity certain characteristics present from birth. • Also, certain aptitudes= capacity to learn a particular skill or acquire knowledge. • Birth order presence of siblings; oldest/youngest/middle • Parental characteristics age, occupation, religious beliefs, economic status, etc. • Cultural environment how do those around you act?

  7. Isolation in Childhood • In some instances, children grow up without a cultural environment. • These are known as feral children= wild or untamed children. • They had very few human characteristics. • Examples • Anna and Isabelle • Genie • Victor/’Wild Boy of Aveyron’

  8. Institutionalization • Sociologist Rene Spitz studied infants living in orphanages and hospitals. • The children were well-nourished and provided medical care, but had very little human contact. • One third of the children died within two years, and only ¼ had ‘normal’ development characteristics. **Make sure you know the basic gist of the study**

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