a) John Locke: the Tabula Rasa
The English philosopher, John Locke (1632-1704), insisted that each newly born individual is a tabula rasa or clean slate, on which can be written just about anything. He claimed that each of us is born without a personality. We acquire our personality as a result of our social experiences. He believed that human beings can be moulded into any type of character. He farther believed that given a newborn infant, he could shape the individual into whatever type of person he wanted.
Many of the basic assumptions about socialization are related to Locke's views. Most sociologists think of socialization as a process by which we absorb those aspects of our culture with which we come into contact. Through the socialization process, we develop our sense of being as a distinct member of society.
b) Charles Horton Cooley: The Looking- Glass Self
Charles Horton Cooley (1864-1929) was an American Social Psychologist and one of the founders of the Interactive Perspective in sociology. In addition to developing the notion of the primary group, Cooley is most noted for his theory explaining how individuals develop a sense of self. Central to his theory is the concept of the Looking Glass Self. This refers to the interactive process by which we develop an image of ourselves based on how we imagine we appear to others. Other people act as mirrors, reflecting back the image we project through their reactions to our behaviour.
According to Cooley, the development of the Looking-Glass Self is a three step process. First, we imagine how we appear to others. Second, based on their reactions to us, we attempt to determine whether others view us as we view ourselves. Finally, we use our perception of how others judge us to develop feelings about ourselves. The process of identity development begins early in childhood. According to Cooley, a newborn baby has no sense of person or place. The entire world appears as one mass. Then various members of the child's primary group - parents, siblings, friends; relatives - interact with the growing infant. They provide the child with a mirror that reflects his or her image. From this interactive process, the child develops a sense of self.
This theory puts a lot of responsibility on parents and other primary group members who have contact with children. Parents who think little of a child's ability and let their feelings be known will likely give rise to feelings of inferiority in their child. On the other hand,' parents who treat their children as capable and competent are likely to produce capable and competent children. Cooley pointed out that while this process starts in childhood, it continues throughout life. We continually refine our self images as we alter our interpretations of the ways we think others view us.
c) George Herbert Mead: Role Taking
The American sociologist, George Herbert Mead (1863-1931), is another founder of the Interactionist Perspective. According to Mead, seeing ourselves as others see us is only the beginning. Eventually we come not only to see ourselves as others see us but actually to take or pretend to take the role of others. This act of role taking forms the basis the socialization process, by allowing us to anticipate what others expect of us. We thus learn to see ourselves through the eyes of others.
Mead points out that we first internalize the expectations of those closer to us, that is our parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and other specific people who have a direct influence on our socialization. As we grow older, the expectations and attitude of society take on added importance in guiding our behaviour and reinforcing our sense of self. He called the internalized attitudes, expectations and viewpoints of society the generalized other. We come to internalize the generalized other ugh the process of role taking. Children are not automatically capable of role taking. They must develop the necessary skills through social interaction. He visualized role taking as involving imitation, play games (Thomas, 1995). Through role taking, individuals develop a sense of self. According lead, the self consists of two related parts, the `I' and the `Me'. The ‘I’ is the unsocialized, spontaneous, self- interested component of our tonality and self identity. The `me' is that part of our identity that is aware of the expectations and attitudes of society, our socialized self. In children, the `I' component of their personality is stronger than the `me'. Through socialization, the `me' gains power over the `I', bringing our actions in line with the expectations of society. However, the `me' never totally dominates the `I', and both aspects of our personality are needed we are to be well-rounded individuals, bringing our actions in line with the expectations of society.
francis1897 answered the question on August 18, 2022 at 09:08