The Process Of Learning And Socialisation: Agencies Of Socialisation And Social Control, Including Family, Education, Peer Group, Media And Religion. (Copy)
Functionalism (Émile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons)
Core Idea
- Agencies of socialisation work together to create value consensus and social order
Application to Agencies of Socialisation and Social Control
- Family
- Primary socialisation → teaches basic norms and values
- Parsons: stabilises personalities and prepares individuals for society
- Education
- Secondary socialisation → reinforces norms (discipline, respect)
- Hidden curriculum promotes cooperation and achievement
- Peer Group
- Teaches social interaction and independence
- Reinforces norms through peer pressure
- Media
- Transmits shared values and cultural norms
- Promotes conformity through representation of acceptable behaviour
- Religion
- Promotes moral values and social cohesion
- Durkheim: strengthens collective conscience
- Social Control
- Maintained through informal (family, peers) and formal (education, religion) mechanisms
- Application
- Agencies collectively ensure individuals conform to shared values, maintaining stability
Marxism (Karl Marx, Louis Althusser)
Core Idea
- Agencies act as tools of ideological control to maintain capitalism
Application to Agencies of Socialisation and Social Control
- Family
- Reproduces labour force and transmits ruling class ideology
- Socialises children into accepting hierarchy
- Education
- Althusser: ideological state apparatus
- Promotes obedience, punctuality, acceptance of authority
- Peer Group
- Reinforces dominant norms and consumer culture
- Media
- Controlled by ruling class
- Spreads ideology, promotes consumerism and false consciousness
- Religion
- Marx: “opium of the people”
- Justifies inequality and discourages resistance
- Social Control
- Achieved through ideology rather than force
- Individuals internalise capitalist values
- Application
- Agencies shape behaviour to maintain class inequality and capitalist dominance
Feminism (Ann Oakley)
Core Idea
- Agencies reinforce gender inequality and patriarchy
Application to Agencies of Socialisation and Social Control
- Family
- Primary site of gender socialisation
- Oakley: manipulation, canalisation, verbal appellations, imitation
- Education
- Reinforces gender roles through subject choices and teacher expectations
- Peer Group
- Encourages gender conformity (e.g. boys act tough, girls act caring)
- Media
- Portrays stereotypical gender roles
- Objectifies women and reinforces male dominance
- Religion
- Often promotes patriarchal values and traditional gender roles
- Social Control
- Maintained through gender norms and expectations
- Application
- Agencies shape behaviour to maintain male dominance and gender inequality
Interactionism (George Herbert Mead)
Core Idea
- Agencies shape behaviour through interaction and meaning-making
Application to Agencies of Socialisation and Social Control
- Family
- First site of interaction → development of self
- Education
- Labelling by teachers influences student identity and behaviour
- Peer Group
- Important in shaping identity through interaction and acceptance
- Media
- Provides symbols and meanings individuals interpret
- Religion
- Meanings of beliefs and practices interpreted by individuals
- Social Control
- Achieved through labelling and social interaction
- Application
- Agencies influence behaviour through everyday interactions and interpretations
Postmodernism (Jean Baudrillard)
Core Idea
- Traditional agencies are weakening; new media is dominant
Application to Agencies of Socialisation and Social Control
- Family
- Less influence due to diversity and changing structures
- Education
- Competes with media and technology for influence
- Peer Group
- Still important but increasingly influenced by online interactions
- Media
- Most powerful agency in shaping identity and behaviour
- Creates hyperreality (Baudrillard)
- Religion
- Declining influence in modern societies
- Social Control
- Less centralised → individuals have more choice
- Application
- Socialisation is now fragmented, with media playing the dominant role
Key Synoptic Application
- Functionalists → agencies maintain order through shared values
- Marxists → agencies enforce capitalist ideology
- Feminists → agencies reinforce patriarchy
- Interactionists → agencies shape behaviour through interaction
- Postmodernists → agencies are fragmented, with media dominating