The Process Of Learning And Socialisation: The Importance Of Socialisation In Influencing Human Behaviour, Including The Nurture Versus Nature Debate. (Copy)

Socialisation and Human Behaviour

Meaning of Socialisation in Relation to Behaviour

• Socialisation is the process through which individuals learn the culture, norms, values, roles and beliefs of their society
• Human behaviour is not simply automatic or instinctive; it is heavily shaped by what people learn from others
• Through socialisation, people learn:
  • How to speak and use language
  • How to express emotions in culturally acceptable ways
  • How to behave in different roles (student, friend, child, worker)
  • What is seen as normal, deviant, moral or immoral
• Socialisation explains why people in different societies behave differently even though they all share the same basic human biology
• Without socialisation, individuals would not develop fully human behaviour, identity, or understanding of the social world

Human Behaviour: Biological Potentials vs Social Learning

• Human beings are born with certain biological potentials:
  • Capacity for language
  • Capacity for emotions (fear, anger, joy, attachment)
  • Physical needs (food, sleep, safety)
• However, how these potentials are expressed depends on social context:
  • Which language a person speaks depends on the society, not the brain alone
  • What is considered “polite” or “rude” is determined by culture, not biology
  • Whether aggression is encouraged or discouraged depends on social norms
• Sociology focuses on how society and culture shape these potentials into specific forms of behaviour

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia, World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 7 Distinctions and 11 World Records For Educate A Change AS Level Sociology Full Scale Course

The Nature versus Nurture Debate

Basic Definitions

• Nature:
  • Refers to biological and genetic influences on behaviour
  • Suggests that personality, intelligence, aggression or gendered behaviour are largely determined by inherited characteristics
• Nurture:
  • Refers to the influence of socialisation, culture, environment, and experiences
  • Suggests that behaviour is learned from family, peers, education, media, religion and wider society
• The nature–nurture debate centres on which of these is more important in shaping who we are

Arguments for Nature (Biological Determinism / Essentialism)

• Some psychologists and biologists argue that:
  • Intelligence is largely inherited through genes
  • Sex differences in behaviour (e.g. males more aggressive, females more nurturing) are rooted in hormones and evolution
  • Criminal or antisocial behaviour may be linked to genetic predispositions
• Sociobiology (e.g. E.O. Wilson – outside sociology but influential) argues that:
  • Many social behaviours have evolutionary origins
  • Humans behave in ways that maximise survival and reproduction
• Limitations from a sociological perspective:
  • Biological explanations often ignore massive cultural variation in behaviour
  • They may be used to justify inequality (e.g. saying some groups are “naturally” inferior)
  • They underestimate human agency and the power of learning

Arguments for Nurture (Socialisation and Culture)

• Sociologists generally emphasise nurture because:
  • Behaviours vary widely across cultures and time, which would not be the case if behaviour were fixed by biology
  • Gender roles differ massively between societies, suggesting they are learned, not inborn
  • Moral values and ideas about right and wrong are taught through religion, education and family
• Cross-cultural studies:
  • Show different standards of beauty, family life, childraising, sexuality and work roles
  • Indicate that what is “natural” in one society may be unthinkable in another
• Socialisation explains:
  • Why people internalise norms without being forced constantly
  • Why individuals feel guilt or pride depending on whether they match cultural expectations

Feral Children and Extreme Deprivation as Evidence

Feral and Isolated Children

• Sociologists and psychologists use cases of feral or socially isolated children to show the importance of socialisation
• Feral children = children who have had little or no human contact or have been raised in extreme neglect
• Famous cases (used in textbooks):
  • “Genie” (USA) – isolated and abused, developed almost no language or normal social behaviour when discovered
  • Oxana Malaya (Ukraine) – raised among dogs, barked and moved like animals, had difficulty learning human social norms later
  • Kamala and Amala (India) – reported to have lived with wolves (historically debated, but used to illustrate the idea of extreme deprivation)
• Common patterns in these cases:
  • Severe delay in language development
  • Limited emotional expression appropriate to humans
  • Difficulty understanding social rules and relationships
• These cases suggest:
  • Being biologically human is not enough to develop human behaviour
  • Human behaviour is strongly dependent on early socialisation
  • Without nurture, nature alone cannot produce a socially functioning person

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia, World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 7 Distinctions and 11 World Records For Educate A Change AS Level Sociology Full Scale Course

Sociological Perspectives on Socialisation and Human Behaviour

Functionalist Perspective

• Functionalists (e.g. Durkheim, Parsons) see socialisation as essential for social order
• Key ideas:
  • Society is a system of interrelated parts that must work together
  • Socialisation integrates individuals into this system by teaching shared values and norms
• Durkheim:
  • Social facts (norms, values, laws) exist outside individuals but influence them
  • Socialisation teaches individuals to respect these social facts
• Parsons:
  • Socialisation is how individuals internalise the value consensus (shared values)
  • Family = primary socialisation; school = secondary socialisation teaching universalistic values (meritocracy, achievement)
  • Socialisation encourages role conformity – people learn how to act in roles necessary for the stability of society
• Importance for human behaviour:
  • Explains why most people obey laws and follow norms without constant force
  • Shows how socialisation produces conformity, cooperation and predictability

Marxist Perspective

• Marxists see socialisation as a way of reproducing class inequality and capitalist ideology
• Key ideas:
  • Ruling class controls institutions of socialisation (education, media, religion)
  • These institutions transmit ruling-class ideas (ideology) that justify inequality
  • Working-class people internalise beliefs like:
    • Inequality is natural or deserved
    • Hard work alone leads to success (meritocratic ideology)
    • Capitalism is the only possible system
• Althusser:
  • Education and media are Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs) that shape consciousness
• Bowles and Gintis:
  • Correspondence principle – school socialises students into obedience, punctuality, acceptance of hierarchy, mirroring the workplace
• Importance for behaviour:
  • Socialisation produces obedient workers and consumers
  • People may accept exploitation because they have internalised capitalist norms

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia, World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 7 Distinctions and 11 World Records For Educate A Change AS Level Sociology Full Scale Course

Feminist Perspective

• Feminists argue that socialisation reproduces patriarchy (male dominance)
• Gender socialisation:
  • Begins in the family through different expectations for boys and girls
  • Continues in education (subject choices, teacher expectations), media (stereotypes), religion (gendered roles)
• Ann Oakley:
  • Identified four processes of gender socialisation in the family:
    • Canalisation (channelling children’s interests through toys and activities – dolls for girls, cars for boys)
    • Manipulation (encouraging gender-appropriate behaviour and discouraging “wrong” behaviour)
    • Verbal appellation (using different names and labels such as “good girl”, “big boy”)
    • Domestic activities (girls encouraged to help with housework more than boys)
• Importance for behaviour:
  • Explains why men and women often behave differently in line with gender stereotypes
  • Shows how socialisation maintains male power through making gender roles seem “natural”

Interactionist Perspective

• Symbolic interactionists focus on micro-level socialisation through interaction
• Cooley – Looking Glass Self:
  • We develop self-concept by seeing ourselves reflected in how others respond to us
  • Human behaviour is influenced by how we think others see us
• Mead:
  • Children learn to take the role of the other through play and games
  • Development of the “I” (individual response) and the “Me” (internalised social expectations)
• Goffman – Dramaturgy:
  • Social life is like a performance
  • People engage in impression management to control how others see them
  • Behaviour changes depending on audience and setting (front stage vs back stage)
• Importance for behaviour:
  • Shows how identity and behaviour are continually negotiated in interaction
  • Socialisation is not just imposed; individuals interpret, resist and perform roles

Primary Socialisation and Its Importance

Family as the First Agent of Socialisation

• Family is often seen as the most important agent because it:
  • Provides the first experience of love, care, discipline and rules
  • Teaches basic language and communication
  • Transmits core values (religion, morality, attitudes to work, gender expectations)
  • Shapes emotional responses and attachment patterns
• Behavioural impacts:
  • Parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, neglectful) influence confidence, aggression, obedience, independence
  • Children learn what is acceptable behaviour through reinforcement and sanctions
  • Family background (class, ethnicity, religion) shapes early outlook and aspirations

Internalisation of Norms and Values

• Internalisation:
  • Process by which external norms and values become part of the individual’s own thinking
  • People come to police their own behaviour using guilt, shame or pride
• Through internalisation:
  • People behave “properly” even when not watched
  • Social control becomes more effective and less visible
• Without effective primary socialisation:
  • Children may struggle with self-control, empathy, cooperation
  • Higher risk of deviant or antisocial behaviour

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia, World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 7 Distinctions and 11 World Records For Educate A Change AS Level Sociology Full Scale Course

Secondary Socialisation and Behaviour

Education

• School teaches:
  • Formal curriculum (knowledge and skills)
  • Hidden curriculum (obedience, punctuality, respect for authority, competition)
• Functionalist view:
  • Education socialises children into shared values such as achievement and meritocracy
• Marxist view:
  • Hidden curriculum prepares working-class students for subordinate positions in the workforce
• Behavioural impact:
  • Attitudes to authority and rules
  • Work ethic, ambition, conformity or resistance

Peer Group

• Peers are powerful during adolescence
• Peer pressure:
  • Encourages conformity to group norms (clothing, language, leisure activities)
  • Can lead to both positive (studying, sports) and negative (drug use, delinquency) behaviours
• Symbolic interactionists:
  • Peer groups are key contexts where individuals construct identities and manage impressions

Media

• Media as an increasingly important agent of socialisation
• Influences:
  • Body image, consumer behaviour, political opinions, gender roles, attitudes to violence
• Feminist analyses:
  • Media often reproduce gender stereotypes, objectify women, normalise male dominance
• Behavioural impact:
  • Copycat behaviour, normalisation of certain lifestyles, creation of aspirations and insecurities

Religion and Workplace

• Religion:
  • Teaches moral codes, ideas of sin and virtue, gender and family roles
  • Influences behaviour regarding dress, diet, sexual conduct, charity, obedience
• Workplace:
  • Socialises adults into occupational roles, hierarchies, professional norms
  • Teaches time discipline, responsibility, teamwork

Under-Socialised and Over-Socialised Conceptions of Human Behaviour

“Over-Socialised” Conception (Dennis Wrong)

• Wrong criticised functionalist views for seeing individuals as too passive
• Over-socialised conception:
  • Suggests people simply absorb norms and values and always conform
  • Underestimates conflict, resistance, creativity and individuality
• In reality:
  • People may accept some norms and reject others
  • Individuals actively interpret and sometimes challenge socialisation

“Under-Socialised” Conception

• Some biological or psychological theories may fall into an under-socialised view
• They treat behaviour as if social influences are weak or irrelevant
• Sociology rejects this by showing how powerful socialisation is in shaping even very personal behaviour

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia, World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 7 Distinctions and 11 World Records For Educate A Change AS Level Sociology Full Scale Course

Contemporary View: Interaction of Nature and Nurture

Integrative Perspective

• Most modern sociologists accept that:
  • Biology provides capacities and limits (nature)
  • Socialisation and culture shape how these capacities are developed and expressed (nurture)
• Examples:
  • All humans can feel fear, but what they fear is shaped by culture
  • All humans can speak, but which language and how they use it depends on society
  • Genetic tendencies may exist, but social context determines whether they are encouraged, discouraged or controlled

Implications for Human Behaviour

• If nurture is critical, changing socialisation can change behaviour:
  • Anti-racism education can reduce prejudice
  • Gender-neutral socialisation can weaken stereotypes
  • Rehabilitation and resocialisation programmes can reduce reoffending
• Policy areas influenced:
  • Education (values education, citizenship education)
  • Crime and deviance (focus on social causes, not just individual pathology)
  • Family policy (support for early childhood socialisation)

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia, World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 7 Distinctions and 11 World Records For Educate A Change AS Level Sociology Full Scale Course