SYG 2000: Lecture 8. Chapter 3: Socialization: Emotions and Gender

I. Jean Piaget(1896-1980):notice young children give similar wrong answers on IQ test

  A. concludes: young child use wrong rule to figure out/go thru 4 stage to learn reason:

    1. sensimotor stage (0-2): suck/touch/listen/look—understand ltd direct contact envir

    2. preoperational stage (2-7): dev abil use symbols;no grasp size/speed/cause/#s mean

    3. concrete operational stage (7-12):grasp #s/speed/cause/take role other/not abstract

    4. formal operational stage (>12): able abstract thought (explain truth); gen principles

II. Global Aspects Self/Reasoning: Looking glass self/Piaget stages universal

  A. critique Piaget:stages not so distinct: yet basic structure underlies way dev reason

  B. diversity:westerners gen see categories (animals)/Asians see rel: monkeys eat banan

     1. which of these go together: panda, monkey, banana

     2. study: Japanese/U.S. students shown picture acquarium w/ big fast fish, sm fish etc

       a. later ask what saw: Jap. 60% >likely recall background: sm fish in front blue rock

       b. dif: westerns >attention to focal object/Asians >attuned to overall surroundings

       c. implication: easterners see <causation due actors, > to context

III. Learning, Personality, and Morality

  A. Freud (1856-1939):create psychoanalysis:treat emot prob thru explore subconscious

    1. personality 3 elements: id:drives seek self-gratification: food, sex, safety, attention

      a. major roadblock: needs of other people, esp parents

    2. 2nd element: ego: balances b/ id & forces of society; also b/ id & superego

    3. 3rd element: supergo: culture within us/norms/values/provides feel guilt/shame

    4. maladjusted individual: ego can’t control conflict b/ id & superego, result prob beh

    5. sociological critique: roles,status det beh,not subconscious motivations are primary

  B. Lawrence Kohlberg:say go thru seq stage,start w/ amoral stage w/no right,just needs

    1. preconventional stage (7-10): right/wrong: what is pleases parents/friends/teachers

    2. conventional stage (@10): morality is norm/values learned; not just avoid punish

    3. postconventional stage: reflect on abstract principles right/wrong; most don’t reach

  C. Carol Gilligan (1982, 1990):fem eval moral v-a-v personal rel/not hurt loved ones

    1. men:instead loyalties,think @ abstract principles define right;Gil no longer support

    2. some research: find both sexes use pers rel & abstract when make moral judge

  D. emotions depend on socialization?  Don’t all people get angry, feel shame, sadness?

    1.Ekman 1980: sev country:all exp 6 emot:anger disgust fear happy sadness surprise

       a. conclusion: built into us biologically, “a product of our genes”

    2. gender dif:U.S. women allow to express emot >freely—eg squeals of glee in public

    3. nat dif: 2 close male friends meet after separation: Japanese bow, Arabs kiss

IV. Gender Socialization:  ways soc sets children onto dif courses in life since male/fem

  A. Goldberg & Lewis: moms subconscious reward daughters be passive/dep; boys op

    1. moms: >touch/speak to 6mo daughters than sons;13 mos daughters keep closer

    2. when set barrier to sep from moms: girls >likely cry,ask help/boys try climb barrier

  B. Media message to hi school boys: be “real” male is to be obsessed w/ sex/violence

  C. commercials aimed at children: >likely to show girls as cooperative/boys aggressive

  D. Television and movies: male prime-time characters outnumber female