Action Item for our Next Lesson:
Read chapter 1 from Carolyn Deck's book, Mindset.
Today's Lesson: The Self and Agents of Socialization
- What is the sociological concept of "the self"?
- What are some theories about how do we develop it?
- What are "agents of socialization"?
To begin today's lesson, open the Twenty Statements Test and fill in 20 responses to the question, "Who am I?" Do this quickly, without thinking too much about it. Simply complete the the statement with the first 20 answers that come to mind. Here is the Google Form for the lesson.
Try to fill in all 20 statements about yourself. Work quickly and individually.
The Twenty Statements Test is a survey that has been used in various studies for over 50 years. (Note: this lesson is based on Rusty Schnellinger's lesson) The test is a qualitative measurement of how people think about themselves, or who they are as a person. This conscious understanding of who we are as individuals is an example of what sociologists call a "self." Similar to metacognition and how people think about thinking, a "self" is how individuals consciously think about who they are as an individual.
Coding your responses.
When conducting qualitative data analysis, sometimes sociologists will code the responses to make sense of the data. Code your responses to the Twenty Statements Test:
A mode responses: Physical characteristics.
Ex. I am blonde, I am short, I am strong.
B mode responses: Socially defined statuses that associate you relative to a group.
Ex. I am a student, I am Catholic, I am a quarterback, I am a daughter, I am a store clerk.
C mode responses: Personal traits, styles of behavior or emotional states.
Ex. I am a happy person, I am competitive, I am loud. I am tired.
D mode responses: General, more abstract or existential responses.
After you code your responses, answer the following questions on your notes page:Ex. I am me, I am part of the universe, I am human, I am alive.
3. Choose one of your responses that is a mode B response.
a. Which one did you choose?b. How do you express yourself to fit into this response? In other words, how do you dress, talk and act in order to be like _______ (B mode response)? What are the things that you do in order to be that role?
Charles Horton Cooley's Looking Glass Self
5a. Also thinking about your answer to 3b, can you think of a time when one of the ways you expressed yourself was received positively by another person or group? Who was it? How did they react? What did they say?