2.5v3 The "Self" and Agents of Socialization

 Open the  Twenty Statements Test and fill in 20 responses to the question, "Who am I?" 

Try to fill in all 20 statements about yourself.   Work quickly and individually.

The "self"

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) It 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.   

Ex. I am me, I am part of the universe, I am human, I am alive.

After you code your responses, answer the following questions on your notes page:

1.  Individually:  Which did you have the most of?  

Culture And your Sense of Self

Without reading any further, hypothesize how these responses might have changed over time.  How might culture shape your responses to these? 

As Peter Kaufman explains in A Sociology Experiment (2019),

In summary, culture shapes how we think about what is important and what we value; culture may influence us to think about our "self" in certain ways.

Erving Goffman's Dramaturgy

2.  Choose one of your responses that is from B.  Which one did you choose? 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)?

Discussion:  What were some examples for your answer to number two? For number two, this is exemplifying a sociological theory called Dramaturgy by Erving Goffman. Goffman wrote The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life which theorized that people present themselves to the world based on their ideas about their "self". They create an image of how they want to be perceived. It is like being in a play - when you go on stage you are dressed up to play your role. Goffman's theory in the form of an extended metaphor is known as dramaturgy. How do these fit into Goffman’s theory?

Agents of socialization

3.  Regarding your answer to number 2 above, what are some of the places that you have learned to talk/dress/act/ like this?

Discussion: Examples of where?

These are examples of agents of socialization, the most important groups that shape an individual's sense of self. (especially: family, school, peers/friends, media).  

Charles Horton Cooley's Looking Glass Self

4.  Can you think of a time when one of your responses to B was received positively by another person or group? Who was it? How did they react? What did they say?
Can you think of a time when one of your responses to B was received negatively by another person or group? Who was it? How did they react? What did they say?

These are examples of Charles Horton Cooley’s theory called the “Looking Glass”.  By “Looking Glass” he is referring to a mirror.  His theory is that we learn to act a certain way because of our interactions with others and how they react to us.

In Sum

People look at themselves in the mirror and see themself in a particular way.  However, what we don't see is all of the messages that have been told to us through the most significant groups in our lives.  These groups are called agents of socialization.  All of them exist within a culture as well. 

Family; The Most Influential Agent of Socialization

Family is the most important agent of socialization. Family shapes our self-concept first and before we are even conscious of it.  Human brain development happens most rapidly and greatly in the first few years after birth.  Much growth and development happens in the earliest years of human life so our first caregivers have an enormous impact on who we become.

Some of the influences from family are intentional.  Sociologists call direct lessons that are consciously taught manifest lessons.  Conversely, latent lessons are lessons that you learn unconsciously.  An anecdotal example from my own life is about my dad smoking.

Manifest - Don't smoke.

Latent - Stand this way.

Answer individually:
What are some ways that you are similar to your family? Is this latent or manifest?  Why?


Evidence for Family Socialization 

There is much evidence for how individuals are socialized to think about their "self" by their families.  One bit of research that I have found transformational is Carolyn' Dweck's research presented in her book, Mindset.

Carol Dweck explains how parents, and eventually schools, both work to create a fixed mindset that actually prevents learning.  See the first chapter of her book here.

This Atlantic article the latest update to Dweck's research which shows that praise cannot be empty.  It must be directed in specific nuanced ways to promote growth.

This NPR review of the book includes an excerpt and an interview.

This NY Magazine article explains how to apply Dweck's research to parenting and talking to kids.

Brain Pickings review of Dweck's Research provides a thorough explanation and a few quotes from the book.

Dweck explains her work on this TED Talk

and she explains how we can teach a growth mindset in this talk from Stanford U.

 

How is Dweck's research an example of family's influence on "self"?

Explain how you have been shaped by parents to have either a "growth mindset" or a "fixed mindset"?