Henslin Essentials of Sociology, Essay Example

Sociology originally viewed the concept of socialization as that of civilisation and how one conforms to societal groups.  The concept of losing individuality in order to be accepted within the normal conforms of society.  This view has shifted over the last 100 years and it is now more equated with how one assimilates social norms and values into your own individual being.   The concept of being socialised relates to that of acceptance and being recognized as belonging to a specific group.  The opposite is to be anti-social and outside of any social structure placing individualism and freedom of individual thought and action outside the consideration of social norms or group acceptance.

There have been a number of different theoretical views on Socialization. For example, Charles Horton Cooley developed the concept of the looking glass self. The concept of how we look to others in terms of our actions and behaviors.  As such we develop a self-concept of other people’s perceptions of our being. Herbert Mead believed that we learn socialization  by taking on the roles of others. He cited that children learn this behavior very quickly by acts of imitation, playgroups and role play,  Sigmund Freud believed that socialization developed from infancy and the relationship that the child gained from its parents.  As such this was a psychological bonding with the parents and the child gains social understanding and awareness from the parents.  Feud developed a number of theories around socialization including that of personality.  (Henslin)

Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget developed a theory of cognitive development aimed at looking  how children responded to a series of tests.  As such between 2-7 children cannot converse but use objects to express emotions created by mental stimulation.

Works Cited

Henslin, J.M. Essentials of Sociology, A Down-to-Earth Approach (9th Edition. New York : Pearson, 2010.