Fully respond to the following statements using key terms, concepts, and perspective in your responses to fully reflect your learning and to earn the maximum 30 pts possible.
Basic Understanding: (Terms, Concepts, and Perspectives – 20 pts)
1. Describe the conflict found in the “nature versus nurture” debate. (2 pt)
a. Nature vs nurture is a controversy that is about the effects of biology and social environments on individuals and how they behave. Nature is based on how people are shaped by genetics and biology, while nurture is that it’s how we were raised and who we were around that determines how we act and behave. The controversy is “biology vs environment”; which of the two do you think has the most effective outcome on individuals?
2. Describe how social beings perceive their “self” with the following:
a) The 3 phases outlined in the “Looking-glass self” and contributing sociologist, and
a. In the early 1900’s, Charles Horton Cooley came to the belief that we learn by the people we are with and the interaction with others. He came up with the phrase ‘looking-glass self’ to emphasize that the self is the product of our social interactions. There are three stages in the looking-glass self; 1. We imagine ourselves to others---to relatives, friends, or even strangers on the street. 2. We imagine how others evaluate us---attractive, intelligent, shy, or strange. 3. We develop some sort of feeling about ourselves, such as respect or shame, as a result of these impressions.
b) The “3 Distinct Stages of Self” and its contributing sociologist. (3 pts)
a. The 3 Distinct Stages of Self was a continuation from Cooley’s that George Herbert Mead continued to explore. The 3 main stages are, the preparatory stage, the play stage, and the game stage. During the preparatory stage, children basically imitate the people around them, especially the people they are with direct contact with on a daily basis. If a child sees their parent doing pushups, they will try to do them. If they see their sibling throwing the ball, they will throw the ball. Another thing during the preparatory stage is symbols; including gestures and words that form the basis of human interaction. Children learn this from watching their relatives, watching TV, looking at picture books, etc.. At this point in their lives, they are beginning to understand the symbols. The next stage, the play stage, children are becoming more aware of social relationships. Role taking begins to come into play; process of mentally assuming the perspective of another and responding from that imagined viewpoint. An example of this is when a child is beginning to learn when to suck up to his parents and be on his best behavior when he is planning on asking or wanting something. Know the right place and time. Finally, the game stage, children are beginning to get older, eight or nine, and are no longer playing just roles but are beginning to consider tasks and relationships simultaneously. The child can now respond to numerous members of the social environment. In this stage Mead uses the term generalized other; referring to the attitudes, viewpoints, and expectations of society as a whole that a child takes into account in his or her behavior.
3. Describe what is meant by the following terms which are relevant to our socialization: ( 6 pts)
Significant others (who they typically are and how they are utilized)
Individuals most important to the development of the self. A significant other is very important and relevant to our socialization; who you are around, and more importantly, who raised you, is how you are going to learn how to act and behave. Most people would think of a significant other as your boyfriend or girlfriend, wife or husband, but it isn’t necessarily. It is just a person that has had a big impact on your life and has made you the person you are today. Without them, you
