Socialization

In chapter 3 you were introduced to cultural concepts. One's own culture is sometimes better understood by contrasting with another culture, since our own is easy to ignore when we're in the midst of it (Ralph Linton - last thing a fish would notice).

For chapter 4 on Socialization, read some stories in this website (10 Modern Cases of Feral Children) to get a sense of how important socialization is.

Next week we'll discuss the nature vs nurture argument. Geneticists say that "genetics loads the gun but environment pulls the trigger." Could this help explain social behavior too where "environment" is the "social environment?"

I added this picture of my mother as a baby in order to pose a question to you. My mother was born in 1942 in wartime and her father, being in advertising, used her baby picture for this ad encouraging people to purchase more war bonds. How was her socialization different from yours? What factors influenced who she would become?

See you next week and don't forget that exam 1 is coming up soon!

Christa