How far and in what ways is human behaviour influenced by socialisation?
How far and in what ways does is human behaviour influenced by socialisation? By: George Amos Socialisation is the ways in which people learn how to act in accordance with current social norms and values. Human behaviour is influenced by socialisation in as much as we are taught from a very early age that certain actions are acceptable in society and certain actions are not. For example young children are taught to use the potty instead of excreting faecal matter onto the floor. Socialisation is all around us, from our peers to our parents, but just how far is human behaviour actually influenced by these agents of socialisation? The best way to find out whether humans are affected by socialisation at all and to what extent, is to find a control for this test. However, no human being can be totally void of any socialisation. The closest case to this control is feral children. This uncommon phenomenon is when a child, for whatever reason, has been abandoned by their parents and has been left in the care of animals. Such cases include "The Portuguese Chicken Girl", "The German Dog-Boy" and two Indian sisters that were raised by wolves. In the latter, two sisters were abandoned by their mother at birth and left to fend for themselves in the jungle. They were picked up and cared for by wolves. These girls had no idea of how to smile, cry, communicate in speech or even
Political science - how South Africans learn about politics - advice - Do not focus only on learning amongst children. Do not focus only on the 'trickle down' approach to learning from parents to children. - Write an essay explaining why the above advice
As a political scientist interested in the topic of how South Africans learn about politics (political socialization), you have been given two pieces of valid advice from a colleague: ) Do not focus only on learning amongst children. 2) Do not focus only on the 'trickle down' approach to learning from parents to children. Write an essay explaining why the above advice was given to you. No one ever really stops to think about why one has the specific political beliefs and values that they do. Where did these political views come from? It is apparent, even to someone who has not studied political socialisation, that from a very young age we are influenced by external stimuli that shape our opinions and beliefs. Whether it be our parents, school, the media, or even our socio-economic group. Elcock turns to Robert Presthus to elucidate the concept of socialisation: "In some large measure, man is taught to honour the ongoing norms by a process called socialisation" (1976:110). Political scientists call the process by which we acquire political opinions "political socialization." It is generally accepted that political socialisation can be defined as a life-long process that enables individuals to attain political tenets and convictions (Kavanagh, 1983: 34). Finding out what influences people into holding certain political beliefs is important in shaping a healthy political
What is sexuality?
What is Sexuality? Sexuality is a major theme in contemporary identity informed through the help of feminism and other major groups. The term is related to but distinct from "sex" (used to refer both to the physical distinction between men and women and sexual intercourse) and "gender" (the social and cultural distinctions between men and women). Sexuality is used to refer to "erotic desires, practices and identities" or "aspects of personal and social life which have erotic significance" (Weeks, 1985). Debates on sexuality in the recent period are marked above all by an increased awareness of this tension; between an acceptance or affirmation of diversity on the one hand and a defence of the established norms on the other. This discussion has been shaped by the continuing issue of whether sexual identity is a biological given, determined by genes or anatomy, or is completely constructed in society and culture. These alternatives define "essentialist" and "social-constructionist" positions. Fairly evidently, in viewing sexuality as given by nature and thus fixed and unalterable, an essentialist view will reinforce heterosexual norms such that an aggressive masculine sexuality is accepted as "the way things are". Nevertheless, essentialist arguments have been evoked by feminists who feel it necessary to argue for the autonomy and fundamental difference of women from men or by
Rethinking and Reimagining Identity in Patricia Powell's "The Pagoda".
COURSE ESSAY: Rethinking and Reimagining Identity in Patricia Powell's "The Pagoda" Gender is one of the primary means through which identity is socially constructed. The term gender has transcended its earlier "grammar-based" usage of classifying nouns as male, female and neuter. It is not used to describe the biological sexual characteristics by which we identify females and males but to encompass the socially defined roles, attitudes and values which communities and societies ascribe as appropriate for one sex or the other. In this specific sense, it was first used as a phrase, "the social relations of gender", for which gender has become a kind of shorthand. The social relations of gender seeks to make apparent and explain the asymmetry which appears in male/female relations in terms of power sharing, decision-making, the division of labour, and return on labour both within the household and in the society at large. The phrase directs our attention to all the attributes acquired in the process of socialization: our self and group definitions, our sense of appropriate roles, values and behaviours and, above all, expected and acceptable interactions in relationships between men and women. Society seeks to define people according to gender by placing them at either of the two extremes masculine or feminine. Whether one is considered female or male is dependent upon one's
With close reference to research in the field, critically evaluate the principles underpinning how audiences are addressed as either 'male' or 'female' and map out the ways in which advertisers
Timothy Cowell 'Gendering is one of the key ways in which advertisers target specific audience sectors. With close reference to research in the field, critically evaluate the principles underpinning how audiences are addressed as either 'male' or 'female' and map out the ways in which advertisers create differential 'wants' and needs'. Introduction It is widely acknowledged that for years advertisements have used certain gender representations to target specific audiences (potential buyers).Body images portrayed by the media through the use of imagery, the display of life-styles, and the reinforcement of values, are communicators of culturally defined concepts such as success, worth, love, sexuality, popularity, and normalcy. Of particular concern over the past two decades has been the excessive use of sexual stereotypes, especially those of women. Stereotypes are oversimplified conventional character, often gender, representations. Throughout this essay I shall analyse the gender representations that underpin the discourse of advertising. In particular, I shall focus on the use of male and female bodies as organizing metaphors which produce a gendered framework for advertising different types of products. I shall consider who the advertisements are targeted at (whether they are targeted at a particular gender) and what such advertisements reveal about the ways in
Redefining the Evolutionary Role of Women.
Redefining the Evolutionary Role of Women It's a man's world out there. Most males and females have believed this although some have resisted, for thousands of years. Are men innately more aggressive, more promiscuous, and stronger? From Aristotle to Freud, the common myth of gender roles has been that males are more refined and evolved than their female counterparts. The belief that females are good only for birth, and that men must do the rest of the work has been prevalent in many cultures over the centuries. Many sociobiologists and evolutionary psychologists tell us that females must accept the fact that the reason why their spouse has slept with another woman is because that is an instinct of men which insures the propagation of their genes. The conclusion that today's women can become anything they put their minds to do has been only experienced after stifling their female nature. But, in recent years, a new attitude based on preliminary research squashes these ideas. It says that women are just as promiscuous, dominant, and important as men. And sure, their bodies may be structurally different from men, but they can be just as strong. Not surprisingly, this new research has been done primarily by women. The first area in the role of the female is the idea that men have stronger, bigger bodies than women. The latter may be true, on average they are 10%
How gender is created
Weston Dickson Schumacher Women Studies 100 September 24, 2008 How is Gender Created? What people see in there everyday life may not seem to be what it actually is. Men dress like men and women dress like women. Growing up people learn what is right and wrong. Parents teach there kids these norms, and when we see something out of the ordinary we put them down. Not all men are masculine and not all women are feminine. Sigmund Freud, Judith Lorber, and Judith Butler all agree that gender is socially constructed. Gender is looked at as male or female, but is this opinion socially constructed or a biological fact? Sigmund Freud essay's on the Theory of Sexuality shows that gender is socially constructed, and not a biological fact. He uses psychoanalytic investigation to study how human behavior affects our gender. He uses three steps in showing how humans gain their sexuality. First is infantile sexuality, and how as infants we gain our sexuality on our own. When we are babies we use thumb sucking to pleasure our self, replacing the nipple. Being young, we do not realize the right and wrong of public sexuality. In the second step, latency, we start learning right and wrong. Our mouth is no longer a place for pleasure, and we move on to other things like potty training. Sexuality is mainly constructed in our third and fourth year of our life. Finally, puberty reaches us and
Are Gender Roles determined by genes or socialisation?
Are Gender Roles determined by genes or socialisation? What is gender? It is something that everyone has but doesn't think about it much, they know they are either male or female and simply take is for granted. We behave in a masculine or feminine ways that have become a habit to us through life, so that we don't give our behaviour any thought, we think it is natural to us. I believe gender roles are made by both, but the socialisation plays a very important part. When a baby is born we question its sex, but why do we bother? There are sill families who want sons that cannot have them, vice versa for girls. It's because of all the past influences past down from generation that boys are strong rough and tough and that girls are quiet sweet cute, of course this is very stereotypically of me but it's true. From the moment of birth, see boys as firmer, better co-ordinated, stronger and more alert, while girls are seen as smaller weaker and prettier, even if boy is a six pounds and girl is strapping eight pounder. We have to ask the question are men different from women. Of course, they are different in aptitude, skill and behaviour, but then, so is every individual person. So why do we make such a fuss about it? It seems unreasonable to suggest that the sexes are different because their brains are different, but then no two human brains are the same. Stereotypically:
Does a Consideration of Gender Necessarily Disrupt Conventional Models of the City?
Does a Consideration of Gender Necessarily Disrupt Conventional Models of the City? The geographical discipline has up until recently, been dominated by males. Males have been the authors of the majority of geographical texts and the male interest and opinion has structured the foundations of geographical thought. As a result that geographical knowledge which has been accepted as legitimate has been strongly biased. It was not until the late 1970¹s and more importantly the 1980¹s, that feminist authors have challenged the very roots of much social, urban, political and economic geographical thought. In this essay I shall consider conventional models of the city, and re-evaluate them in the light of this new, progressive approach. I shall consider the separation of work and home, production and reproduction, social area analysis, household form and decision making, shedding new light on many aspects of the geographical approach, revealing hitherto underestimated factors of central importance to any model of modern urban geography. It is undeniable that gender relations play a central role in every aspect of social activity and relationship. This observation is central to the feminist belief, that the analysis of gender relations and gender roles are fundamental to a thorough understanding of the causal relationship between women¹s and men¹s actions and sociospatial
To speak of the 'role' of women sounds to the modern ear at best anachronistic and at worst reactionary.
To speak of the 'role' of women sounds to the modern ear at best anachronistic and at worst reactionary. It has become evident that there are roles, and those roles carry with them certain specific duties, obligations and of course social stigmas. We concede that there is a sense in which the religious leader, the doctor, the scientist, or the politician has a role and thus a certain defined part to play in social situations. What is strange, and in need of explanation, is the idea that a man has a role as a man, and that a woman has a role as a woman yet these roles are somewhat unequal, which the Jewish tradition clearly portrays. Where does the strangeness lie? Evidently, it lies in our sense that roles are placed upon us. Since one does not choose one's gender how then can a persons' gender have any moral, social or religious inferiority? The simple answer to this question becomes evident through history. That's how it has been in the past and very few people had the courage to try and alter society, yet something very interesting occurred. Modernity was in full swing, feminism was born and lastly a remarkable landmark occurred in 1948, that being the establishment of the State of Israel. These three major factors dynamically changed the status of Jewish women; socially, economically, politically and religiously for the first time since the creation of Adam and Eve. The