IndexIntroductionSocialization: the process of building identityDramaturgical approach and self-presentationWhat makes you you: the "I" and "me" of self-perceptionTheory of behaviorism in the creation of identityWorks CitedIntroductionAn The important question we are always asked is: what makes a person identify with himself. In other words, what makes you you? One question that is very easily identifiable with this is the nature versus nurture question. Is it the environment that makes someone who they are or is it the way they are raised? Using the functionalist perspective we will explore the main theories and determine the properties of socialization and the effects it has on an individual. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssaySocialization: The Process of Identity ConstructionFirst of all, what is socialization? Socialization is “an active, lifelong process through which people learn about the cultures of their societies and build a sense of who they are.” Socialization begins at an early age of every human being. It begins before we achieve the ability to speak and continues until the end of our lives. It acts as a primary way to maintain and produce the standards, values and beliefs that control our social life and relationships within society. Socialization is fundamental to the growth of all human beings. Without it we would not have language, a sense of ourselves or even an idea of who we are in relationships with other people. This is evident in the 1800 year case study of Victor, the “Wild Boy,” found alive in the woods. When Victor was found he was about twelve years old and living with a young doctor to help him understand the world he had lost. Victor never fully learned how to communicate and act as part of the real world. Towards the end of his life Victor still expressed his wild side as he was unable to achieve the social and intellectual abilities expected of him. Dramaturgical Approach and Presentation of SelfErving Goffman developed and founded the dramaturgical approach which is “the study of social interactions as governed by the practices of theatrical performance. Goffman proposed the theory of “self-presentation” that was the basis of these theatrical performances. The theory implies that people play certain roles or play certain characters to evaluate and control situations. Goffman labels the presentation as two pieces of a single puzzle; the stage in front and behind the scenes. The stage is responsible for our external endeavors such as clothes, speech and languages. While the backstage resembles the part that allows the person to abandon their character or role and relax. Goffman's theory and work and is also similar to Mead's theories. What Makes You You: The “I” and “Me” of Self-Perception George Herbert Mead founded symbolic interactionism, which studies how the individual and culture interact with each other. Compared to Goffman's front and back scenes, Mead breaks the "self" into two parts, the "I" and the "me." The self consists in being oneself and maintaining it by apparently responding to one's own need. The “me” represents the conventional idea of how one would perceive oneself from another's perspective. Another contributor to symbolic interactionism is Charles Horton Cooley, responsible for the concept of the mirror self. The self in the mirror is “the image of oneself that results from the vision that others have of us. In one study, a teacher told her students that children with blue eyes were intelligent,,, 1981.
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