The individual and society; the forming of identity

1. The individual and society

2. Nature vs Nurture
• “How did I become who I am?”
• Biological Determinism (Nature)
• The idea that our biology and genetic makeup
we inherit from our parents is mostly
responsible for human behaviour and actions.
• Social Determinism (Nurture)
• The idea that culture and our social
environment completely shape and influence
human behaviour.
• Sociologists do not like the term “Human
nature” as it alludes to biological determinism.

3. How are individuals formed by
Society?
• Conceptions of Culture
• Conceptions of the Self
• Socialisation with others
• Markers of identity: age, disability,
ethnicity, gender, sexuality and social
class
• How we spend our work and free time

4. Who are you?
• Task one: take a sheet of paper and head
it ‘I am…’ complete the sentence in 10
different ways
• Task two: in groups discuss your
statements, compare similarities and
differences.
• Task three: How many of the statements
for personal identity identify you as part
of a group or in relationship to other
people. What is the significance of this?

5. The Social Construction of
Identity
• Social Constructivism is an interactionist
perspective that argues that things are
constructed through cultural or social
practice.
• The markers of identity (age, disability,
ethnicity, gender, sexuality and social
class) are socially constructed.
• What this means is that although these
things have a biological basis, the
meanings that surround them are
constructed by social ideas.

6. Norms and Values
• Culture is constructed of norms, values,
customs, beliefs, knowledge, skills and
language.
• Sociologists believe that culture is not fixed, it
varies from society and changes over time.
• A norm tells us how to behave in particular
situations.
• Values provide general guides for how we
should behave.
• Norms and Values vary between different
cultures and subcultures. Socialisation
teaches us Norms and Values.

7. Socialisation
• Socialisation is how we learn about
society through interaction with
society.
• How do we interact with Society?
• The agents of Socialisation: Family,
Peer Groups, Media, Education and
religion.

8. Primary Socialisation.
• Primary socialisation is the way
individuals interact with those they have a
close, personal, intimate and face-to face
relationship with.
• The agents of primary socialisation are
our parents/guardians and friends.
• The places were we meet these agents of
primary socialisation are called agencies
of socialisation; the family, schools and
the workplace.

9. Secondary Socialisation.
• Secondary socialisation is the way individuals
interact with those they do not have a close,
personal, intimate and face-to face relationship
with.
• Secondary Socialisation is the way we learn about
the social world beyond our primary contacts.
• The agents of secondary socialisation are
education, religion, mass media, the workplace and
peer groups
• Parsons said that secondary socialisation is there to
“Liberate the individual from a dependence upon
the primary attachments and relationships formed
within the family group.”

10. Family Socialisation
• A)In pairs, write down as many
different toys and games as you can
think of.
• B) write 2 headings, ‘boys’ and ‘girls’
and put each toy or game under the
heading you feel is most appropriate
• C) do you feel it is natural for boys and
girls to like different toys?

11. Ann Oakley – Family
Socialisation
• Ann Oakley found that children were
encouraged to do certain things in
order to socialise them into gender
patterns.
• Pink vs blue
• Toys which encourage nurturing
activities vs toys which encourage
assertive behaviour.
• Dolls vs ACTION FIGURES!!

12. Bordieu – The family and cultural
capital
• Bordieu discussed how cultural capital,
tastes and habitus learnt from parents
can give children certain advantages or
disadvantages in the future.
• An adherence to middle class tastes and
habits allow for greater advantages in
society and allow people to feel more
comfortable in middle class locations.