Rev SM 2 Social Contagion Theory

All forms of contagion theory believe that people can be made temporarily insane, irrational, or illogical w/in a crowd & that they return to normal as soon as they leave the situation

"Contagion" means rapidly spreading infection, that spreads quickly from person to person & is now used as a metaphor for anything that spreads rapidly

The term "contagion" was 1st used by Giralamo Fracastor who wrote about infectious diseases in 1546

The 1st modern theories of collective behavior used contagion, irrationality, insanity, illogical thought, etc. to describe the transmission of thoughts, ideas, or behavior from one individual to an entire group

It was believed that moods & thoughts become contagious w/in certain types of crowds

Once a person is infected w/ contagious irrationality, their behavior becomes irrational or illogical & people do things that they normally would not do

Any individual can become a carrier of contagion irrationality

Under the right circumstances ( the process of contagion is not automatic or instantaneous ), others become infected

There are SEVEN stages of contagion

1. A crowd must focus attention on the same event, person, or object

2. Crowd members begin to influence each other as soon as this common focus occurs

3. Excitement grows

4. Individuals lose their self consciousness & enter something like a frenzy state

5. In the frenzy, people cease to think before they act

6. Once in the frenzy condition, people will support almost any idea or behavior offered by any member of the group

7. In this way, the entire crowd is reduced to the level of what LeBon call "its lowest members"

Contagion theory is unique in that it assumes that collective behavior is explained by

- exclusively, the mental state of the participants; i.e. the apprehension that no outside forces are involved

- the breakdown of normal critical thinking to the point of irrationality & lose of self control

- the circular reaction which is far more important than any pre exisiting attitudes

- its contagion, either physical or social contagion, which can occur any time people gather

Evaluation:

Contagion theory exaggerates the level of irrationality, & thus never directly explores the question of the extent to which individuals become less rational & more sensitive to the crowed

Contagion theory holds that crowd behavior is contagious, but a more realistic analysis would explore the degree to which "contagion" exists & the conditions under which it increases or decreases

CONTAGION THEORY IS APPLYING MANY OF THE PRINCIPLES OF S - I TO COL BEH & FINDING THAT COMMON MEANING CREATION CREATES COMMON BEHAVIOR / COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR

The theory of symbolic interactionism (S - I) focuses on how we create meaning in an interactive process w/ ourselves, others, & social structures

Contagion theory focuses on how the meaning which creates collective action comes to be & therefore the focus is also on the S -I process of the creation of meaning in an interactive process w/ ourselves, others, & social structures

Fundamentally, both S - I & contagion theory are examining the operation of the 3 way dynamic among the self, society, & the processes of the construction of the self & society

The principles of S - I hold that the meaning we perceive shapes our behavior & our interpretation & behavior creates our self & contagion theory holds that people can gain these interpretations together & thus will act or behave together or similarly

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Outline on Intro to Symbolic Interactionism

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INTRO: S - I FOCUSES ON HOW WE CREATE MEANING IN AN INTERACTIVE PROCESS W/ OURSELVES, OTHERS, & SOCIAL STRUCTURES

Symbolic interactionism is a micro oriented paradigm which holds that:
1. we create meaning in an interactive process w/ ourselves, others, & social structures
2. societal level actions are aggregated by the actions of individuals/groups
3. what people believe to be true, becomes true in its consequences
4. society sends messages, gives rules
5. these messages are imprinted on us (through socialization) from childhood on
6. the content of these impressions is culture
7. social processes / relationships are what construct the individual & society
8. there is a 3 way dynamic among the self, society, & the processes of the construction of the self & society
9. societies interact through symbolic processes w/ themselves & individuals
10. individuals interact through symbolic processes w/ themselves & societies

S - I metaphor:

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men & women merely players.
They have their exits & their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven stages."

William Shakespeare, As You Like It ( Act II Scene 7 )

The symbolic interactionist paradigm is a major micro sociological perspective stressing the importance of messages from others & society, how people understand & interpret these messages & how this process affects people's behavior

Societal level actions are aggregated by the actions of individuals or groups

FOR S - I, SOCIAL PROCESSES / RELATIONSHIPS ARE WHAT CONSTRUCT THE INDIVIDUAL & SOCIETY

Symbolic interactionism is the study of the processes
by which human interaction occurs
including the interactions
btwn individuals & larger society
& how that interaction creates society itself
& the individual itself

Symbolic interactionism holds that
Society,
social interactions,
& the self itself,
develop / are created through the use of
symbols, language, signs & gestures

THERE IS A 3 WAY DYNAMIC AMONG THE SELF, SOCIETY, & THE PROCESSES OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SELF & SOCIETY

Symbolic interactionist holds that there is a THREE way dynamic which constructs the self & society

a. The self (selves) creates social interactions

b. Social interactions create society

c. Society creates the self

Blumer coined the term symbolic interactionism in 1937

SOCIETIES INTERACT THROUGH SYMBOLIC PROCESSES W/ THEMSELVES & INDIVIDUALS

Societies do
- send messages
- give rules
- but it is on the individual level that these situations, messages, etc. occur

INDIVIDUALS INTERACT THROUGH SYMBOLIC PROCESSES W/ THEMSELVES & SOCIETY

Individuals also
- send messages
- give rules
- but most of these messages & rules are largely shaped by & constrained by society

Symbolic interactionism developed from social psychology, & still has a strong relationship w/ that field & has inspired a number of other important subfields: dramaturgy, exchange theory, neuro linguistic programming

In sociology, most of the ideas of symbolic interactionist are found in the study of socialization

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Outline on the Principles of Symbolic Interactionism

External
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- Project: Messages

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- Video: Cast Away: Hanks & Wilson: 22.45

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- Project: Video: Cast Away, Mead, Cooley, & Symbolic Interactionism

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FOR SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM, BOTH THE INDIVIDUAL & SOCIETY ARE CREATED SIMULTANEOUSLY; THEY CREATE EACH OTHER IN AN ON-GOING PROCESS OF THE MEANING CREATION & INTERPRETATION OF SYMBOLS

There are SIX Common Principles in Symbolic Interactionism ( a micro sociological theory )

1. Individuals send messages	4. The meaning we perceive shapes our behavior
2. We receive thousands of messages per day	5. Our interpretation & behavior creates our self
3. We interpret messages	6. The social construction of reality is a dynamic on going process

Symbolic interactionism focuses on how messages are sent, received, interpreted, & shape our "reality" (individual behavior & society)

We sometimes notice this "meaning creation process" in stressful situations:
- Does this person like me?
- What do these people really want?
- What is going on here?
- What am I supposed to do?

But the meaning creation process goes on all the time

The meaning creation process is routine in most situations

What makes society function smoothly, w/o conflict, w/o chaos, is that most behavior & meaning is routine

We establish "habits," "routines," life-styles," "personalities," etc. that create meaning for us

1. INDIVIDUALS SEND MESSAGES

"Individuals" send messages

"Society" does & does not send messages

Does: smiles, comments, rules, laws

Doesn't: individuals create this, but as dictated by society

Examples: shake hands, bow, hug, high five, look me in the eye; avoid eye contact, hug, kiss, etc.

2. WE RECEIVE THOUSANDS OF MESSAGES PER DAY

We receive thousands of messages per day

Individuals receive messages through the senses, which are then interpreted by the mind

Society receives messages through individuals in the social institutions such as family, church, govt, etc.

3. WE INTERPRET MESSAGES

We interpret messages: i.e., we engage in meaning creation

Meaning is created, & is not inherent in the situation

So reality depends on the content of the messages & situations as well as how the person interprets them

The interpretation of reality can often be an important fact in determining the ultimate reality

Example: Hello: Someone on the street saying "Hello, it's a nice day"
You may interpret this as a friendly gesture or as an attempt to get something from you

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Example: Shirtless at UVW

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4. THE MEANING WE PERCEIVE SHAPES OUR BEHAVIOR

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Behavior sends messages.....

Examples: interpreting situations

Common social situations for discussion of meaning include major life passages: birth, marriage, death, retirement, etc.

Common situations where we impart meaning, but it is really not a topic of conscious thought include a party, a friendship, a major purchase such as a car, home, major toy etc.

For symbolic interactionists, common situations pre influence meanings, such as
Example: Religion: what is the meaning of baptism, communion, confirmation, brisk, etc.?

But as delineated by Marcuse, Habermas et al, major corps do try to create / understand the meaning of these acts so that they can manipulate the meanings to enhance consumption of their products

5. OUR INTERPRETATION & BEHAVIOR CREATES OUR SELF

Our interpretation & our behavior, which are the result of messages we send & receive, creates the self

We create habits or routines of how we interpret behavior & messages, which are a major aspect of what psychologists call personality

We create habits or routines of how we behave & send messages

Our interpretations & behaviors become fixed for ourself; our self: Can I reinterpret my impression of a tattoo?

6. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY IS A DYNAMIC ON-GOING PROCESS

These social psychological processes of symbolic interactionism result in the "social construction of reality" which denotes that their is no objective reality

"Reality" is constructed via an ongoing social process

- The reality that an actor experiences is NOT the same as the objective reality

- The interpretation of reality can be as important as reality itself

Reality is not simply determined by what goes on in an objective sense

Reality is determined by one's subjective or interpretive understanding of the meaning of what happens

Meaning is a product of past social experiences because an actor's subjective, interpretive understanding is rooted in past social experiences

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Example: Topless at UVW I see man in halls w/o shirt
I try to rationalize why he might be w/o a shirt:
- came in from outside
- is involved in sociology project
- major spill
- is showing off
He will receive combination of
- approval messages
- disapproval message

I see woman in halls w/o shirt
This is such unacceptable behavior,
I am shocked, but come up w/ different explanations
- is mentally unstable; risking arrest
- is streaking

Point is: I try to create meaning/understand
My meanings shape my behavior

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4. A message's interpreted meaning shapes reality Meaning shapes behavior (individual & societal behavior)

If I believe man is showing off, I sneer
If I believe man had major spill, I pity him or offer jacket if I have one

If I believe woman is streaking, I laugh
If I believe woman is unstable, I try to get her help

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5. Behavior sends messages... cycle continues If I offer my coat to the man or woman, if I have misinterpreted
& they do not want the coat, they may laugh & / or threaten me

Internal
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Outline on Socialization

External
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- Project: Socialization by the Social Structures

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- Video: The Agents of Socialization 4:51

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- Video: Socialization 3:03

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- Video: Review of Socialization 1:03

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- Supplement: Putting the Social into Science. Forget about Nature vs. nurture. The answer lies in between. Nicholas A. Christakis. Time Magazine. Dec. 19, 2011 p. 28.

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INTRO: FERAL, AS COMPARED TO NORMAL CHILDREN, DEMONSTRATES THE POWER OF SOCIALIZATION

Is the existence of Feral Children a myth or fact?

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Tableau on Feral Children

Harlow's experiments w/ baby monkeys demonstrates the devastating effects of social isolation during early stages of life

Monkeys raised in isolation from other monkeys did not develop normally

Artificially inseminated female monkeys who had been raised in isolation from other monkeys usually neglected or abused their offspring

When monkeys raised in isolation were given a choice, they preferred a soft, cloth artificial “mother” over a nursing, wire mother

Cases of children raised by animals have never been authenticated, but are very popular in myth

Institutionalized children who are deprived of interaction typically experience ongoing developmental & emotional problems, even if they receive all the necessary physical care

In relation to feral or neglected children, the total absence of interaction w/ other human beings produces personalities that cannot participate in human society

Babies whose parents largely ignore them over an extended time typically show poor intellectual development & high rates of personality difficulties

SOCIALIZATION IS THE PROCESS BY WHICH MEMBERS OF A SOCIETY ARE TAUGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT SOCIETY, LEARN THEIR ROLES, & DEVELOP SELF IMAGE

Socialization is the process whereby people learn, through interaction w/ others, that which they must know in order to survive & function w/in their society

The results of socialization are internalized

Internalization is the process whereby cultural or social psychological values, norms, attitudes, etc. are taken inside or to the inner part of the social self so that they become an integrated part of the social self indistinguishable from other facets of the self & personality

Internalization in relation to socialization is to unconsciously accept or assimilate the attitudes & behavior of one's culture or peer group

An example of internalization in relation to socialization is that a woman who believes that women are intellectually inferior to men might be said to have internalized the sexist attitudes of the dominant culture

SOCIALIZATION IS A LIFELONG PROCESS

Socialization is a lifelong process through which we are "taught" roles & "develop" a self image

Socialization is the lifelong social experience by which individuals develop their human potential & learn culture

Social experience is also the foundation for the personality, a person's fairly consistent pattern of thinking, feeling, & acting

Socialization is essentially the same as learning or imprinting, aka "deep learning"

The processes of socialization are generally “natural” processes in that we are largely unaware of them

There is debate is sociology about the relative importance of nature versus nurture in shaping human behavior. This debate could be characterized biology versus socialization

Those who believe that an individual's genetic or hormonal makeup shapes human behavior would come down on the nature side of the nature versus nurture debate

Those who believe that social forces are the most important in shaping human behavior would come down on the nurture side of the nature verses nurture debate

Symbolic interactionist theories of socialization weigh heavily on the side of nurture

The processes of socialization affect our personality, that is, Socialization goes deeper than education

The majority of the processes of socialization occur before “consciousness,” i.e. before age 5

All schools of thought agree that what happens in childhood has maximal influences throughout a person's life because it is in childhood that people first develop their patterns of thought & behavior

But the processes of socialization do continue throughout life

The adult life cycle presents us w/ numerous new situations that require the learning of new roles

Social scientists do not accept the notion that all behavior in adulthood is a product of childhood experiences

Our socialization may be “correct” or “incorrect” based on its congruence w/ the prevailing culture & subcultures in which we live

SOCIALIZATION FUNCTIONS TO HELP PEOPLE MEET NEEDS, PROVIDE INTERACTION, LEARN ROLES, & LEARN NORMS

Socialization has FOUR functions

a. Socialization functions so people can to meet physical needs: coop hunter gatherers

b. Socialization functions to provide needed interaction

Normal human development is impossible w/o human interaction

c. Socialization functions so people can learn social roles

How well we perform in a role affects our self esteem

d. Socialization functions so people can learn norms

Childhood socialization is sometimes referred to as primary socialization

	THERE ARE 6 PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION, INCLUDING SMIPNN
	1. SELECTIVE EXPOSURE IS THE CONTROLLING OF THE INFLUENCES TO WHICH ANOTHER IS EXPOSED
	Selective exposure is the process of exposure to those behaviors & attitudes considered desirable & sheltered from those regarded as undesirable
	Maximization of good influences is selective exposure socialization
	Examples: the V Chip; a father talking to his 11 year old son, "No, you may not watch Baywatch." Friends choosing what music to listen to; CNN's coverage of the news
Link	2. MODELING IS THE DEMONSTRATION OR ACTING OUT OF BEHAVIOR
	Modeling is imitating the behavior of significant others & role models
	Modeling begins w/ observing the behavior of another & w/ retention of images of such behavior in a person's memory
	After observing a behavior, one imitates, or reproduces that behavior
	Eventually, however, imitation goes beyond mere habit, & it is repeated in situations beyond that in which it was originally observed
	Examples: The little boy, dressing up like Dad & going off to work, or girls watching cheerleaders
Link	3. IDENTIFICATION IS AN EXTREME FORM OF MODELING WHERE THE OTHER ESTABLISHES AN EMOTIONAL BOND W/ THE MODEL
	Identification is seeing ourselves as the same as someone who nurtures us
	Identification is the positive feelings toward an individual that lead a child to want to be like that person
	Example: The little boy, day-dreaming of being a great baseball player The little girl, day-dreaming of being President
	4. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT INCLUDES REWARDS & REMOVAL OF NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
	A friendly slap on the back or an invitation to join a group activity may be reward for an approved action or viewpoint
	5. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT INCLUDES PUNISHMENTS & REMOVAL OF POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
	Positive & negative reinforcement socialization may also be known as reward & punishment socialization
	Reinforcing correct behavior is reward & punishment socialization
	Example: “You are such a good girl, eating w/ your fork like a grown-up!”
Link	6. NURTURANCE IS SUPPORT, AFFECTION, ETC.
	Nurturance is a special form of reward & punishment which is the support, affection, etc., or lack of, given by a significant other role model
	Development of strong positive feelings towards another w/ whom one has a primary relationship is nurturance
	Loving your child is an example of nurturance
	THE PROCESSES OF SOCIALIZATION ARE CARRIED OUT BY THE SOCIAL STRUCTURES WHICH ACT AS THE AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION: EG, THE SOC STRUCTURES (PF REG M CEML) ALL CARRY OUT SMIPNN
Link	Individuals, groups & the social structures are the agents of socialization
	There are both manifest & latent functions of socialization by social structures
Link	Table on Manifest & Latent Socialization by AOS
	- Project: socialization by the social structures	Link
Link	Methods of socialization by social structures How do each of these social structures apply SMIPNN?
	Socialization occurs in the home, in school, on the job, etc.
	Socialization takes place in each of the 10 social institutions
	Agents of socialization rarely give a person the same messages about what kind of person they are
	But the AOSs may preach one thing & do another
	PEOPLE, GRPS, & SOCIAL STRUCTURES ALL ACT AS AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION, I.E. THEY PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION
Link	Table on the Methods of Socialization of the Social Structures
Link	1. PEERS AS AN AOS become influential about age 2 & are the most influential on tweens & teens
	Peer groups are those whose members have interests, social position, & age in common
	Anticipatory socialization refers to the process of social learning directed toward gaining a desired position & commonly occurs among peers
	Peers are the social structure that is the most likely to ostracize
	It is in junior high & high school years that the Peer agent of socialization has its greatest influence, as young people seek to establish their independence
Link	2. FAMILY AS AN AOS is the most important in the childhood years
	Not all family learning results from intentional teaching by parents; children also learn from the type of environment adults create
	The family also gives children a social identity & thus in part, social identity involves race
	Socialization w/in the family also varies markedly by social class
	The family is the social structure that is the most likely to use selective exposure
	In the early years, the years is the most important agent of socialization
	The institution w/ a profound effect not only on children's knowledge, but also on their self image, their understanding of reality, & their mode of reasoning, is the family
	In the home, Girls learn expressive skills ( nurturing, communication ) that are later useful in the workplace
	In the home, Boys learn instrumental skills ( work, goal oriented ) that are later useful in the workplace
	Children need not be told they are good at everything; a balanced self image is much healthier than one that cannot accept any shortcomings
	Parents’ socialization of kids depends on their job experience; e.g., LC teaches obedience & the UC teaches initiative
	The job dependent socialization by Parents often influences or leads to occupational inheritance

Link	3. RELIGION AS AN AOS lost influence at mid century, but is now regaining influence
	Religion as an AOS varies widely since fewer than half of Americans participate in it weekly
Link	4. THE ECONOMY / WORK AS AN AOS is, for such theorists as Marx, & to a certain extent Weber, & others, one of the most important agents of socialization, & may be even more influential than the family / parents
Link	Formal socialization in the workplace is called orientation
	Informal socialization in the workplace is called occupational culture
	Occupational culture encompasses such factors at dress, sociability, pace of work, length of breaks, & much more
	Workers must learn the job culture (a job's shared knowledge, beliefs, values & norms) on dress, sociability, performance, attitude, etc. or risk ostracism or failure
Link	5. GOVERNMENT AS AN AOS is becoming more pervasive
	The govt socializes us in general to national commitment, patriotism, & specifically to a particular policy
	The govt uses formalized processes of socialization such as speeches: JFK: Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country"
	The govt uses informal processes such as sloganeering: My Country, Right or Wrong! America: Love It or Leave It!
	Because of govts' past excesses, many fear govt over socialization via the "Big Brother" Syndrome
Link	6. THE MILITARY AS AN AOS socializes members & citizens to loyalty, honor, sacrifice, etc.
Link	7. CHARITY AS AN AOS socializes people to the ethic of giving, the value of helping, & the belief that some are deserving of others' help
Link	8. EDUCATION AS AN AOS is expanding from secular knowledge to cultural beliefs
	Schools join w/ families in socializing children into gender roles
	In education, children learn "a hidden curriculum" including how to work, punctuality, orderliness, etc. which prepares them for the world of work
	Some researchers say the hidden curriculum in school is more influential than what is learned
	The hidden curriculum is based on race, gender, class, looks, apparent intelligence, sociability, etc. in that children are socialized based on race, gender, class, etc.
	The hidden curriculum passes on important cultural values
	For most children, school is their first experience w/ bureaucracy
Link	9. THE MEDIA AS AN AOS socializes people to mass & popular culture which is heavily influenced by the profit motive of the media itself & those commercial interests that utilize it
	The mass media are impersonal communications aimed at a vast audience & also shape socialization
	The influence of the media is growing dramatically
	In recent decades the media has become, perhaps, the most influential agent of socialization
	National surveys show that the average household has at least one TV set turned on for more than eight hours each day & that people spend half their free time watching television
	Years before children learn to read, television watching is part of their daily routine
	Liberals note that racial & ethnic minorities are largely invisible in the medium or included only in stereotyped roles; the latter charge
	Conservatives note that television & film industries are dominated by a cultural elite
	The public is concerned about the amount of violence & crudeness on television & other media
Link	10. LEISURE / RECREATION AS AN AOS socialize people to take & enjoy leisure w/out guilt, to live a consumptive lifestyle, & to live more for today rather waiting until retirement

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Tableau on Feral Children
The existence of Feral Children is both myth & fact.
1. lived wild
2. abused: complete neglect

The Wild Girl of Champagne

1700s in the Champagne region of France

She was guessed to be 10 to 18 yrs. old when discovered
stealing apples from a tree in 1731

Reportedly had a small body covered only by rags & animals skins

Amazed everyone by skinning & eating rabbits & chickens... raw, entrails & all

The girl was eventually transferred to a hospital & later to a convent.

She could not adapt to a sedentary lifestyle & civilized food

She lost all her teeth & lost her previously robust health

She was named Angelique Memmie LeBlanc

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Table on Manifest & Latent Socialization by AOS

Social Institutions

Socialization is a:

Peers

latent function

Family

manifest function

Religion

manifest function

Econ/Work

latent function

Govt / Politics

latent function

Military

latent function

Charity

latent function

School

manifest function

Media

latent function (one way?)

10.

Leisure / Recreation

latent function

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Table on the Methods of Socialization of the Social Institutions

Social Institutions
( PF REG M CEML )

Method of Socialization
( SMIPNN )

Peers

1. Selective Exposure	4. Positive Reinforcement
2. Modeling	5. Negative Reinforcement
3. Identification	6. Nurturance

Family

1. Selective Exposure	4. Positive Reinforcement
2. Modeling	5. Negative Reinforcement
3. Identification	6. Nurturance

Religion

1. Selective Exposure	4. Positive Reinforcement
2. Modeling	5. Negative Reinforcement
3. Identification	6. Nurturance

Econ/Work

1. Selective Exposure	4. Positive Reinforcement
2. Modeling	5. Negative Reinforcement
3. Identification	6. Nurturance

Govt / Politics

1. Selective Exposure	4. Positive Reinforcement
2. Modeling	5. Negative Reinforcement
3. Identification	6. Nurturance

Military

1. Selective Exposure	4. Positive Reinforcement
2. Modeling	5. Negative Reinforcement
3. Identification	6. Nurturance

Charity

1. Selective Exposure	4. Positive Reinforcement
2. Modeling	5. Negative Reinforcement
3. Identification	6. Nurturance

Education

1. Selective Exposure	4. Positive Reinforcement
2. Modeling	5. Negative Reinforcement
3. Identification	6. Nurturance

Media

1. Selective Exposure	4. Positive Reinforcement
2. Modeling	5. Negative Reinforcement
3. Identification	6. Nurturance

10.

Leisure / Recreation

1. Selective Exposure	4. Positive Reinforcement
2. Modeling	5. Negative Reinforcement
3. Identification	6. Nurturance

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b. Modeling
Demonstration or acting out of behavior
Children, esp, imitate behavior especially of Significant Others & Role Models
As a child we model almost everyone & everything around us
Teens & adults also imitate
But we model only those people/things that we feel are important to us

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c. Identification
While we model almost everyone as a child, & important people as an adult, we only identify w/ those who inspire or nurture us
Strongest examples
Heroes
Lovers
Identification is a subset or type of modeling
Identification is a more powerful version of modeling
We may model our favorite boss, religious leader, actor
but we may or may not id w/ them

Almost all children identify w/ parents

Some say: we have no models / heroes today...... true?

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f. Nurturance
Giving.... care help affection attention ( listening )
The lack of nurturance is extremely powerful
Ostracism is one of most powerful social weapons
Greater than punishment

We develop strong positive feelings toward person acting as an AOS because any of previous 5 methods of socialization can be seen as nurturance
Example: how can punishing a child be seen as nurturance? Tough Love

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Individuals, groups & the Social Structures are the Agents of Socialization

They act as importance influences on
- knowledge
- beliefs
- values CULTURE
- norms
- attitudes (what we "consciously" believe)
- & thus behavior
We get conflicting messages

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1. Peers as AOS
Peers as an AOS become influential about age 2 & are the most influential on tweens & teens
It is in junior high & high school years that the Peer agent of socialization has its greatest influence, as young people seek to establish their independence
- children “choose” their own SOs
- demand tremendous conformity
- greatest influence

1. Selective Exposure	Let's do that; don't do that-- it's nerdy
2. Modeling	Hey, watch me!
3. Identification	Leader of the pack Big brother/sister complex; Best friend
4. Positive Reinforcement	You did great!!
5. Negative Reinforcement	You are a jerk!! gossip, ostracism
6. Nurturance	Hey, it's ok... that person is just a &#@%! YOU are cool

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2. Family as AOS

In the early years, the family is the most important agent of socialization
The family is the social structure that is the most likely to use selective exposure
The institution w/ a profound effect not only on children's knowledge, but also on their self image, their understanding of reality, & their mode of reasoning, is the family
The child's world is the parents’
- truth is what the parents say
- boys & girls are given different messages
- different ages are given different messages (parents change)

1. Selective Exposure expose kids only to what they want to

2. Modeling kids see "real parents"

3. Identification kids id or reject parents based on many factors

4. Positive reinforcement Hug, $$ for report card, candy, Good Job!

5. Negative reinforcement Time out, grounding, spanking

6. Nurturance Some parents very warm; give attention every day
Help; support all the time
Appropriate pos & negative rein

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3. Religion as AOS
Religion as an agent of socialization varies widely since fewer than half of Americans participate in it weekly
Focus on moral socialization & ultimate goals
- use of religion as AOS varies widely
- half of Am attend church once a week
- historically lost influence; is on a come-back

1. Selective Exposure	Exposure mostly to own religious doctrine May be taught other religious doctrine is wrong / evil
2. Mod	Religious objects are models; religious leaders are models
3. Identification	Religious objects: cannot over identify: sacred
4. Positive reinforcement	Heaven; rewards on Earth
5. Negative reinforcement	Hell; oblivion; reincarnation; justice on Earth
6. Nurturance	Religious leaders, gods, flock nurture us; church is a community

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4. Econ / Wk as AOS
Most imp form of adult socialization
- socialize us to “higher needs:” recognition, fulfillment, SA

1. Selective Exposure	Exposure to KBVN of that workplace Start or don't start on time Wk late until job is done
2. Modeling	Other workers model behavior in selective exposure
3. Identification	Id w/ boss, co-workers, union, one group of workers, no one
4. Positive reinforcement	Pay, benefits, responsibility, autonomy
5. Negative reinforcement	Berated in front of others, nasty memo, no raise, promo
6. Nurturance	Usually from other workers, Mentoring = nurturance from senior worker/boss

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Formal socialization in the workplace
Entry level intros; Orientation
UVaW: 1 week of orientation: Meet all top level mgrs. Meeting w/ all new Professionals; Meet w/ Department;
OJT: large variation among workplaces
Becoming more prevalent in US;
Europe, Japanese way ahead
US more likely to assume worker is prepared for wk
& offer little training OJT

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5. Govt as AOS
Builds on / employs loyalty
- Complicated system that “the people control”
- becoming ever more rationalized/effective
- becoming ever more pervasive (its everywhere)

1. Selective Exposure	Provides much info on our govt W/holds much info on our govt W/holds info on other forms of govt
2. Modeling	Idea of citizenship
3. Identification	For decades, US political leaders were idolized Some still are; most are not Continue to idolize past leaders
4. Positive reinforcement	Govt now advertises to make us feel good about govt obligations: what census is for Offers honors
5. Negative reinforcement	Govt has most power to punish, along w/ family
6. Nurturance	Via advertising, makes us feel good, e.g. Nat Guard is there Govt can offer assistance: Nat Guard, social sec, etc.

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6. Military as AOS
Boot camp

1. Selective Exposure	Total exposure to mil way of life
2. Modeling	DI is direct model; mil way of life
3. Identification	Id w/ model soldier; soldier as hero
4. Positive reinforcement	Rest, food, praise, graduation, end to boot camp
5. Negative reinforcement	Physical & verbal abuse, more wk, Mot Training, brig
6. Nurturance	Team; trained to be nurtured by other soldiers

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7. Charity as AOS

1. Selective Exposure	We are usually exposure to everyday life Exposure to what is hidden: others need help Exposure to happy person who has contributed
2. Modeling	Model of one who is helping
3. Identification	Super model of one who is helping Sister Teresa, movie star, etc.
4. Positive reinforcement	Feel good, duty, do unto others
5. Negative reinforcement	Feel bad, do unto others, this could happen to you
6. Nurturance	Gratefulness of peers, & those you helped

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8. Education as AOS

School: 1st major separation from home life
    1st evaluation based on performance/
     vs. unconditional support given in home
- knowledge
- mode of reason: rationality, not traditional
- self image
- obedience: much of school/work/life is following rules
- beliefs & values of society
- understanding reality

1. Selective Exposure Exposure to some know, but not others;
Exposure to know, but not BV

2. Modeling Teachers strong model for youth
Less so for adults
Learn about models in other sectors

3. Identification As child, may id w/ early teacher
As adult, may find respected mentor,
   but this is rare today

4. Positive reinforcement Grades, praise, self respect

5. Negative reinforcement Grades, flunk

6. Nurturance Teachers can nurture, students can nurture

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9. Media: - one way socialization, generally
- gaining influence
- becoming ever more rationalized/effective
- becoming ever more pervasive (its everywhere)

1. Selective Exposure	Debate: does media reflect society's culture or feed a culture to society?
2. Mod	1,000's of role models
3. Identification	Adulation for stars
4. Positive reinforcement	Media offers us social rewards for conforming
5. Negative reinforcement	Pun: opposite of reward is true
6. Nurturance	Use to relax & validate self

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10. Recreation / Leisure as AOS: - most imp of adult child socialization
- socializes us to “higher needs”

1. Selective Exposure	Advertising, prime time
2. Modeling	We model athletes: good & bad
3. Identification	We id w/ athletes, good & bad
4. Positive reinforcement	Reward self w/ recreation, leisure & for success in recreation, leisure
5. Negative reinforcement	Pun self, others for failure
6. Nurturance	We recreate to relax & achieve

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Outline on the Processes of Socialization

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- Project: Socialization by the Social Structures

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- Video: The Agents of Socialization 4:51

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- Video: Socialization 3:03

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- Video: Review of Socialization 1:03

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Socialization is a lifelong process through which we are "taught" roles & "develop" a self image

Socialization is essentially the same as learning or imprinting, aka "deep learning"

There are SIX processes of socialization ( SMIPNN )

1. Selective exposure is the controlling of the influences to which another is exposed

Selective exposure is the process of exposure to those behaviors & attitudes considered desirable & sheltered from those regarded as undesirable

Maximization of good influences is selective exposure socialization

Examples: the V Chip; a father talking to his 11 year old son, "No, you may not watch Baywatch." Friends choosing what music to listen to; CNN's coverage of the news

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2. Modeling is the demonstration or acting out of behavior

Modeling is imitating the behavior of significant others & role models

Modeling begins with observing the behavior of another and with retention of images of such behavior in a person's memory. Then one imitates, or reproduces that behavior. "Eventually, however, this goes beyond mere habit, and it is repeated in situations beyond that in which it was originally observed."

Examples: The little boy, dressing up like Dad and going off to work, or girls watching cheerleaders

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3. Identification is an extreme form of modeling where the other establishes an emotional bond w/ the Model

Identification is seeing ourselves as the same as someone who nurtures us

Identification is the positive feelings toward an individual that lead a child to want to be like that person

Example: The little boy, day-dreaming of being a great baseball player
The little girl, day-dreaming of being President

4. Positive reinforcement includes rewards & removal of negative reinforcement

A friendly slap on the back or an invitation to join a group activity may be reward for an approved action or viewpoint

5. Negative reinforcement includes punishments & removal of positive reinforcement

Positive & negative reinforcement socialization may also be known as reward & punishment socialization

Reinforcing correct behavior is reward & punishment socialization

Example: “You are such a good girl, eating with your fork like a grown-up!”

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6. Nurturance is support, affection, etc.

Nurturance is a special form of reward & punishment which is the support, affection, etc., or lack of, given by a significant other role model

Development of strong positive feelings towards another w/ whom one has a primary relationship is nurturance

Loving your child is an example of nurturance

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b. Modeling
Demonstration or acting out of behavior
Children, esp, imitate behavior especially of Significant Others and Role Models
As a child we model almost everyone & everything around us
Teens and adults also imitate
But we model only those people/things that we feel are important to us

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Almost all children identify w/ parents

Some say: we have no models / heroes today...... true?

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f. Nurturance
Giving.... care help affection attention ( listening )
The lack of nurturance is extremely powerful
Ostracism is one of most powerful social weapons
Greater than punishment

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Outline on Mackay's Study of "Mass Hysteria"

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Mackay's study of "Mass Hysteria" entitled Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds, 1841, was the first modern work on collective behavior & is considered to be a seminal work in the area of contagion theory

Mackay's study was a descriptive study & offered no analysis of the causes of collective behavior

Mackay based his views of collective behavior (CB) on the current thinking of the time about psychological hysteria

Psychology was as far afield in its thinking on hysteria as sociologist, et al were on mass hysteria, "contagion," etc.

Hysteria, then & now, is a mental illness in which a person has physical complaints when no physical cause can be found

The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates was one of the first to identify this disorder

Hippocrates noticed hysteria was common in women and thought it was caused by a displaced uterus

The word hysteria comes from hysteria, the Greek word for uterus

Today the term hysteria is not as widely used in the medical, psychological or other professions but in everyday language a person with hysteria may have any sort of physical complaint

People are often called hysterical when they are upset, excited, and unable to control their feelings

We often hear of "hysterical weeping" or "hysterical rage."

Outbursts of feeling may have nothing to do with the disorder that psychiatrists call hysteria

In some cases, hysterical attack occur in "normal people"

Psychiatrists usually treat hysteria by using some type of psychotherapy or behavior therapy

Treatment with drugs and hypnosis may also be used along with the psychotherapy

The causes of hysteria are still not known, but the disorder remains more common in women than in men

Mackay used the term mass hysteria because collective behavioir seemed to him to have no cause, & seemed to be transmitted from person to person w/ no visible method of transmission

Mackay said of the Council of Clermont which gave rise to the Crusades in 1095: "The news of this council spread to the remotest part of Europe in an incredibly short space of time. Long before the fleetest horseman could have brought the intelligence, it was known by the people in distant provinces: a fact which was considered as nothing less than supernatural."

In reporting nearly simultaneous generation of hysteria across expanses of space, Mackay was probably relying on inaccurate information or was simply mistaken in many of his descriptions as when witnesses make the same mistake at an incident

Mackay examined the spread of slang in London of the 1800s

Mackay described fads in slang which swept through London:
"There he goes with his eye out!"
The jibe, "Does your mother know you're out?"

Mackay described how slang would spontaneously occur at different spots in the city at the same time demonstrating faulty methodology on his part

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Outline on LeBon's Contagion Theory

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LeBon's study, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, 1895, offered theories to explain collective behavior

LeBon was much more of a philosopher & historian than a social theorist

Some of LeBon's ideas are not accepted & were a product of the limited scope of the social sciences in the 1800s, & yet many of his ideas are still important today & have been incorporated into modern theories of collective behavior

LeBon relies on thought, conjecture & personal observation & does not utilize the scientific method as it is practiced today

LeBon's language is archaic & his values reflect the patriarchal, Euro-dominated culture in which he lived

LeBon first developed the premises of Contagion Theory that episodes of mob violence, riots, lynching, etc. are driven by animal instincts w/in us

Animalistic urges spread through a "maddening crowd" like an infection

People experienced what Mackay called mass hysteria, or today we might call temporary insanity

LeBon thought crowd behavior was an actual disease, a contagion

Social contagion reduced the crowed to the level of the least intelligent, roughest, & the most violent or what LeBon called "its lowest members"

Crowds are beyond individual control & are essentially "unconscious"

Crowds are led by emotions, not reason or ideas of fairness

LeBon argues that crowds are always destructive

LeBon's study focused on the mob violence in France after the French Revolution of 1789

LeBon was fascinated in how a mob could slaughter people & then go back to normal life

The concept of the "masses" was an important factor in the development of world history in France & of the social science to explain that socio-historical development

LeBon's also examined of the Dutch Tulip Bulb Mania of 1634 & 1636

For LeBon, a collective mind is formed, & the "psychological crowd" becomes a single entity capable of sudden & dramatic behavior

In a crowd people attain certain new psychological characteristics: i.e., people act differently in crowds

A psychological crowd can be formed by people who are not in the same place at the same time

LeBon's Process of the Creation of the "Psychological Crowd" has THREE Stage:

1. For LeBon, the first stage of the creation of the psychological crowd occurs when the individuals feel invincible & anonymous

The feelings of invincibility & anonymity is a crowd allows people to engage in behavior that they would normally repress out of fear & self-consciousness

Anonymity also allows behavior w/o worry about personal consequences

2. For LeBon, the second stage of the creation of the psychological crowd occurs when the Contagion occurs

During the contagion, "hypnotic phenomenon," sentiments & actions become contagious to such an extent that individuals are willing to sacrifice in the name of the collective interest

The welfare of the crowd becomes more important than individuals personal comfort or safety

People engage in behavior they would normally be afraid to try: they may become heroic

LeBon's view of contagion is inexact: sometimes it is something like mass hypnosis, other times it is literally an infection transmitted like any infection

3. For LeBon, the third stage of the creation of the psychological crowd occurs when the members of the group enter a state of suggestibility

Here people become essentially unconscious in that they are not aware of their own behavior & they act w/o thinking

Their attention is focused on the same object or event

Crowd members interpret things according to their expectations, not reality

Those who disagree w/ the actions of the crowd are unable to resist because they feel outnumbered

Crowds can believe almost anything because they rely on their imagination & impulses rather than logic

Crowds can collectively hallucinate: i.e., see miracles that others cannot see

An example of the suggestibility of a crowd was seen when an entire ship's crew clearly saw a large number of men floating on wreckage, which turned out to be floating branches

For LeBon, crowds cannot be led by logic; a leader must play to the suggestibility

Leaders affect crowds through startling images which strike the imagination of the crowd

The leaders o the French revolts did not carefully argue their points; instead, they declared their intentions w/ short, emotional phrases

Situational variables such as time of day, temperature, terrain, etc. which LeBon called immediate factors only have an effect in relation to remote factors such as attitudes, beliefs, & predispositions

Approval of the crowd can make any action seem right/good/honorable

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Outline on the French Revolution

External
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- Video: The French Rev

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- Video Project: The French Rev

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PRE REVOLUTION CONDITIONS

The French Revolution (FR) lasted from 1789 to 1799, & had far reaching effects on the rest of Europe

The FR brought about great changes in the society & govt of France

The FR introduced democratic ideals to France but did not make the nation a democracy

However, the FR did end supreme rule by French kings & strengthened the middle class

After the revolution began, no European kings, nobles, or other privileged groups could ever again take their powers for granted or ignore the ideals of liberty & equality

The 100 yrs. of the Fr transition to democracy was extremely violent & it was not until the late 1800s that stability returned Napoleon III was defeated by Prussia in 1870

Various social, political, & economic conditions led to the FR

The conditions which led to the FR included dissatisfaction among the lower & middle classes, interest in new ideas about govt, & financial problems caused by the costs of wars

During the time of the FR, legal divisions among social groups that had existed for hundreds of years created much discontent

THE THREE ESTATES OR CLASSES

According to law, French society consisted of three groups called estates

Members of the clergy made up the first estate, nobles the second, & the rest of the people the third

The peasants formed the largest group in the third estate

Many of the peasants in France in the 1700s earned so little that they could barely feed their families

The third estate also included the working people of the cities & a large & prosperous middle class made up chiefly of merchants, lawyers, & govt officials

The third estate resented certain advantages of the first two estates

The clergy & nobles did not have to pay most taxes

The third estate, especially the peasants, had to provide almost all the country's tax revenue

At the time of the Fr Rev, many members of the middle class were also troubled by their social status because while they were among the most important people in French society, they were not recognized as such because they belonged to the third estate

The new ideas about govt challenged France's absolute monarchy

At the time of the Fr Rev, under the Fr monarchical system, the king had almost unlimited authority

The Fr King governed by divine right, that is, the monarch's right to rule was thought to come from god

There were checks on the king, but these came mainly from a few groups of aristocrats in the parliaments (high courts)

During the 1700's, French writers called philosophes & philosophers from other countries raised new ideas about freedom

Some of these thinkers, including Jean Jacques Rousseau, suggested that the right to govern came from the people

CRISIS

The Fr Rev began w/ a govt financial crisis but quickly became a movement of reform & violent change

The financial crisis developed because the nation had gone deeply into debt to finance fighting in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) & the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783)

By 1788, the govt was almost bankrupt, but the Parliament of Paris insisted that King Louis XVI could borrow more money or raise taxes only by calling a meeting of the Estates General

The Estates General was made up of representatives of the three estates, & had last met in 1614 & the king unwillingly called the meeting

The third estate, the peasants, insisted that all the estates be merged into one national assembly & that each representative have one vote & it also wanted the Estates General to write a constitution

The king & the first two estates, the clergy & the nobles, refused the demands of the third estate, the peasants

	THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF FRANCE
	In June 1789, the representatives of the third estate declared themselves the National Assembly of France & gathered at a tennis court & pledged not to disband until they had written a constitution
	The vow of the third estate to form a constitution became known as the Oath of the Tennis Court
	Louis XVI then allowed the three estates to join together as the National Assembly, but at the same time began to gather troops to break up the Assembly
	While the National Assembly negotiated a constitution & while King Louis secretly gathered troops the masses of France also took action by gathering at the Bastille
	STORMING THE BASTILLE & PEASANT UPRISINGS
	In July, 1789, a huge crowd of Parisians rushed to the Bastille, a royal fortress & hated symbol of oppression
	The masses believed they would find arms & ammunition there for use in defending themselves against the king's army
	The people captured the Bastille & began to tear it down & at the same time, leaders in Paris formed a revolutionary city govt
	Massive peasant uprisings against nobles also broke out in the countryside
	A few nobles, who were called émigrés because they emigrated, decided to flee France & many more followed in the next five yrs
	The uprisings in town & countryside saved the National Assembly from being disbanded by the king
	During the rev, Fr armies suffered military defeats & Parisians feared that the invading armies would soon invade the city
	Parisians also feared an uprising by the large number of people in the city's prisons
	In August 1789, the Assembly adopted the Decrees of August 4 & the Declaration of the Rights of Man & of the Citizen which abolished some feudal dues that the peasants owed their landlords, the tax advantages of the clergy & nobles, & regional privileges
	The declaration guaranteed the same basic rights to all citizens, including "liberty, property, security, & resistance to oppression" as well as representative govt
	The Assembly later drafted a constitution that made Fr a limited monarchy w/ a one house legislature
	THE REIGN OF TERROR
	In the first week of September, small numbers of Parisians took the law into their own hands & executed more than 1,000 prisoners
	In 1789, the "September Massacres" occurred when ordinary citizens in France executed over 1,000 prisoners who were mostly clergy & nobles
	The September Massacres turned many people in France & Europe against the revolution
	After the September Massacres, a series of elected legislatures then took control of the govt
	King Louis XVI & his wife, Marie Antoinette, were executed
	Thousands of others met their death in a period called the Reign of Terror
	The new invention of the guillotine sped up the mass execution process & the streets flowed w/ blood
	The term "terrorism" originated from the Reign of Terror that characterized the Fr Rev
	While the modern form of terrorism has been around for millennium, it is during this period of violence in the Fr Rev that the term terrorism came into usage
	The Assembly seized the property of the Roman Catholic Church
	THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
	By September 1791, the National Assembly believed that the rev was over & it disbanded at the end of the month to make way for the newly elected Legislative Assembly
	The new Assembly, made up mainly of representatives of the middle class, opened in Oct. of 1791
	The New Assembly faced the challenges of creating internal stability as well as facing a foreign threat
	Stability during the FR depended on the cooperation btwn the King & the Assembly but Louis remained opposed & so he asked other rulers for help in stopping it, & plotted w/ aristocrats & émigrés to overthrow the new govt
	Public opinion became bitterly divided: the revolution's religious policy angered many Catholics while other people demanded stronger measures against opponents of the revolution.
	In April 1792, the new govt went to war against Austria & Prussia & these nations wished to restore the king & émigrés to their positions
	While Louis XVI & his supporters clearly hoped for the victory of the invaders, the foreign armies defeated Fr forces in the early fighting & invaded Fr
	As a result of the defeat of the French armies, angry revolutionaries in Paris & other areas demanded that the king be dethroned & in August 1792, the people of Paris took custody of Louis XVI & his family & imprisoned them
	Louis's removal ended the constitutional monarchy & the Assembly then called for a National Convention to be chosen in an election open to nearly all French males age 21 or older, & for a new constitution
	In Sept 1792, Fr forces defeated a Prussian army in the Battle of Valmy, which prevented the Prussians from advancing on Paris, helped end the crisis
	In time, the radicals began to struggle for power among themselves
	Most of the democratic reforms of the past two years were abolished in what became known as the Thermidorian Reaction
	The Convention replaced the democratic constitution it had adopted in 1793 w/ a new one in 1795
	W/ the 1795 Constitution, France was still a republic, but once again only citizens who paid a certain amount of taxes could vote
	The revolution ended when Napoleon Bonaparte, a French general, took over the govt in Nov of 1799
	The Fr Rev brought France into opposition w/ much of Europe because the monarchs who ruled the other nations feared the spread of democratic ideals
	The revolution left the Fr people in extreme disagreement about the best form of govt for their country but the revolution created the long lasting foundations for a unified state, a strong central govt, & a free society dominated by the middle class & the landowners
	ANALYSIS OF THE FRENCH REV
	LeBon studied the collective behavior of the people & offered theories to explain the crowd behavior & violence in his study, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, 1895
	LeBon noted that in the French Revolts, people engaged in criminal acts were cheered & they later demanded medals for their patriotism, & he thought this was irrational behavior
	"May you be cursed to live in interesting times"
	France had irreversibly changed in almost every way during the period from the Fr Rev of 1789 & LeBon thought much of this was due to social contagion
	The Fr Rev is seen as historically important because, as Tocqueville noted, the freedoms, etc. which the rev embraced were a historically new model for society
	The Fr Rev validates many of Farley's necessary conditions for rev in that:
	- the peasants, the third estate, was dissatisfied because of high taxes, poverty, oppression of the populace by the military, etc.
	- while communications were difficult in the late 1700s, it was still possible given the mail, newspapers, etc. & since much of the rev occurred in the cities, the people were close to each other
	- the people & leaders had survived several attempts at repression by the French monarchy
	- while the people feared the French Monarchy because it was so powerful, they had their beliefs in justice & equality to inspire them
	- the French peasants had barely adequate resources, but were bolstered by the support of the bourgeoisie class
	The FR validates many of Marx's factors affecting rev in that
	- the French peasants experienced the contradiction of monarchical feudalism & democratic capitalism
	- the French peasants had class consciousness in that they understood the contradiction because the French Enlightenment had spread ideals of individualism, freedom, etc. to the general populace
	- the historical circumstances of the weakness of the French Monarchy, the rise of the bourgeoisie class, & the loss of wars by the French all contributed to the success of the French Rev
	- the French peasants had a strong political org in the form of the Parisian govts
	- there was a high level of class conflict btwn the clergy, the monarchy, the peasants, & the bourgeoisie & the clergy & the monarchy banded together while the peasants, & the bourgeoisie banded together
	The Fr Rev validates Johnson's theory in that 18th century France was in disequilibrium because of the contradiction btwn democratic & free mkt values, & the econ system, btwn monarchical values & econ system, & democratic values & econ system
	Johnson notes that loss in a war sets the old regime up for rev, & in the case of the French Rev, they had - lost the Seven Years War - lost the French & Indian War - gone into debt funding the Am Rev War - won some & lost some battles during the actual FR from 1789 to 1799

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Outline on the Dutch Tulip Bulb Mania

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The Dutch Tulip Bulb Mania occurred in the 1600s

After the tulip was brought to Europe, it became the most fashionable flower in both England & Holland

Interest in the flower developed into a craze in Holland called the tulipomania, between 1634 & 1637

During the tulipomania, bulbs sold for as much as a large home

People invested in tulips as people might in stocks, & many lost fortunes

Finally the govt was forced to regulate the trade in bulbs

Almost all of the cultivated kinds of tulips were developed from tulips of Asia Minor that were brought to Vienna, Austria, from Constantinople, Turkey, now Istanbul, in the 1500s

The name tulip comes from the Turkish word for turban & the blossoms look like little turbans

LeBon examined of the Dutch Tulip Bulb Mania of 1634 & 1636

Today, we might understand the tulip mania as a combination of a fad & a speculative panic which affected mostly the monied upper class

Today, we see parallels to the tulip mania in the middle class in any of the speculative fads that emerge, esp today, w/ the help of eBay

Speculative fads were seen relatively early on in baseball cards & today are common around Christmas time for such toys as a new Barbie or Spiderman line

Speculative fads are magnified by corporations & the media

The tulip mania represented two desire in the upper class of the time: the desire to be at the cutting edge of a fashionable trend, & the desire to make money

Speculative fads today are also motivated by the desire to be at the cutting edge of a trend & to make money

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Outline on Robert Park 1864 - 1944

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- Bibliography

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- Biography & Major Works

INTRO: PARK DEVELOPED THE SOCI OF RACE, CULTURAL ANALYSIS, THE PRESENTATION OF SELF, & ECOLOGICAL SOCI

Park had been a reporter & this experience tuned him to the importance of urban problems & the need to go to the field to collect data through personal observation

Park studied in Europe under Georg Simmel & was important for bringing those ideas to the Chicago School

After Europe, Park joined the Congo Reform Association which worked to alleviate the exploitation in the Belgian Congo

Here he met Booker T. Washington & became his secretary

Under Washington, Park worked at the Tuskegee Institute

W. I. Thomas was giving a presentation at Tuskegee, met Park & invited him to give a course on "the Negro in America" at the University of Chicago

This connection eventually resulted in Park moving to the University of Chicago

Park & Burgess published the first important sociology text: An Introduction to the Science of Sociology. (1921)

CULTURAL ANALYSIS FOCUSES ON THE CONCRETE & ABSTRACT SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATIONS OF SOCIETY

Park was interested in the cultural level of analysis & he focused on:

a. systems & beliefs

b. artifacts & technology

c. non material cultural forms

d. the natural resources of the habitat

THE PRESENTATION OF SELF IS THE 'SEMI-CONSCIOUS' DISPLAY OF OUR CONCEPTION OF OUR SELF

Park developed some concepts that were important to symbolic interactionism, such as the Presentation of Self or Impression Management

Park said of impression management, "One thing that distinguishes man from the lower animals is the fact that he has a conception of himself, & once he has defined his role, he tries to live up to it. He not only acts, but he dresses the part, assumes quite spontaneously all the manners & attitudes he conceives as proper to it."

ECOLOGICAL SOCIOLOGY EXAMINES HOW THE PHYSICAL & HUMAN ENV IMPACTS SOCIETAL RELATIONS

Park was also important in the development of Human Ecology, also called Ecological Sociology, or Urban Social Ecology

Ecological Sociology is concerned w/ the interrelationship btwn people & territory including how people adjust & adapt to their environment

Park is an important figure in the study of collective behavior, offering perhaps the first sociological analysis of crowd behavior, noting that people imitate each other & under stressful conditions this imitation increases dramatically giving the impression that 'behavior has become contagious'

'Contagious behavior' manifests itself in a number of stage, the most notable being the circular reaction wherein when the behavior of a person is imitated that original behavior is reinforces, or encouraged, thus motivating the first person to repeat or act out in an even more extreme behavior, estbing a circular reaction feedback loop

Due to his interest in race relations, he took a position at Fisk University (a black university) in 1934

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Robert E. Park 1864 - 1944

Robert Ezra Park (February 14, 1864 - February 7, 1944) was an Am urban sociologist, one of the main founders of the original Chicago School.

Park was born in Harveyville, PN, & grew up in MN. He was educated at the U of Michigan, where he was taught by the pragmatist philosopher John Dewey. His concern for social issues, & especially issues related to race in the cities, led him to become a journalist in Chicago.

After being a journalist in various U.S. towns 1887-1898, he then studied Psychology & Philosophy for an MA at Harvard 1898-9, being taught by another prominent pragmatist philosopher, William James. After graduation, he went to Germany, studying in Berlin, Strasbourg & Heidelberg btwn 1899 & 1903, before returning to the USA. He studied philosophy & sociology in 1899-1900 w/ Georg Simmel at Berlin, spent a semester in Strasbourg 1900, & took his PhD in Psyc & Phil in 1903 at Heidelberg under Windelband (1848-1915). He returned to the USA in 1903, briefly becoming an assistant in philosophy at Harvard 1904-5.

Park taught at Harvard, until Booker T. Washington invited him to the Tuskegee Institute to work on racial issues in the southern US. He joined the Dept of Sociology at the U of Chicago in 1914, staying there until his retirement in 1936. He continued teaching until his death, however, at Fisk University. Park died in Nashville, TN at the age of seventy nine.

At various times from 1925 he was president of the ASA & of the Chicago Urban League, & was a member of the Social Science Research Council.

Park was influential in developing the theory of assimilation as it pertained to immigrants in the United States.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Park

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Major Works of Park

Dissertation on Crowd Behavior in 1904 resulted in: Park, Robert. The Crowd & the Public. 1904.
1912: The Man Farthest Down: a Record of Observation & Study in Europe w/ Booker T Washington, New York: Doubleday
Park, Robert & Ernest Burgess: Introduction to the Science of Sociology. "Collect Behavior." 1921. (with Ernest Burgess) Chicago: University of Chicago Press
1921: Old World Traits Transplanted: the Early Sociology of Culture w/ Herbert A Miller, & Kenneth Thompson, New York: Harper & Brothers
1922: The Immigrant Press & Its Control New York: Harper & Brothers
1925: The City: Suggestions for the Study of Human Nature in the Urban Environment (with R. D. McKenzie & Ernest Burgess) Chicago: University of Chicago Press
1928: Human Migration & the Marginal Man, American Journal of Sociology 33: 881-893
1932: The University & the Community of Races Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press
1937: Cultural Conflict & the Marginal Man in Everett V Stonequist, The Marginal Man, Park's Introduction, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons
1939: Race relations & the Race Problem; a Definition & an Analysis w/ Edgar Tristram Thompson, Durham, NC: Duke University Press
1940: Essays in Sociology w/ C W M Hart, & Talcott Parsons et al., Toronto: University of Toronto Press
1946: An Outline of the Principles of Sociology, w/ Samuel Smith, New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc
1950: Race & Culture, Glencoe Ill: The Free Press, ISBN 0029237807
1952: Human Communities: the City & Human Ecology Glencoe, Ill: The Free Press
1955: Societies, Glencoe Ill: The Free Press
1967: On Social Control & Collective Behavior, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, ISBN 113554381X
1975: The Crowd & the Public & Other Essays, Heritage of Society

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Outline on Robert Park's Contagion Theory ( 1886 - 1944 )

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Park stripped away most of LeBon's political views & retained LeBon's insights into mob behavior

Park' method was much more empirical & social psychological than LeBon's

Park & Burgess first used the term "collective behavior" in An Introduction to the Science of Sociology, 1921

Park & Burgess examined:
       Social Unrest                       Mass Movements
       Crowds                               The Crowd Mind
       Publics                                 Propaganda
       Sects                                   Fashion as a form of Collective Behavior
       Social Contagion

Park attempts to explain collective behavior whereas most earlier theorists had merely described it

Crowds form & experience the collective mind much more readily during times of social instability

Social instability or uncertainty may create an unorganized mass of people who gather together & are not yet a crowd, but engage in milling

Milling occurs when people or animals are agitated or excited but have no direction or purpose & therefore engage in aimless behavior

People engage in milling instead of quietly thinking about what is going on & soon their behavior becomes impulsive

Milling sets the stage for suggestibility, the circular reaction, & other components of crowd behavior

While LeBon believed that people literally catch mental illness from each other, i.e., experience contagion, Park ignores this & develops a sociological explanation of how people imitate & reinforce each other's behavior in a circular reaction

There are TEN steps in Park's circular reaction

1. In crowds, people experience an emergent interaction

2. People engage in intense interaction during periods of stress or disorder

3. During intense interaction, people are more actively attuned to each other than they would normally be

As is the case in many symbolic-interactionism theories, behavior is influenced by the actions of every other member, but in uncertain situations, i.e., collective behavior, the power of this influence is increased

Review Symbolic-Interactionism

4. People always behave in accordance w/ norms that members unconsciously accept & reinforce in each other, but the dominant norms in a crowd are specific to that crowd & often counter wider societal norms
[ Note: this presages the emergent norm perspective ]

5. People become emotional & highly suggestible & they stop critically weighting alternatives before acting

6. A circular reaction is begun by the action of one person

7. Other people imitate that behavior, i.e. the action of one person

8. Imitation reinforces that behavior

Imitation makes the first person believe their action was correct & simultaneously convincing others as well

An example of imitation & reinforcement is seen in that if one person acts decisively, others will imitate him or her

9. Soon all members have adopted the behavior & this completes the circular reaction

10. The crowd suppresses differences among members because they focus their attention on some event or object

The result of the circular reaction & crowd behavior is the collective mind

The collective mind is created through the disappearance of individual self consciousness

When people become acutely aware of each other's behavior, this dramatically influences their own state of mind & subsequent behavior

When people become are of other's behavior, which influences their thoughts & behavior, this suppresses their own thoughts & emotions & fosters the experience of the thoughts & emotions of the crowd

In sum, people reinforce each other by mimicking them, until everyone are doing the same thing

Circular reactions in collective behavior are seen in the feedback loop of person A imitating person B who is imitating person C who then imitates person A, & so on

For Park, crowd behavior will fall to the level of the most extreme member

Crowd members behave the same because they lose their ability to think clearly

Once members lose their ability to think clearly, they mindlessly imitate other crowd members & thus all members become as violent as the most violent member

Park blurs the line between collective behavior & social behavior

Locher believes there a significant difference between the actions of a group of people at a rally who decide to go to city hall & a mass of people not in the same locale who decide to go to city hall while Parks believes there is little difference

Park sees the relationship btwn "internal" & "external" factors that influence behavior such as social-psychological or crowd dynamics & social structural or historical/political dynamics

Often internal & external forces such as psychological factors & historical factors interact & mutually reinforce each other

Ecstatic or expressive crowds do not engage in any purposeful behavior

For Park, ecstatic or expressive crowds have no material goal but instead engage in dancing, shaking, shouting, etc., in order to express their ecstatic feelings

In a crowd, ecstatic behavior such as dancing or shaking makes people feel united

Examples of ecstatic crowds include religious revivals, celebratory riots, sporting events, cheering, etc.

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Outline on Herbert Blumer's Contagion Theory

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- Project: Blumer on Crowd Dev; Masses & Crowds; Strain, Soc Probs & Col Beh

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BLUMER'S SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

Symbolic interaction is a major paradigm in sociology that is micro oriented, generally avoids political topic, & focuses on social psychological issues, & Blumer's sym int follows suit, except that col beh often strays into social political analysis

For Blumer, symbolic interactionism is the link btwn the micro & macro worlds

Symbolic interactionism sees structures as acts which are built up by people through their interpretation of the situation

Blumer criticizes structural functionalists who see deterministic structures as external & coercive to individuals

Blumer accepted Mead's idea of macro structures emerging from micro-structures

Blumer emphasized that structures are well established & repetitive in form

Structures both enable & coerce & are not all pervasive

Structures must constantly be re-enacted or they will shatter

Structures leave many unprescribed areas; i.e., social structures do not pervade every sphere of life

It is often is the social unprescribed areas of life, i.e. those areas where there is little or no routine behavior, i.e. social structures, where col beh emerges, since col beh, as has been observed is nearly always unique & non routine in nature

Though w/ the common existence of col beh & soc mvmts in the West, there is a sense in which these social activities are becoming 'normal' in that while most people have not been in a protest, they understand & recognize them

INTRO TO BLUMER ON CONTAGION THEORY

Blumer combined LeBon's & Park's 1939 ideas into his own version of contagion theory in "The Field of Collective Behavior." 1969

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Blumer is an American sociologist primarily interested in small group interaction

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Blumer developed the concept of the "acting crowd" which is an excited group that moves toward a goal

Blumer examines:
       crowds                             mobs
       panics                               manias
       dancing crazes                  stampedes
       mass behavior                   public opinion
       propaganda                      fashion
       fads                                 social movements
       revolutions                       reforms

Blumer's list of concepts, actors, collectivities, etc., established collective behavior as behavior that people would not normally engage in, but they do it because they are not thinking clearly

Like Park, Blumer mixes collective behavior w/ normal group behavior & sees common elements

Under normal conditions, people engage in interpretive interaction in that we interpret the words &/or actions of others & base our behavior on those interactions