Identity And Status Essay
Discuss the impact that agencies have in defining identity and status
There are a range of agencies of socialisation which influence our identity and status in society. Primary socialisation is the first stage in a lifelong process. The family, particularly the parents, are seen as central to primary socialisation. Baumeister (1986) said that family socialisation provides children with a sense of identity, in that they learn to be part of a family and have pride in a family name. Parents can use sanctions to reinforce acceptable behaviour and to punish unacceptable behaviour and these help children to learn the difference between right and wrong and to respect laws and rules, by encouraging the development of a conscience. Parsons, a functionalist, …show more content…
A secondary agency of socialisation would be the peer group. The peer group refers to people of similar status who come into regular contact with each other. It is very influential on adolescent’s behaviour and attitudes, as teenagers feel that they have a right to engage in deviant behaviour, such as underage drinking, in order to be accepted by their peers. These friendship networks also put huge pressures on teenagers to conform by using negative sanctions such as gossip and bullying. Through interaction with our peer groups, we begin to develop a complex understanding of ourselves and our …show more content…
In secondary schools, there is a system of banding. If a child is in the top band, they’re likely to have a more positive social identity than a child in the bottom band. Functionalists have a positive view of education as it teaches children that society is more important than the individual. Durkheim believed that through teaching children history of the past-achievements of their country, they are given a sense of nationalist pride. Marxists see education in a more critical light. Althusser suggested that education is an ideological state apparatus that aims to socialise children into a hidden curriculum, a capitalist ideology that encourages conformity and an uncritical acceptance of
There are a range of agencies of socialisation which influence our identity and status in society. Primary socialisation is the first stage in a lifelong process. The family, particularly the parents, are seen as central to primary socialisation. Baumeister (1986) said that family socialisation provides children with a sense of identity, in that they learn to be part of a family and have pride in a family name. Parents can use sanctions to reinforce acceptable behaviour and to punish unacceptable behaviour and these help children to learn the difference between right and wrong and to respect laws and rules, by encouraging the development of a conscience. Parsons, a functionalist, …show more content…
A secondary agency of socialisation would be the peer group. The peer group refers to people of similar status who come into regular contact with each other. It is very influential on adolescent’s behaviour and attitudes, as teenagers feel that they have a right to engage in deviant behaviour, such as underage drinking, in order to be accepted by their peers. These friendship networks also put huge pressures on teenagers to conform by using negative sanctions such as gossip and bullying. Through interaction with our peer groups, we begin to develop a complex understanding of ourselves and our …show more content…
In secondary schools, there is a system of banding. If a child is in the top band, they’re likely to have a more positive social identity than a child in the bottom band. Functionalists have a positive view of education as it teaches children that society is more important than the individual. Durkheim believed that through teaching children history of the past-achievements of their country, they are given a sense of nationalist pride. Marxists see education in a more critical light. Althusser suggested that education is an ideological state apparatus that aims to socialise children into a hidden curriculum, a capitalist ideology that encourages conformity and an uncritical acceptance of