Principles of sociology - University of London International ...

21 Principles of sociology
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we are social beings, we are never completely ‘taken over’ by society in the
manner suggested by Parsons, society is the source of both our conformity
and our individuality.
Activity 1.14 Parsons and Mead
In this section on socialisation and identity, we implicitly touched on some of the ideas of
Parsons and Mead. See if you can identify any of them. It is a good way to help you clarify
your understanding and revise the ideas we have looked at here.
Activity 1.15
Look back at Activity 1.2 on p.14. Try to answer the questions again. Compare your
answers now with the ones you wrote at the start of the chapter. It is a good way of
monitoring your progress.
Summary
Socialisation describes the processes by which people learn social
behaviour. It is through socialisation that people develop a sense of social
and personal identity, and these identities can change through social
interaction. Whereas Parsons saw socialisation arising from internalisation
of social norms, Mead suggested it arose primarily from people’s ability to
take the role of the other.
We shall be returning to the theories of Parsons and Mead in Chapter 4,
sections 4.2 and 4.3.
Reading
Here it is important that you supplement what you have read on socialisation and identity
with some textbook reading. The relevant sections from introductory texts are:
Fulcher and Scott (2007) Chapter 4.
Giddens (2008) pp.22–24, pp.163–69 and p.238
Macionis and Plummer (2005 and 2008 editions) Chapter 7.
This will provide you with some essential building blocks for you to
develop your sociological awareness and to give you the necessary support
for reading the more difficult work in Chapter 4 and for your chosen topic
in Section C.
A reminder of your learning outcomes
Having completed this chapter, and the Essential reading and Activities,
you should:
• know how to study sociology, what is meant by active learning, and
what examiners will be looking for
• be able to describe what sociologists study
• be able to identify some of the key ways that sociology gives us insights
that go beyond commonsense understanding
• be able to explain what is meant by thinking sociologically and
sociologists’ interest in social order, social change and the relationship
between the individual and society
• be able to explain how our identities arise from social relationships
• be able to describe what sociologists mean by socialisation and identity,
and how Parsons and Mead put forward different explanations of these
processes.