1002: SOCI Notes Lecture 4 July 15th, 2008 Last week: Social construction of reality = the group not definite; everyone adding something to the emerging social construction of realilty (autpoiesis) deriving from contributions of opinions and ideas the common formation of a general consensus starts what are the elements of social construction of reality? Kind of uncertain consensus uncertain Through both consensus and lack of consensus values/norms were expressed value emphasis Consensus to speek freely, although not always in agreement Consensus doesn't have to = agreement; or everyone has the same ideas; an agreement to be different; agree to disagree in a way Allowed for differences in opinions from the group to accept differences as part of a whole (Durkheim = this is critically important) Myths Socialization Socialization is acquiring knowledge of a society Learning collective conscience; integration into the group; Learning all the things that are necessary (list of over 40,000 ideas/actions to be socialized to) How we become an adequate social being We must learn the right to way act or think, do things (skills) Learning expectations, responses; actions What to do or think about and how; pro socialibility Developing social relations skills How act-out roles, statuses; deal with exceptions acting out who we are Modifying social activities to fit situation Home, work, pub; funeral, wedding (all different social constructions, with different norms and values emphasized depending on social circumstances) On-going, life-long process birth to death: "the amniotic universe" - practice, repetition, etc. Socialization starts in vitro and ends when we die, all in which we must learn to do Levels of socialization Cultural level enculturation = learning a new culture (helps us learn about cultural level abstract notions, like the value system) Societies (norms derived from value emphasis at a higher level) are expressions of the culture (value emphasis) New society, culture acculturation = learning a society/culture acquiring value emphasis and new socialization of that culture Culture Shock from need to re-socialize; adapt to the new culture