Socialization

Without society we are pretty much lost as individuals. Without society to conform to, we would have to find some other way of survival. If we didn't have society, we wouldn't be able to functions with others. We wouldn't be able to communicate and share our experiences with others, because that is was people do within a society. In a society the individuals all work together and that's how societies are possible.

Charles Cooley's "Looking Glass Self," deals with 3 main ideas. First is how one thinks they appear to others. Second is how one may think others are judging them about their appearance. And third is how one develops their own self image from their reflection and the judgement of others. George Herbert Mead's "Role Taking," mainly deals with the development of a child. When children play, they take the roles of important individuals in society. Children play being mothers, fathers, teachers, policemen and many more important roles in society. This helps them learn and they are able to "act" out someone else's role in society and see from their point of view.

In Genies case, the "Looking Glass Self" was missing in Genies life. She never really interacted with others so she never got a feel for how others thought of her "appearance," but we can imagine that she was neglected and felt very unimportant. She didn't know what she looked like because she was locked in a dark room her whole life. Genie never got to develop in Charles Cooley's theory. She was missing that huge part of her life which made it impossible for her to develop these traits that exist in a functioning society. With Mead's theory, Genie never interacted with anyone so she would have to interacting with other children. She was never exposed to the life in society and the many roles that are important. Genie never got to develop these traits that are important in the functioning of society. She wasn't able to put herself in the role of another, due to the fact that she never had a true role herself and was kept in isolation. These theories do show that we need them to be socialized in society, and without them we would fail.

After watching the movie i believe that nurture plays a huge role in someones life and how them will conform in society. I think that the love and compassion they are given as a child affects the type of person they grow up to be. The way that they are raised affects them socially. As shown in the movie, the way you are raised and the important qualities you lack growing up can greatly relate to how you function as an individual.