SOCA01H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: George Herbert Mead, Sigmund Freud, Talcott Parsons
Document Summary
In other words, it is more appropriate to talk of families, rather than the family". A recurrent theme throughout the chapter is the distinction between the idealized family and the actual family; that is, family members are ideally expected to care for and protect other members. In actuality, they may not care for them at all; some families even neglect, exploit, or abuse their own members. While indifference and abuse are not idealized and normative features of family life, they are nonetheless a common occurrence. Families are also primary socialization agents; it is in the context of the family home that children gain the knowledge necessary to become functioning members of society. However, it is noted that socialization also results in the perpetuation of inequalities of class, gender, and race. As noted in an earlier chapter, socialization is a life-long process; thus, the types of socialization that take place beyond childhood and adolescence are also examined in this chapter.
