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Socialization is the process in which people learn the attitudes, values, and actions appropriate for members of a particular culture. This chapter examines the role of socialization in human development; the way in which people develop perceptions, feelings, and beliefs about themselves; the lifelong nature of the socialization process; and the important agents of socialization.

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Explain what is meant by the socialization process.

2. Summarize the impact of isolation on both children and primates.

3. Discuss what research tells us about the influence of heredity on social development.

4. Identify the three phases of developing a self-identity developed by Charles Horton Cooley.

5. List and discuss the stages of the self identified by George Herbert Mead.

6. Explain what Erving Goffman meant by the terms impression management, dramaturgical approach, and face-work.

7. Summarize the stages of Piaget's cognitive theory of development.

8. Differentiate between anticipatory socialization and resocialization.

9. Understand the impact of the family, school, peer group, mass media and technology, workplace, and the state on socialization.

10. Discuss policy initiatives regarding childcare outside the home.