The purpose of this research project is to evaluate and explain the use of photo-elicitation as a method for data collection, when researching early childhood socialisation and identity. I will reflexively describe how participants feel about their early socialisation and if it has affected how they see themselves today. This research paper will be discussing what photographs participants have chosen, how I conducted my photo-elicitation interview and how participants engaged with the photographs during the interview. I will conclude with a critical discussion of visual methods and photographs. In addition to, what purposes visual methods serve as prompts within the interview process.
Literature
The process of socialisation is one where a child develops into an individual that respects customs, laws and norms of society (Beal, 1994). Previous research has established that parents are the primary influence on the role development in the early years of one’s life (Kaplan, 1999). Socialization is the relational process between children and their parents and its aim is to build identity (Crespi, 2003). Gender identities and the expectations of male and female roles are socialized within the parents-children relationship; such expectations are still seen today (Muncie et al, 1999). As children go into the educational system, there is a continuation of traditional expectations for boys and girls (Kaplan, 1999).
Research Methods: Photo elicitation
Photo-elicitation is based on inserting a photograph into a research interview to prompt more information in an open ended interview (Harper, 2002). Interviews that consist of only words do not evoke information, feelings and memories that are due to the photographs, particular form of represe...
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...ing how to use the photographs (Banks, 2001). Early critics have suggested that the use of photography as a visual method has made researchers generally lack methodological rigour and use photographs; either as merely an illustration or as pseudo support for ideological statements (Rose, 2007). There are some ethical issues when it came to photo-elicitation as a method of data collection and it projected three types of consent (Wang, 2001). First, gaining consent from the participants to participate. Second, gaining consent from participants to use their photographs and lastly consent from subjects that might be represented in the image. Previous research illustrates that researcher’s and respondents should discuss the responsibilities of the photograph and respect the privacy and the rights of others; as well as the heightened need for written consent (Wang, 2001).
Having such an image before our eyes, often we fail to recognize the message it is trying to display from a certain point of view. Through Clark’s statement, it is evident that a photograph holds a graphic message, which mirrors the representation of our way of thinking with the world sights, which therefore engages other
Photography allows us to maintain memories and relish them whenever we desire. Although some advocates might argue that people are no longer enjoying experiences instead taking more pictures, in the essay, “Why We Take Pictures”, by Susan Sontag, she conflates that photography can be used as a defense against anxiety and a tool of empowerment. I agree with Sontag on the significance of photographs and how it allows us to store a part of our extended relatives so we are able to hold on the memories of family. Therefore, we must appreciate how photography allows us to manage anxiety, express feelings and remember our loved ones.
Nontraditional gender socialisation can help the child develop a more complete understanding of their personality, that takes both their feminine traits and masculine traits into consideration. This can be illustrated by Jeremy telling his mother that he got to be “a complete person” (Bem, 1998, p. 190), when asked how his upbringing enhanced his life. Further this type of parenting allows the child to be more analytical of traditional gender roles and how they might be present and potentially affect their lives. This can make them more aware of them, and could help them avoid or fight against negative effects that might arise from their presents. This can often be advantageous. Bem educated her children about traditional gender roles and their negative aspects, like sexism, and through this allowed them to have the tools to identify them early on, like Emily did in nursery school (Bem, 1998, p. 119-120). When children are being educated about traditional gender roles and their disadvantages they have an easier time identifying them later on and possibly fighting
In the essay “Why We Take Pictures” by Susan Sontag, she argues that taking photos can be a tool of power and sometimes even a defense against anxiety(353). Taking pictures can be a great source of power, according to Sontag. The photographer has the power to show what they want and people can choose whether or not to be in the photo. Sontag uses the example of a family photo; as some family photos portray the family being happy, many people cannot see that the family might not actually be as happy as they look. Sontag also uses examples like nuclear families and traveling in order to enforce her claims about picture taking. In a nuclear family, Sontag believes that taking a picture of that family can help relieve some anxiety because people
Sontag, Susan. "Essay | Photography Enhances Our Understanding of the World." BookRags. BookRags. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
A picture is more than just a piece of time captured within a light-sensitive emulsion, it is an experience one has whose story is told through an enchanting image. I photograph the world in the ways I see it. Every curious angle, vibrant color, and abnormal subject makes me think, and want to spark someone else’s thought process. The photographs in this work were not chosen by me, but by the reactions each image received when looked at. If a photo was merely glanced at or given a casual compliment, then I didn’t feel it was strong enough a work, but if one was to stop somebody, and be studied in curiosity, or question, then the picture was right to be chosen.
Gender socialization, the process by which one is taught the expected behavior assigned to them because of their sex, despite being critiqued as ‘natural’, are influenced through many different agents. Parents, the first and most prominent agents in this process, began this socialization from birth. Everything from the color choices of clothes, toys, and even level of intimacy displayed for girls over boys, all attest to these notions. Emma Jean Peace, rebels against these ‘normality’s’ after the birth of her seventh child Perfect, who Emma Jean decides to secretly raise as a girl despite being born a boy. If parents have the right to instill, teach and raise their child based on their own personal convictions
From a young age , many individuals worldwide are socialized according to their gender and what is appropriate for males and females. Socializing according to ones gender starts from the moment you are born when the nurses give you either a blue or pink blanket to wrap the child in. This allows society to known whether the child is a male or female. The double standard for gender occurs within many areas of development for instance the clothes one wears, the toys that are placed with, the jobs and careers one chooses in their later life. Attachment given by a child's parent reinforces an individual to be socialized and children can also contribute how their parents treat and see them , these are social constructs within parenting (Ambert,2012). All of these things can be gender separated and still are in today's society. Another area where males and females are socialized differently is in the area of sexuality and what is acceptable for males is not always for the female gender. Gender specific norms govern the appropriate amount of partners , when it is acceptable to engage in sexual activity and what motivates ones behavior (Kreager &Staff, 2009). This shows society individuals are socialized according to their gender because males are socialized into behaving a different way than girls but it still be accepted as a norm. Women are taught that it is okay to have sexual relationships but they need a reason, example being in a committed relationship, where as men just need a place. This is a common perception based on ones gender , formed from a western conservative view point ( Fugere et.al, 2008). Gender socialization is a process where boys are seen to be given wings and girls are to be given roots (Myers, Spencer, Jordan...
It is not an easy task for a child to understand the obligations that accompany their assigned gender, yet while they encounter difficulties processing these thoughts they are also achieving a greater sense of identity. Different stages of life consist of social rules that encode how one is to behave, however, it is not clearly defined when the transition should occur from young girl to young woman. It is not surprising that learning about gender roles and their associated responsibilities is not an easy part of a young child’s maturation and is often the result of a very emotionally charged collection of experiences.
Socialization refers to “the lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture”. (Macionis, 2012) By gender socialization, the simplest explanation is the process of learning what it means to be a male or female in the society, in which gender stereotypes and bias are usually involved. For example, boys should be tough, brave, strong, sporty, while girls are soft, moody, passive, and allowed to cry.
Sex Role Theory–expands upon this assumption and proposes that women and men learn appropriate gender roles through socialization within the culture of the family and wider society (Isaacs,
In Chapter One of The Practices of Looking, Sturken and Cartwright explore Roland Barthes theory of ‘the myth of photographic truth’. Barthes opposes the shared view that “A photograph is… an unmediated copy of the real world, a trace of reality skimmed off the very surface of life”. Barthes declares that every photographic a myth. It is impossible to be objective when taking a photograph. Barthes argues that the person taking the photograph unknowingly imposes their own subjectivity on the photo, therefore it cannot be viewed as truth. Barthes believes that the myth of photographic truth is partly attributed to the fact that images can be manipulated through framing, editing, lighting and angles or staged in order to create a false truth or create moral
Over the decades, a significant mark of the evolution of gender is the increasing social phenomenon in how society conceptualizes gender. Gender is a system of social practices for characterizing people as two different categories, femininity and masculinity and arranging social relations of inequality on the basis of that difference (Ridgeway & Correll 2004). Gender-neutral parenting (GNP) refers to raising children outside of the traditional stereotypes of girls and boys. It involves allowing children to explore their innate personalities and abilities rather than confining them into rigid gender roles that society has shaped. It can be argued that it is through socialization children discover how to operate in gendered structures, learn
Newton, Julianne H. The Burden of Visual Truth: The Role of Photojournalism in Mediating Reality. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Print.
Sontag 's claim on taking photos as a defense against anxiety and a tool of power naturally pinpoints the deep rooted motives behind why we take photos along with the power and motive of the photos themselves with simple elo...