Positive Socialization And Ascribed Status

Throughout the progression of our lives we are giving the options to pick the best things that we show interest in, desire or will please us. We pick our friends who share the same interest as us, lovers that our hearts desire, and our careers that will please us. There are very few things that are set in stone for us when we are born, or an ascribed status. Ascribed status is a point in a social system that is beyond a person’s control. It is not received, but rather something people are born with and had no control over. These ascribed statues include our sex, race, national background and of course our family. The ascribed statues that are given to us at birth can have a huge impact on our achieved statues but benefit us as a person.

Our ascribe status doesn’t define us an individual but helps us build the foundation of who we are. From the time we are infants to young adults we have experienced two types of social learning, positive socialization and negative socialization. Positive socialization is a type of social learning that is based on exciting and gratifying experiences. An example of positive socialization would be receiving a bottle or attention from a caretaker when an infant cries. Negative socialization is the opposite, this social learning is used when others use cruel criticism, punishment or try to “teach use a lesson” by anger. An example of negative socialization would be when a caretaker yells or physically harm an infant as they cry. A well-known case of negative socialization and the influence of your life it can affect is, “The Secret of the Wild Child”. Genie’s world was filled with negative socialization from getting yelled at as an infant for creating noises, to being neglected as a child from her fami...

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... father, “Sandy” was my answer. When asked the name of my mother, “Sandy”, was my answer again. Confusion would always set in when I gave those answers; everyone wondered why I would say my mother was both my mother and father. The answer was simple, because she was.

In society we are taught that mothers are women, while fathers are men but if we take away the ascribed status and look at the roles aren’t they the same? A father’s role is show affection, encourage children to do well, show positive behaviors to serve as role models and to teach valuable life skills (Fraenkel). My mother has always encouraged me to do my best and never give up on myself. She was my biggest role model growing up, she was the reason we went from nothing to something. My mother has played the father role for a very long time and continues to; therefore my mother is my father.