Socialization, Social Identity, and the Formation of Values

In this post I discuss what I mean by, “Socialization, Social Identity, and the Formation of Values.” During a course we typically spend a great deal of time talking about all of these different factors. What I’ve come to realize is that many people are unaware of the meanings of each of these critical definitions.

Socialization

The means by which person develops their social identity is a term called, Socialization. Socialization is an all-encompassing educational process from which values, goals, beliefs, attitudes, and sex-roles are acquired. In this portion of the course we will discuss how we become who we are. Social Structure is the framework (or typical patterns) that surrounds us, consisting of the relationships of people and groups to one another, which gives direction to and sets limits on behavior. We will use the Venn Leader Model to help explain this framework of social structure.

Social Identity

Social Identity Theory is how we choose to identify ourselves in a social context. It is intertwined with our self-concept and developed through socialization. A person typically identifies with several social groups simultaneously but, will behave according to whichever group is the most salient at the time.

“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe” ― Simon Sinek, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

The formation of Values and the professional ethic

This is a good time to address the definitions of beliefs, values, attitudes, principles, morals, and ethics. These tend to be used interchangeably and universally accepted as a system of determining right from wrong. But each has a unique definition that will need to be addressed before moving on. Later we will discuss how each of these contribute to our decision making and ultimately to our behavior.

Beliefs:

Dictionary.com defines beliefs as, “n: an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.” Believing is the foundation of moral maturity as pointed out by Simon Sinek in his book, “Start with Why”, what we do proves what we believe. Beliefs are largely instilled in us by our social institutions that will be discussed later. Beliefs need not be based on scientific fact; example, “I believe the moon is made of cheese”.

Values:

Dictionary.com defines values as, “n: beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment (either for or against something).” Values are the rules by which we make decisions about right and wrong, should and shouldn’t, good and bad. They also tell us which are more or less important, which is useful when we have to trade off meeting one value over another. It is important to point out here and now that nether our material items or perspectives on a topic have a universally accepted and defined value. Values placed on materials and beliefs are assigned to them by society and it is through our socialization that we assign value to various beliefs. Louis Rath’s research on value criteria tells us that in order for something to be considered a full value that it must pass through a process. In determining if a value is a value it must be chosen freely and selected from or weighed against alternatives. According to Rath values are selected after careful consideration and the outcome is prized/cherished. Our values gain more weight with us when they are confirmed by others and are acted upon – especially if acted upon more than once.

Morals:

Dictionary.com defines morals as, “n: motivation based on ideas of right and wrong.” Where our values help us determine what is important to us and give us the ability to weigh our assigned value of one thing against another (such as fitness and cake) morals tell us the difference between right and wrong. Using the cake for another example, “I want that cake but can’t afford it. Should I steal it?” It’s safe to assume that most people would view stealing the cake as immoral. Many of our nation’s laws are founded on commonly accepted norms and morals. Our individual views of morality may conflict with others or even within ourselves. If for instance we switch the cake for a lifesaving drug for a family member who will die without it, might that change perspective. If the person equally values, the life of their family member and their integrity the may find themselves in a moral dilemma. That is one where two deeply held values conflict. Also it is possible for something to be considered immoral – there is no corresponding concept for values.

Principles:

Dictionary.com defines principle as, “n: a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.” A principle is a guidepost from beliefs and values to a behavior. For example, “I believe lying is wrong [belief] and honesty is more important to me than my friendship with this person [comparison of values] so I’ll tell them the truth [behavior] about what happened.”

Attitudes:

Dictionary.com defines an attitude as, “n: a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person’s behavior.” It is important to note, “typically one that is reflected in a person’s patterns of behavior.” We can have an attitude about a topic or person and keep it at bay as to not reflect our true beliefs. A few things to remember about attitudes is that they are formed by a continuous process of socialization and they are difficult enough to measure our own let alone the attitudes of others. An attitude is easily summarized as a like or dislike about something and can contribute to inflexibility and stereotypes. One of the most important things to keep in mind about attitudes is that they are typically difficult to change.

Behavior:

Dictionary.com defines behavior as, “n: behavior is the way one acts, especially toward others.”

Ethics:

Dictionary.com defines ethics as, “n: moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior.” When looking at our personal and professional ethic we can use the saying, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Our ethic (personal or professional) is the aggregate of all of our beliefs, values, principles, and morals piled together and then mixed up. Our ethic is essentially how we live our lives by the conscious and unconscious applications of our values. It’s important to point out that an ethic is like wake off the bow of a large vessel. The course is determined and the boat is already moving. To determine where a person [or groups] ethics may lead them we have to look at the wake they’ve left behind. To redirect a profession’s ethics, they must first start with what they believe and how their principles guide their behavior.Throughout the course we will discuss Values, Attitudes, and Beliefs collectively to such an extent that we have given it the acronym,

“VAB.”

It is important that we realize that these are discussed collectively but each has a unique definition and fills a very specific spot in our psycho-social development. Eventually, toward the end of the workshop we revisit morals and ethics when we talk about improving organizations with our Facilitated Transformative Intervention Method. So it is important to develop an understanding early that our individual ethic is a pattern of behavior shaped by our personal set of principles. We also want to stress that this ethic is a unique part of each personality in our organization – everyone’s is a little different. Finally, our professional ethic, the driving force of ethical behavior among a group of professionals is a representation of that profession’s VAB to the people it serves.

Conflict happens when we experience a separation between two or more factors of our identity, this is often experienced as cognitive dissonance. Status inconsistency occurs when a status conflicts with another status. Take for instance, Alvin Law (http://alvinlaw.com/). Mr. Law was born without arms [ascribed status] and still became an accomplished musician [achieved status] and drives a car. His conflicting statuses may cause cognitive dissonance for some. Generally, our statuses are complimentary and achieved in such a progressive manner that inconstancy is uncommon. If today you were flipping burgers and tomorrow you won the lottery you might experience a status inconsistency, a millionaire who works behind a grill. The same is true for roles and occurs much more frequently. Role strain is a conflict that happens within a status. For instance, when the sergeant asks a member of the shift a question that they do not know the answer to but you do, you may feel role strain. As a member of the team you may not want to embarrass your team mate but at the same time you’ll want to impress your boss with your knowledge. Role conflict occurs when a person experiences a struggle between two roles. For instance, if a mother is called into work for an extra shift on the same night as her son’s football game will experience role conflict. In order to play her role as a good employee she’ll need to sacrifice her performance as a parent.

Socialization, Social Identity, and the Formation of Values