social behaviorism

Examples of social behaviorism in the following topics:

• Social Context and Sexual Behavior

  • Social context influences sexual behavior; sexuality is expressed and understood through socialized processes.
  • Since sexuality is expressed through means learned by socialization, social context is bound to influence sexual behavior.
  • Socialization necessarily implies the inculcation of norms, or behaviors that society marks as valued.
  • Because socialization teaches members of a society how to behave, behaviors that are not specifically taught as normalized and socially acceptable are marked as deviant.
  • Thus, social context is essential when one considers potentially sexual behavior.

• Effects of Group Size on Attitude and Behavior

  • Size (number of people involved) is an important characteristic of groups, organizations and communities in which social behavior occurs.
  • Social groups come in a myriad of sizes and varieties.
  • Group dynamics refers to a system of behaviors and psychological processes occurring within a social group or between social groups.
  • Size (the number of people involved) is an important characteristic of groups, organizations and communities in which social behavior occurs .
  • Dyads and triads are the smallest social groups.

• Social Change

  • Collective behavior can result in social change through the formation of cohesive social movements.
  • Collective behavior refers to social processes and events that do not reflect existing social structure (laws, conventions, and institutions), as they emerge in a "spontaneous" way.
  • Collective behavior involves limited and short-lived social interactions, while groups tend to remain together longer.
  • Collective behavior has no clear social boundaries; anyone can be a member of the collective, while group membership is usually more discriminating.
  • This is the component of collective behavior known as "social movements. "

• Introduction

  • The term collective behavior refers to social processes and events which do not reflect existing social structure (laws, conventions, and institutions), but which emerge in a "spontaneous" way.
  • These diverse actions fall within the area sociologists call collective behavior.
  • 1) collective behavior involves limited and short-lived social interaction while groups tend to remain together longer
  • 2) collective behavior has no clear social boundaries; anyone can be a member of the collective while group membership is usually more discriminating
  • Traditionally, collective behavior in sociology includes four forms: the crowd, the public, the mass, and the social movement.

• Isolation and Development

  • Social isolation occurs when members of a social species (like humans) have complete or near-complete lack of contact with society.
  • Socially isolated people have no one to turn to in personal emergencies, no one to confide in during a crisis, and no one against whom to measure their own behavior against or from whom to learn etiquette or socially acceptable behavior.
  • Social isolation can be dangerous because the vitality of individuals' social relationships affect their health.
  • Social contacts influence individuals' behavior by encouraging health-promoting behaviors, such as adequate sleep, diet, exercise, and compliance with medical regimens or by discouraging health-damaging behaviors, such as smoking, excessive eating, alcohol consumption, or drug abuse.
  • Interpret why social isolation can be problematic for a person in society and the importance of social connections

• Deviance

  • Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors that violate informal social norms or formally-enacted rules.
  • Among those who study social norms and their relation to deviance are sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and criminologists, all of whom investigate how norms change and are enforced over time.
  • The second type of deviant behavior involves violations of informal social norms (norms that have not been codified into law) and is referred to as informal deviance.
  • Cultural norms are relative, which makes deviant behavior relative as well.
  • Other examples include performers who may affect deviant behaviors in order to gain credibility with an aim to increasing commercial profits.

• Norms

  • Social norms are the explicit or implicit rules specifying what behaviors are acceptable within a society or group.
  • Social norms are the explicit or implicit rules specifying acceptable behaviors within a society or group.
  • They define the expected or acceptable behavior in particular circumstances.
  • Social norms can also be defined as the shared ways of thinking, feeling, desiring, deciding, and acting which are observable in regularly repeated behaviors and are adopted because they are assumed to solve problems.
  • What is deemed acceptable dress, speech, or behavior in one social group may not be acceptable in another.

• The Role of Socialization

  • Socialization prepares people for social life by teaching them a group's shared norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors.
  • The role of socialization is to acquaint individuals with the norms of a given social group or society.  
  • Socialization is also important for adults who join new social groups.
  • Broadly defined, it is the process of transferring norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors to future group members.
  • The term "socialization" refers to a general process, but socialization always takes place in specific contexts.

• Child Socialization

  • Primary and secondary socialization are two forms of socialization that are particularly important for children.
  • For example if a child saw his or her mother expressing a discriminatory opinion about a minority group, then that child may think this behavior is acceptable and could continue to have this opinion about minority groups.
  • Secondary socialization refers to the process of learning what is the appropriate behavior as a member of a smaller group within the larger society.
  • Basically, it is the behavioral patterns reinforced by socializing agents of society.
  • Schools require very different behavior from the home, and children must act according to new rules.

• The Functions of Deviance

  • Deviance provides society the boundaries to determine acceptable and unacceptable behaviors in society.
  • In urban America 50 years ago, homosexual behavior was considered deviant.
  • In order to know how not to unsettle society, one must be aware of what behaviors are marked as deviant.
  • In urban America 50 years ago, homosexual behavior was considered deviant.
  • Our behavior in our everyday lives is regulated by social norms, law and policy, technology and design, and market forces.