Socialization

This work is an attempt to begin the process of closing the theoretical gap in our knowledge about ourselves, challenging the current thought on human development and behavior. A psychosocial/biological approach is used to explore the influence of instinct on human nature. Models to assess behavior and to develop individual and socially therapeutic interventions are proposed.

Challenging traditional orientations to the study of education and culture acquisition, the authors of this controversial work present a holistic, process-oriented method for examining culture transmission. Their work defines the biological parameters of culture learning, reviews previous research on cultural transmission, conceptualizes, operationalizes, and tests a holistic, context-specific approach to learning culture and then illustrates its use. Advanced students and scholars of anthropology, as well as qualitative educational researchers, will find this to be invaluable.

These three essays on social science terminology examine commonly used words whose meanings, on closer examination, are not clear. The first essay analyzes the term "socialization" as it is used inconsistently by 24 authors in psychology, sociology, and education. Brezinka contends that it is frequently confused with the term "education," to the detriment of both concepts. The second essay, "Models in Educational Theories," examines 15 usages of the term "models," including the vogue expression "paradigm," and finds little of use for the science of education in the concepts. The third essay, "Conflict Education," attacks the New Left and its pedagogical theories for failing to abide by basic principles of concept construction and use. Throughout the book, the author shows how imprecision can be identified and corrected.

Early Socialisation looks at sociability and attachment and how they relate to emotional and cognitive development. Topics covered include bonding, attachment, deprivation, separation and privation, as well as enrichment. Social and cultural variations are considered, and theories of attachment and loss are described and evaluated.