The Autonomous Child

The social sciences offer a variety of theories on how children develop, and various theories and disciplines apply their own vocabularies and conceptualise different aspects of the processes of socialization. This book looks at the theorizing of socialization in sociology, anthropology, psychology, in the life course approach, and as the interplay of genetics and environmental factors. It analyses the dominant perspectives and viewpoints within each discipline and field, and shows how the various theories and disciplines apply their own vocabularies and conceptualise different aspects of the processes of socialization. It argues that socialization does not represent a fixed trajectory into a static social order, and that different disciplines meet the challenges of complex developmental processes and changing environments in different ways. Socialization is a fundamental concept in sociology, but sociology has only to a limited degree sought to produce a coherent understanding of the processes of socialization, which has to encompass the interplay of societal, psychological and genetic factors. This book draws the threads together and, by doing so, offers a general framework for our understanding of the socialization process. At the centre of this process is the child as a subject, in an interplay with the patterns and significant others of the micro environment as well as with the macro-conditions of the modern knowledge based economies.

Examines and brings together the various disciplines and perspectives on socialization in the life course approach Presents an analysis of socialization that advance our understanding of the process Includes and analysis of socialization in the post-industrial knowledge-based societies Gives references to literature, as well as Internet sources, to make further reading easy Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext

Ivar Frønes is a Norwegian sociologist.

He graduated with a mag.art. degree (PhD equivalent) in 1975, and took the dr.philos. degree in 1995. He was hired at the University of Oslo in 1986 and is now professor.

Inhalt
WHAT IS SOCIALIZATION.- SOCIALIZATION IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES.- 1 Socialization in sociological perspective.- 2 Socialization in anthropological perspectives.- 3 Socialization in psychological perspectives.- 4 Socialization and life course analyses.- 5 Socialization as biological-social interaction.- 6 Understanding socialization.- THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETIES AND THE STRUCTURING OF SOCIALIZATION AND THE LIFE COURSE.- 1 The knowledge society and life phase dynamics.- 2 Understanding socialization; some concluding reflections.