Socialization

A conceptualization of maternal attachment during
preadolescence was proposed, and a self-report instrument
designed to measure preadolescents' maternal attachment
style was developed. It was hypothesized that
preadolescents' attachment style is related to their social
adjustment with peers. Subjects were 229 third through
seventh graders. Results indicated that avoidant
preadolescent girls were seen by peers as demonstrating
externalizing behaviors with peers. Also, the more avoidant
the girls were, the more enemies they had. Preoccupied
preadolescent boys were viewed by peers as exhibiting
internalizing behaviors: These boys were seen as victimized,
immature, depressed, fearful, and physically weak. In
contrast, avoidant boys were perceived as aggressive,
dishonest, and physically strong.

Max Weber, Karl Mannheim, and Karl Marx suggested that there is a relationship between economic and political institutions and that behaviors and attitudes are influenced by this. Viewing this postulate as a conception which posits the economic mode of production as the locus of causality for culture, this examination of capitalism as culture, investigates how education and its pedagogical techniques, as a means of "enculturation," reflects the capitalist economic mode of production. Building on the theoretical notions in the Sociology of knowledge and Structuralism, this hermeneutical analysis discusses how pedagogical techniques and curriculum arrangements of public schools in capitalist societies correlate with the organization of labor (for it is that role of the self which is dominant in capitalist societies). Data for this research was gathered through the content analysis of pedagogical techniques and curriculum arrangements adopted by The School Board of Broward County, Florida. Results show that the current shift in the organization of labor (from industrial to post-industrial) parallels, and therefore correlates with, the shift in curriculum and pedagogical arrangements' of The School Board of Broward County, Florida; as such it is a legitimate claim to suggest that the socialization of the self is determined by its relation to the mode of production.

Empathy has been shown to have many positive outcomes in individuals at every stage throughout life. It promotes sociability, helping behaviors, and can protect against the development of psychopathology. Evolutionary theorists have hypothesized that humans have a biological predisposition for empathic response. Temperament, as well as parental interaction with children, account for individual differences in empathic response levels. Much research has also looked at maternal depression as a key factor in children's negative emotional responding. We used EEG to measure individual differences in children's empathic emotional responding, as well as parental interaction and its impact on empathy and prosocial development. Results show that children rated as being more sociable are more likely to show outward expressions of empathy. Also, those with greater right frontal asymmetry are more likely to assist others in a prosocial manner.