Norbert Elias/Civilising Process notes PDF

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Notes on Norbert Elias and the Civilising Process for Mark Haugaard's Contemporary Social Thought Module. ...

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Norbert Elias Much sociology took human nature as a given (Homo Clausus) but Elias argued it was developmental (Home Aperti). A child is born with little inhibitions or selfrestraint but is socialized, and what they learn is dependent on their society and it’s interdependent webs. We all rely on one another in modern civilised society, so more need for impulse control is necessary by everyone to succeed. Describes the prolonged process of structural changes in western society since the Middle Ages and up to modern times which centre on changes in the division of labour and the consolidation of political authority and the monopolization of physical power. These processes, according to Elias, have led to increasing mutual dependence in Western societies and have brought about psychological implications such as self-restraint and control that did not exist before. Elias studied etiquette books from throughout the years to see how manners and behaviours had changed. Middle ages people ate from common dishes using their hands. They were not as emotionally separate as modern times. They were not yet socialised into relations and behaviours that separate people’s body’s from ne another. They were part of a homogenous ‘whole’. They lacked the reaction that we would have should we eat in a similar fashion. Behaviours become more proscribed at first through an effort not to offend anybody but as the generations went on these restraints became part of the socialization of children, and thus became so internalised that they were functioning even when alone. Certain behaviours became tied to learned feelings of shame. There used to be etiquette books to teach us these things but now things that have shame attached aren’t even spoken about these days (taboo) as the feelings of shame and embarrassment were socialized into us. Etiquette books no longer exist because we know now through socialisation. We don’t need instructions because it’s internalised. Drive control used to be through these books in the courts of the upper class, but with the growth of the middle class, family became the institution for this impulse control. The process is unforeseen, unintended and unplanned. The process forces people to realise how they are behaving in the context of the people around them and to reflexively monitor the social context to make sure you’re acting appropriately. The motivation is that good impulse control is rewarded, and errors will mean sanctions or shame. The constant social constraint eventually forces people into self-constraint. After generations this self-constraint becomes habitus, 2nd nature, internalised behaviour. Self-constraint supplements social constraint (external and internal). Locks on doors as pushing innapropriate behaviour ‘off-stage’.

Habitus becomes a deep seated psychological self-compulsion, habitualised selfrestraint. Psychogenesis (origins of psychological makeup) Ego and Superego increase at expense of ID. (Like PC/DC and U) This relationship is developmental. Sociogenesis is the change in webs of interdependence which result in Civilisation Used to be centrifugal forces. King delegated authority to Aristocracy and allowed certain privileges in return for land. A lord would have land in return for giving soldiers to the king. In this society there was need for great self-defence and very little impulse control. Monopoly mechanism: War became expensive, taxation became key (if you had the power to raise it) so trading towns become more important. Now units are growing larger and mutual interdependence and stability becomes more important. Royal mechanism: when the bourgeoisie were relatively week they were encouraged to be more like the Aristocracy to gain nobility. Aristocracy prided themselves on their behaviour and being ‘more civil’. Court became a place of constant monitoring of self and other to see what proper behaviour was and if one was behaving properly. Aristocracy in response cultivate ‘better manners’, they are copied further. This class competition drove self-imrpovement and eventually filtered down the classes civilising more and more people. Private monopolies of power moved from periphery of feudal power to centre or royal power. Eventually the Aristocracy fell Royalty became the modern state. So as the competition of who can me most restrained moves down and everybody’s competing, it permeates everyday life. Education for example is who can most restrained and disciplined in their studies, and this control is rewarded with a degree and a job. Informalisation Nudity is seen as lack of SR but actually requires loads of SR Teaching students on 1st name basis suggests a lack of SR but realisticallt requires loads of obediene from the student to learn out of want of reward not fear of punishment. Civilisation is not good or bad, it is an increased internalised self-restraint...