Learning to pour: An exploration into the socialization of the male night shift bartender.

Bartending is an important aspect of the service industry. As with any occupation, bartending is a job that must be learned. The purpose of this thesis was to explore how ten males were socialized into the role of nightshift bartender. In line with Akers' social learning theory, the bartenders in this study learned the various aspects of their job through differential association, differential reinforcement, imitation, and definition formation. They were exposed to and learned a number of work-related behaviours that could be defined as deviant, including: excessive alcohol consumption, sexual activity, and cash scams and hustles. Interestingly, the findings of this study indicate that non-deviant and deviant behaviours were learned through the same processes and involved interaction with other members of the bar subculture. For many of the bartenders in this study, deviant behaviours became normal aspects of their occupation. Once the bartenders learned their roles including the various behaviours associated with bartending, many of the veteran bartenders experienced a sense of mastery and control over their occupation, that some referred to as "achieving the zone."Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2001 .S86. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-06, page: 1432. Adviser: Jacqueline Lewis. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2001.