How do we become socialized. Socialization

Socialization: takes place during your entire life. It is the process through which an individual acquires a self-identity and the social skills for survival. Socialization is not only essential for your existence and well being, it is also necessary for the preservation and stability of your society.

Socialization at its best?

Socialization is: Learned by interacting with other people, not from books or direct instruction Begins in early childhood within the family structure Strongly influences the kind of person you become, perhaps even more than your genetic heredity does Is strongest during childhood to early adulthood, but can continue for the rest of your life

The particular institutions and relationships that socialize us are called Agents of Socialization. The most important agents are: 1) The Family

2) Mass Media

3) Peers:

4) Religion:

5) School:

6) The workplace:

Primary Agent:Secondary Agent: The family because it is the means by which an individual learns most of the basic or primary norms and values of society, such as the difference between right and wrong, manners and proper behaviour, and gender roles Other agents that socialize a person after childhood are called secondary agents for example peers, hobby clubs.

Secondary Agents of Socialization: 1) Schools: 1 st time you were under control of an adult other than a parent. Teacher kind but not affectionate in same way as parents Teacher enforced rules impartially and did not allow the kind of exceptions to them that parents might. Rules not negotiated Some children soon discovered, received more than others = rewards, and prizes or more attention for undesirable behaviour Therefore classroom was an unequal place despite teachers efforts Consider following points = look at page 234

2) Peer and Reference Groups: Peer group grows in importance as child matures into adolescence and then declines rather sharply after school graduation Peer groups affect individual development in several ways: 1) they serve as a reference group 2) teach or socialize individuals about how to share, handle conflict, participate in activities with others, measure one’s physical social and mental abilities 3) support a young person when dealing with adult authority

3) Media: People are still unsure how influential it is or whether it is harmful Difficult to sort out fact or opinion Interesting Statistics: 1) time spent watching tv by an average 12 year old north american child per day in 1955: 1.2 hours 2) time spent watching tv by average 12 year old north american child per day in 1989: 4 hours 3) time spent watching tv by age of high school graduation in 1989: hours 4) time spent in school by age of high school graduation in 1989: hours.

Television T.V is unlike other agents of socialization in a number of ways 1) the other agents socialize a person through actual interaction with real people oTelevision, is a one sided process in which the individual cannot interact with the agent and the agent sends a message to a passive viewer who has no influence over the message being delivered

How is TV different for children? Young children have not yet developed the capacity to distinguish fantasy from reality, unlike adults who can measure what they see on tv against their own real experiences and knowledge. Therefore young children may believe that what they are seeing on t.v is true and real. Researchers say that young children even have difficulty distinguishing from the programs story line and the commercials Too much violence in children’s programs is a concern if children come to believe that the fantasy violence they see is commonplace and an acceptable way to resolve problems in society. Does television socialize children to be violent? Page 240

4) The workplace: how well you fit into workplace culture can determine your success at a company. What is the usual style of dress? How are superiors addressed? What is appropriate humour? The more completely the individual can internalize the way “ things are done” the greater the degree of socialization the workplace has had. Anticipatory socialization: job specific ( teachers, police, doctors)

5) Religion: Can have a strong influence on people’s ideas of what is wrong and what is right in their personal behaviour.