WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Socialization is the process of social interaction It is lifelong It is through socialization that individuals acquire a self-identity as well as the physical, mental and social skills needed for survival in society

We are a product of biology, society and personal experiences. How much of our development can be explained by socialization? How much by our genetic heritage?

Sociologists focus on how humans design their own culture and pass it from generation to generation through socialization (nurture) Sociobiology assert our genetic makeup is a major factor in shaping human behaviour (nature)

Sociologists would never place children in isolated circumstances so that they could observe the effects. However, some cases have arisen in which parents or caregivers failed to fulfil their responsibilities, leaving children alone or placing them in isolated circumstances. We will have a look at the life of “Genie”, a famous case of isolation discovered in California in This will provide an insight into the importance of positive socialization and the negative effects of social isolation. Genie – Secret of the Wild Child (55 minutes) socialization/

Agents of socialization are the persons, groups, or institutions that teach us about what we need to know in order to participate in society. Those that are most pervasive in childhood are: Family School Peer groups Mass media

This is the most important in all societies The initial nurture from families is central to cognitive, emotional and physical development

Families serve an important function in society because they mainly focus on socialization of children. We acquire our beliefs and values from our family We learn about the larger dominant cultural components families are primary source of emotional support

Socialization reaffirms and produces the class structure in the next generation For example, children in low-income families may be unintentionally socialized to believe that getting an education and aspiring to lofty ambitions are pointless because of existing economic conditions in the family.

Helps us recognize that children affect their parents’ lives and change the household environment. For example, families where there is already intense personal conflict, an infant may intensify the stress and cause more discord, sometimes resulting in child maltreatment or spousal battering. OR families where partners feel happiness, the birth of an infant may bring more positive interpersonal communications among families

Children spend a significant amount of time in school and therefore plays an enormous role in socialization Studies have found that daycare and preschool programs have a positive effect on the socialization of children (especially children from less-advantaged backgrounds) Schools teach knowledge and skills; they also have a profound impact on children’s self image, beliefs and values.

School are responsible for: Teaching students to be productive members of society Transmission of culture Social control and personal development The selection, training, and placement of individuals on different rungs in society

Students have different experiences in the school system, depending on their social class, ethnic background, their neighbourhood, gender, and other factors. Much of what happens in school amounts to teaching a hidden curriculum in which children learn to value competition, materialism, work over play, obedience to authority, and attentiveness Therefore success in the classroom is based on the students ability to conform to the hidden curriculum than the formal curriculum

Focus on they way daily interactions and practices in school affect the construction of students’ beliefs regarding patriotism, feeling of aggression or cooperation, and gender practices as they influence boys and girls. For example, the school fosters high degree of gender segregation by having boys and girls line up separately to participate in different types of extracurricular activities

Most of us rely heavily on peers as a source of information and approval about social behaviour Unlike family and school, peer groups offer children and adolescents some freedom from authority figures Peer groups teach and reinforce social norms while providing important information about what is “acceptable”.

Individuals must earn acceptance with peers by conforming When we conform we are rewarded, if we do not we may be ridiculed or expelled from the group

The media acts as a socializing agent by: Informing us about events Introduce us to wide variety of people Providing an array of viewpoints on current issues Make us aware of services and products that, if we purchase them, will help us be accepted by others Entertaining us by providing us with the opportunity to live vicariously

We tend to underestimate the influence media has on children’s attitudes and behaviours. Whether mass media has a positive or negative effect on children is widely debated.