1. Socialization

2. Personal Socialization Experiences
What have you learned from your family? Consider...
Attitudes: a state of mind or a disposition: attitude towards something...
Beliefs: the basic understandings you hold; may be religious
Norms: expected patterns of behaviour with in a specific group of individuals
Values: principles which are important to you; intangibles

3. What have you learned from the educational system?

4. What have you learned from your peer group
What have you learned from your peer group? Consider both positive and negative influences.

5. What have you learned from the media?

6. What have you learned from other sources: church, organized sports, etc.?

7. A Definition…
the lifelong process by which people acquire attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour patterns expected of a specific society

9. Agents of Socialization
1. The Family
the primary agent of socialization
first & longest lasting agent
gives a child his identity, status
provides role models for acceptable behaviour
passes on norms, values, traditions
teaches sex roles

11. 2. The School
a secondary agent of socialization
organizes social relationships
prepares child for adult life through occupation
preparation
teaches norms, society behaviour, values
(democracy, fairness, patience, cooperation, etc)

13. Teacher kind but not affectionate in same way as parents
1st 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

14. 3. The Peer Group
a secondary agent
provides a reference group for children
the setting for children to develop close
relationships with others
opportunities to experience independence & social skills

15. 1) they serve as a reference group
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

17. 4. The Media
a secondary agent
teaches functions of society, norms, values, ideals (both positive & negative)

19. 5. Others
secondary agents
includes church, community agencies, athletic teams, daycare centre, etc

21. Issues in Socialization
It is believed that children are active participants in their own socialization (they are not passive recipients)
- the process is interactive as a result of environmental stimulation opportunities

22. Socialization is a two-way process; as the caregivers are socializing the child, the child is also socializing the caregivers
- this is a process of mutuality

23. Socialization is a lifelong process
- primary socialization is more focussed during childhood & adolescence
- primary socialization lays the foundation for later learning but does not entirely prepare individuals for adulthood

24. 4. Adolescent Socialization
teen years are often considered a time of ‘crisis’
a period of tension between the dependence of the past & the anticipated independence of the future
- becoming less oriented to parents & more oriented to peers & other adults

25. 6. Gender Socialization
definition - the processes by which people learn to be masculine or feminine according to the expectations
current in their society
sex-role stereotyping may begin even before birth

26. from birth, boys & girls are handled differently
boys: jostled with, played with more roughly,
handled more as an infant, punished more, have
more freedom, not encouraged to be effeminate
girls: cuddled, talked to more, punished with
more gentle reprimands, encouraged to be neat,
obedient, feminine, quieter, passive, controlled

27. by 3 years of age, children understand that they are boy/girl; show preferences toward gender
supported & reinforced by parents’ choice of toys