SOCIALIZATION
At the birth the child possesses only the potentialities of becoming human.
Gradually, through a variety of experiences, he becomes what the sociologist calls
socialized . Socialization means the process whereby an individual becomes a
functioning member of the society into is born i.e. behave and act in accordance with
its folkways and mores.
The Concept of Socialization:
In any society there are socially recognized ways in which the norms and values of
the society are inculcated in the human infant who comes into this world as a
biological organism with animalistic needs or impulses. Individuals learn group-
defined ways of acting and behaving, and behaving, and what they socially learn
becomes part of their personality.
DEFINITIONS OF SOCIALIZATION
Process by which individuals acquire the knowledge, language, social skills and
value to conform to the norms and roles required for integration into a group or
community. It is a combination of both self-imposed (because the individual wants to
conform) and externally-imposed rules, and the expectations of the others. In an
organizational setting, socialization refers to the process through which a new
employee learns the ropes,' by becoming sensitive to the formal and informal power
structure and the explicit and implicit rules of behavior. "Socialization is the process
by which individuals internalizes the norms of his or her groups so that a distinct and
self-emerges unique to the individuals (Horton and Hunt)."
"Socialization is the process by which we learn social skills."
1. The process by which we learn social skills.
2. The process that employees adjust to a working environment.
3. The process where people become aware on lifestyles and behaviors.
"Socialization is the process whereby people learn the attitudes, values and
action appropriate to individual as member of a particular society
(Schaffer and Lamm)".
"Socialization is the process of social interaction through which people
Acquire personality and learn the ways of life of their society (Ian Robertson)".
According to Horton and Hunt, Socialization is the process whereby one internalizes
the norms of his groups, so that a distinct 'self emerges, unique to this individual.
Green defined socialization
‘‘as the process by which the child acquirer cultural content, along with
selfhood and personality".
According to Lundberg, socialization consists of the
"complex processes of interaction through which the individual learns the
habits, skills, beliefs and standard of judgment that are necessary for his
effective participation in social groups and communities".
Peter Worsley explains socialization was the process of "transmission of
culture, the process whereby men learn the rules and practices of social
groups".
FEATURES OF SOCIALIZATION
Socialization not only helps in the maintenance and preservation of social values and
norms but it is the process through which values and norms are transmitted from one
generation to another generation. Features of socialization may be discussed as
under:
1. Inculcates Basic Discipline:
Socialization inculcates basic discipline. A person learns to control his impulses.
He may show a disciplined behavior to gain social approval.
2. Helps to Control Human Behavior: It helps to control human behavior. An
individual from birth to death undergoes training and his, behavior is controlled by
numerous ways. In order to maintain the social order, there are definite
procedures or mechanism in society. These procedures become part of the
man's/life and man gets adjusted to the society. Through socialization, society
intends to control the behavior of its-members unconsciously.
3. Socialization is Rapid if there is More Humanity Among the Agencies of
Socialization: Socialization takes place rapidly if the agencies' of
socialization are more unanimous in their ideas and skills. When there is conflict
between the ideas examples and skills transmitted in home and those transmitted
by school or peer socialization of the individual tends to be slower and ineffective.
4. Socialization Takes Place Formally and Informally: Formal socialization takes
through direct instruction and education in schools and colleges. Family is,
however the primary and the most influential source of education. Children learn
their language, customs, norms and values in the family.
Agents of Socialization
Socialization agents are the sources from which we learn about society and
ourselves. People and groups that influence our self-concept, emotions, attitudes,
and behavior are called agents of socialization. People who serve as socializing
agents include family members, friends, neighbors, the police, the employers,
teachers, political leaders, business leaders, religious leaders, sports stars, and
entertainers. Socialization agents also can be fictional characters that we read about
or see on television or in the movies. Every social experience we have affects us in
at least a small way. However, several familiar settings have special importance in
the socialization process. Some of the important agents of socialization are as
below,
The Family: The institution of family is generally regarded as the most important
agent of socialization. In the process of socialization, the most important contacts are
between a child and his/her parents and siblings. The contacts could also be
between the child and surrogate parents when actual parents are not available.
Besides the child's parents, there are other agents of socialization in modern
societies) such as day-care-centers, nurseries and kindergarten, as well as primary
and secondary schools and universities. It seems that these various agents of
socialization haw partially taken over the function of the parents, particularly in
modem societies where women are increasingly leaving their traditional home-based
responsibilities by engaging in employment outside home. However, the class
position of parents affects how they raise their children. Class position shapes not
just how much money parents have to spend, but what they expect of their children.
In the lower class there is lot of emphasis on conformity and obedience. The children
are told"Don't get into trouble." There is more use of physical punishment in lower
class than in other classes. People of lower class standing usually have limited
education and perform routine jobs under close supervision. They expect their
children will hold similar positions, so they encourage obedience. Well-off parents,
with more schooling, usually have jobs that demand imagination and creativity. They
try to inspire the same qualities in their children. Therefore in the middle class there
is emphasis on developing curiosity, self-expression, self-control, and reasoning.
Activities such as sucking milk, smiling, carefulness and tottering are
important in primary socialization. The infant gets fulfilled all physical and
psychological needs within the family itself
. Child rearing practices such as nutrition, sleeping and use of toilets are to be
trained at home. However, all these practices keep changing from society to
society.
In addition to child rearing practices, rewarding, threatening, punishing,
bargaining and pleading help to socialize a particular child. Intention of all
these methods is to make the child conformed to the society.
The School: Schooling enlarges children's social world to include people with
backgrounds different from their own. Among the manifest functions, the school
teaches children a wide range of knowledge and skills. Schools informally convey
other lessons, which might be called the hidden curriculum. Through different
activities Schools help in inculcating values of patriotism, democracy, justice,
honesty, and system/political system. Competition Efforts are made to introduce
correct attitudes about economic in the socialization
Peer Groups: Other than parents and schools, peer groups play very significant
roles socialization process. Peer group is the one, whose members have interests,
social position, and age in common. Unlike the family and the school, the peer group
lets children escape the direct supervision of adults. Among the peers, children learn
how to form relationships on their own. Peer groups also offer the chance to discuss
interests that adults may not share with their children (such as clothing or other
activities). In a rapidly changing society, peer groups have great influence on an
individual. The attitudes of young and old may differ because of a "generation gap."
The importance of peer groups typically peaks during adolescence, when young
people begin to break away from their families and think of themselves as adults.
Neighborhood and schools provide a variety of peer groups. Individuals tend to view
their own group in positive terms and to discredit others. Sometimes, the influence of
the peer group be it negative or positive, can be as powerful as that of parents. The
peer group may transmit prevailing societal values or develop new and distinct
cultures of its own with peculiar values.
The Mass Media: The mass media are impersonal communication aimed at a
vast audience. Mass media arise as communication technology (first the newspapers
and then radio, television, films, and the Internet) spreads information on a mass
scale. The mass media have an enormous effect on our attitudes and behavior, and
on shaping people's opinions about issues as well as what they buy. Where
television provides lot of entertainment, at the same time it is a big agent of
socialization. The portrayal of human characters in different programs and in
advertisements on television helps in projecting the gender perceptions prevalent in
the society; thereby helping in gender construction. The same programs help in
shaping the attitudes. Values, and basic orientation of people to life. Workplace: A
fundamental aspect of human socialization involves learning to delave appropriately
within an occupation. Occupational socialization cannot be separated from the
socialization experience that occurs during childhood and adolescene. We are
mostly exposed to occupational roles through observing the work of our parents, of
people whom we met while they are perfoming their duties ,and of people potrayed
in the media.
The State: Social scientists have increasingly recognized the importance of the
state as an agent of socialization because of its growing impact on the life cycle. The
protective functions, which were previously performed by family members, have
steadily been taken over by outside agencies such as hospitals, health clinics and
insurance companies. Thus, the state has become a provider of child care, which
gives it a new and direct role in the socialization of infants and young children. Not
only is this, as a citizen, the life of a person greatly influenced by national interests.
For example, labour unions and political parties serve as intermediaries between the
individual and the state. By regulating the life cycle to some degree, the state shapes
the station process by influencing our views of appropriate behavior at particular
ages.
Religion: Religion plays significant role in the socialization of most Pakistanis. It
influences morality, becoming a key component in people's ideas of right and wrong.
The influence of religion extends too many areas of our lives. For example
participation in religious ceremonies not only teaches us beliefs about the hereafter
but, also ideas about dress, concepts of pak and fleet, and manners appropriate for
Formal occasions.
