“Development of one’s self as a product of socialization and enculturation”

Socialization is a lifelong process of social interaction through which people acquire their
identities and necessary survival skills in a society. It is considered as the central process of
social life and is also a process of member recruitment and replacement while enculturation in
the other hand is a process of being socialized into a specific culture. Individuals learn cultural
symbols, norms, values, and language by observing and interacting with family, friends, and the
rest of society.

To begin with, socialization enables the person to gradually become a self-aware and
knowledgeable human being, and learn the ways, values, rules, and culture of his / her society.
Greatly influenced by the context of his / hers respective society, and the social groups with that
he / she interacts. Particular circumstances of a society consist of its culture, language, and the
social structures that define social class, ethnicity, and gender. Outcomes of socialization, and
are evident when individuals begin to practice the behaviors, attitudes, and values that society
considers necessary for them to function effectively as its member. Significant result of
socialization is self-identity, establishment of a unique sense of identity and an awareness of
how it relates to their society and the world.

In addition, enculturation aids in shaping a person into a respectable citizen. Whether a person
is aware of culture or not, it affects everything they do. Enculturation is an ingrained process
that unites people. Center convictions, values, viewpoints, and child-rearing methods are
actually rather similar even when a culture evolves. Sometimes, immigrants and/or their children
seek to become enculturated in the culture of their heritage country. This would be an example
of informal conscious enculturation.

Furthermore, I believe that through family, friends, community, work, and education, the state of
"self" is socialized and enculturated. Each of them influences the person's beliefs, values, self-
perception, opinions, and prejudices. People that live in certain groups will invariably adopt the
same types of attitudes to life as those living around them, even though the socialization
process is difficult to break down into more precise components due to their
interconnectedness. The aforementioned implies that the individual slavishly conforms to the
socialization process they experience, yet the individual may have the option to pick their own
standards and mores. However, this is not without issues, and these people can be classified as
social outcasts.

In conclusion, Enculturation is a form of socialization in which a person learns how to contribute

positively to their community. The process by which a person learns to adapt their own actions
and behaviors to fit social standards and ideals. As children are socialized, they learn which
behaviors are acceptable and which are unacceptable.

References:
 "Enculturation". ibpsychmatters.com. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
 Donald L. Mosher Ph.D. & Silvan S. Tomkins Ph.D. (1988) Scripting the macho man:
Hypermasculine socialization and enculturation, The Journal of Sex Research, 25:1, 60-
84, DOI: 10.1080/00224498809551445
 Ferguson, G. M., Costigan, C. L., Clarke, C. V., & Ge, J. S. (2016). Introducing remote
enculturation: Learning your heritage culture from afar. Child Development
Perspectives, 10(3), 166-171.
Name: Warren Paclarin
Grade & Strand: 12 STEM