Lesson The Context, Content, Processes, and

6 Consequences of Socialization
Most Essential Learning Competency
● Explain the context, content, processes, and consequences of socialization.

What is socialization?

Socialization is a form of interaction by which people acquire personality and learn the way of
life of their society. It is considered as the essential link between the individual and society. In fact,
socialization allows the individual to learn the norms, values, languages, skills, beliefs, other patterns
of thoughts, and actions that are essential for social living (Robertson, 1987).

Goals of Socialization:
● To teach impulse control and help individual develop conscience;
● To prepare for social roles such as occupational roles, gender roles, and the roles of
institutions, such as marriage and parenthood; and
● To cultivate shared resources of meaning and value–-people learn to identify what is most
important and valued within a particular culture.

Functions of Socialization:
● personality and role development – we develop our sense of identity and belongingness
through socialization;
● skills development and training – social skills such as communication, interpersonal, and
occupational skills are developed;
● values formation – individuals are influenced by the prevailing values of social groups and
society;
● social integration and adjustment – socialization allows us to fit-in an organized way of life by
being accustomed including cultural setting;
● social control and stability – bind individuals to the control mechanisms set forth by the society’s
norms

Major Aspects of Socialization

A. Context
● It is like the theater or stage in which socialization occurs;
● It includes culture, language, and social structures such as the class, ethnic, and gender
hierarchies of a society;
● It includes social and historical events, power and control in social life, and the people and
institutions with whom individuals come in contact in the course of their socialization.

1. Biological Context
Biological features are regularly suggested as sources of human behavior. Socio-
biologists suggest that some human capacities may be "wired into" our biological makeup, e.g.
newborn babies move their heads back and forth in burrowing or "rooting" motions looking for
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 milk; they have powerful, grasping fingers that cling tightly to other human fingers or bodies;
and they move so as to maximize body contact with their caregivers. These suggest that infants
are born wanting human contact.

2. Psychological Context
⮚ Emotional States and the Unconscious
The primary factor in the psychological context of socialization is the psychological state of the
person being socialized. Psychological states include feelings such as fear, anger, grief, love,
and happiness or a sense of emotional deprivation. One or more of these emotions might very
well inhibit or promote socialization of a particular kind. Fear may make it difficult for young
children to socialize in school, whereas people in love may learn quickly what makes their loved
ones happy. Emotions can also influence how individuals perceive the content of socialization,
whether in becoming a member of a family group or a religious sect. Knowing something about
the feelings of the people involved (the psychological context) helps explain the results of the
socialization process.
⮚ Cognitive Development Theories
A number of psychologists emphasize the series of stages through which humans progress.
Although emotional concerns can be involved, these theorists focus
on cognitive (intellectual) development, which occurs in a systematic, universal sequence
through a series of stages. Cognitive development theorists see children as increasingly trying
to make sense of their social worlds as they grow up. Children try to see patterns in the way
things happen.

3. Content and Process

● Content refers to what is passed from member to novice such as ideas, beliefs, behaviors, and
other information that are passed on by the member of society to the individual.

● Processes are those interactions that are conveyed to new members, how they are to speak,
behave, think, and even feel. Below are the processes of socialization:
a. The primary process – happens during childhood and is very important, because it sets
the groundwork for all future socialization. It occurs when a child learns the attitudes, values,
and actions appropriate to individuals as members of a particular culture and is mainly
influenced by the immediate family and friends. Example: if a child sees his or her mother
expressing a discriminatory opinion about a minority group, then that child may think this
behavior is acceptable and can continue to have this opinion about minority groups.

b. Secondary process - learning what is the appropriate behavior as a member of a smaller

group within the larger society which includes behavioral patterns reinforced by socializing
agents of society. This is where children and individuals require different behavior from the
home. Example: children must act according to school rules; new teachers have to act in a
way that is different from pupils and learn the new rules from people around them.
c. Resocialization – happens when an individual or a group is brought in contact with a new
culture, which requires them to leave behind their old identity and take up a new one. During
this process, they are required to learn the norms, values, and ways of life into the new
environment or the setting which they are brought in contact with. This requires, as the first
step, for the individual to give up or forget their previous values and at times even their
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 identity and adopt the one specific to their environment. This process is often deliberate and
intense. Example: transition from schooling to working; adapting to the new normal lifestyle
because of pandemic
d. Reverse socialization – happens when the younger generation transfers knowledge to the
older generation. This occurs mostly in industrial societies where technological change is
rapid. Example: a teenager teaching his or her mother to use a smartphone.
4. Consequences or Outcomes
● Consequences or outcomes may be defined as what happens later, after someone has been
exposed to particular content and processes.
● New members may learn the behaviors, attitudes, and values that old member hoped they
would learn.
● For example, learning a language involves the ways vocabulary and grammar can be
combined. One gains a sense of rules and values fundamental in a society's culture.
Process questions:
1. How does socialization help form a well-functioning society?
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2. Can a society evolve without the process of socialization? Why?
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3. How do biological and psychological factors of socialization shape one’s personhood? Why?

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