Question

Describe the benefits of socialization with siblings and peers. What learning theory (type of conditioning) would we associate with socialization and why?

Answer 1

Socialization is a process which moves on throughout the life of an individual. It is the process in which an individual learn about the society and the expectations that the society builds in its people. Interaction with the people and to learn the etiquettes to talk, walk, table habits and the behavioral habits are a part of socialization. It is a process which continues throughout one’s life but the maximum of the process occurs during the period of childhood.
There are certain agents which influence the process of socialization in the life of an individual. The agents of socialization are family, schools, peers, and media.
A family is the most important agent of socialization as a family is an institution to which an infant is introduced for the very first time in its life. The members of the family introduce the child in understanding family relationships, the way to live life in groups, the advantages of living with family, and the benefits of sharing resources with each other. The experience of a child turns on to its new phase when he is admitted to the school. After the family and relatives, school comes next, which provide socialization to a child. The teacher plays an important role in forming an important purpose in a students’ life. Apart from imparting subject knowledge, a teacher molds a student’s way of thinking and acting in a different situation. Skills like learning, reading, writing and reciting are the primary purpose of going to school. Peers come next to the school socialization. Peers are the children who are of the same age of the child. The classmates, friends and the cousins of the same age form the peer group. Making friends and socializing with them form a part the process of socialization. These processes help in making one’s own identity and way of introducing oneself before the peers. As every other child has been grown in different cultures and social environment, therefore the interactions with the peers bring in with different cultures and influences each other too. Media plays an active role in modifying one’s social thoughts and perceptions. The visual, audio and the social media play an active role in the development of a child. The visual media like television, movies, and serials shows a reflection of the society. The songs, movies and the expressions that the actors create are often adopted by the children. They tend to copy the way the media shows to them.
The relations among the peers and the siblings are made with strong emotions and feelings. They tend to know much about each other as they spend much time together playing. They become a means of support to each other and understand each others’ point much clearer. Through peers and siblings, children learn socio-cultural ways of interacting with people and developing a better understanding of people. They form a platform on which a child can view his own thoughts, feelings, and emotions equally and aptly. It is through games, little conversations and fun that they became a support of each other. When parents, guardians, and elders contradict the way the children thinks and behaves, the siblings and the peers understand them.