Question

Some typical agents of socialization are: family, school, religion, friends, relatives, and mass media. What agents of socialization have influenced you the most? Describe their influence on your attitudes, beliefs, values, or other orientations to life. How have they made you the person that you are today?

Answer 1

Socialization is defined as the process by which human beings internalize the norms and ideologies of society. Socialization as a process is an ongoing process in the life of humans. It starts from the time of birth and ends when a person dies. Socialization influences the behavior, beliefs, and actions of adults as well as of children.

Some of the agents of socialization are;

A family-The family is the first agent of socialization. A family includes mother, fathers, siblings, grandparents, and members of an extended family.

School-A school not only makes us literate and knowledgeable but also help us to function in society. School socializes to have discipline and follow a schedule. Schools make students more aware of surroundings, about citizenship and national pride.

Religion-Religion is an important avenue of socialization for many people. The United States has many synagogues, temples, churches, mosques where people gather to worship. These places teach how to perform prayers. These places are also used for ceremonies like birth, marriage etc. Organized religion forms an opinion about a common set of socialized values that are passed on through society.

Government-Every one of us has to live our lives as per the norms established by the government. We become adult, taxpayer or a senior citizen as per the government norms.

Mass Media- Mass media distributes information to a wide audience, via television, newspapers, radio, and the Internet. People learn about what is happening around them. In our day to day lives, the media is influencing our beliefs and values.

For me, peer group as an agent of socialization has influenced me the most. A peer group is a group of people who are similar in age and share interests. Peer group socialization starts from early stages when a child begins to play in the park with other kids. Peer group has important influence among teenage years. I was a bright, disciplined, straight-A student who was only interested in studies so that I could join a medical school but I succumbed to the peer pressure in my teenage years. I started following the rap culture, cool lifestyle, careless attitude towards studies and academics was no longer my priority. I started to enjoy this carefree lifestyle. I followed this attitude in the company of my peers, I was led by them. I had stopped listening to my parents and elder siblings. My family had begun to look like enemies to me and my friends had become my family. Consequently, I started lagging behind in my studies, my grades took a nosedive. It became too late for me turn around the things. I got so low grades that changed the course of my life and opened the possibility of a never-ending struggle. I repent every second of my life but how does it matter I cannot bring back the lost time.