Question

Socialization (NOTE: Don’t get this term confused with “socializing” as in hanging out with people…) is the process by which we learn societal expectations. In other words, it’s how we learn how “to be” in this world – how to think, how to feel, how to behave, how to treat others, how to view ourselves, etc. There are 6 agents of socialization, meaning the sources (people, social structures) that pass on the social expectations: Family, Peers, Religion, Media, Schools, & Sports. Consider these agents and your own personal experiences. In what ways did your family socialize you? What about religion? School? Share at least one example.

Answer 1

Socialization is the lifelong and continuous process of learning about social expectations and interaction with others around us. The socialization one receives leaves a lasting impact on one's personality, as majority of the behavior is learned through the process itself. By being around with people an individual learns to recognize, differentiate and manifest a variety of behavior in different social settings, as each environment has a code of conduct. There are 6 agents of socialization namely: Family, Peers, Religion, Media, Schools, & Sports.

Family, acts like one of the primary agent of socialization. Depending upon size/members in the family, nature (joint/separated/nuclear), attachment with parents and care givers, working members, socio-economic status, educational level of members etc. all act like an important determinant of one's development. These are the first ever teachers in every child's life. Culture and ethnic values are essentially learned by child, primarily at home first.In my context i was born in a nuclear family with both working parents, who were very caring. My parents always maintained a close bond with their children, by making us sleep with them until we were almost 14 years old, always keeping voice tone low when talking to an adult, avoid unnecessary argument with anyone even if you know you are right, respect elders and be willing to provide them any help or assistance wherever required. These were the values that i obtained from them.

Peers, are the second most influential agents of socialization, at times there are phases when peers become the sole agents one wants to be in contact with, specially during adolescence stage. We join or form peer groups based on our need to be accepted as an individual among people of the same age group. Peers help one to form close interpersonal relationships on our own, as one cannot chooses one's family but peers can be chosen based on ones interaction. Peers help one to deal with a variety of difficulties and have interests, preferences, attitudes and likes based on group behavior. We often learn to cooperate, collaborate and do team work with peers like in group study or even in leisure activities.

Religion, helps one to identify and internalize the popular belief in one's culture. Religion not only provides an individual a sense of belongingness but also collaborates people with similar beliefs, customs, ethnicities, even attitudes on spirituality and religious affiliations. Being a Hindu,Christian, Sikh, Muslim, Jew etc. makes one identify with the ideologies and practices ( like god, festivals, customs of prayers, celebration of life events etc.) of that particular group and adopt them in one's life. On the negative side it might introduce one with certain prejudices and discriminatory behavior. I personally learned customs of prayers through religion (do's and don'ts' in a temple) , it provides one inner strength and belief in god.

Media also plays an important role in highlighting a particular behavior and also gives information about recent trends not only in a particular culture or community but globally. Media socializes individuals with the social environment cross nations and unites us all as human beings. Media in my case was the biggest indicator of fashion trend across the world.

Schools, provide us formal education and behavior while preparing one to make a smooth transition from education to occupation. School helps one to live, acknowledge and understand textual knowledge with people from different backgrounds and culture. Developing harmony and tolerance for others by respecting their personality as a whole is something that we learn in school. From making friends, attending morning assemblies, doing homework, getting grades/marks, progressing in each session, learning to behave in school settings with teachers, peers and others, school is one of the best phases in my life.

Sports teaches one to be a team player while following specific instructions and displaying a code of conduct, We learn to abide rules and disciplinary behavior in collaborating with people with whom we might not have a close bond. Always giving one's best and accepting defeat is the highest mark of a true sports person. We often learn to deceive emotions and maintain the highest standard of ethics in performance.