Date Posted: 1/25/2012 7:33:58 AM
Posted By: Viona Membership Level: Silver Total Points: 879
Socialization Musgrave(1998) said that "Socialization is education in the broadest sense :It is the process whereby one acquires a sense of personal identity and learns what people in the sorrounding culture believe and how they expect one to behave "Socialization, technically,is the process by which culture is acquired by an individual. Culture encompasses norms, values, attitudes, customs, language and mannerisms of food and dressing, knowledge and skills e.t.c.A child thus gradually learns the elements of culture ;the process of socialization.A typical socialization process commences at birth, proceeds into one''s life and terminates at death.Socialization is thus a lifelong process. However, it is most intense during early childhood as compared to socialization during adulthood.Socialization is broadly categorized into two :primary and secondary socialization. Primary socialization is phenomenal during infancy and early childhood while secondary socialization is most prevalent after early childhood and continues even in old age.In addition, secondary socialization incorporates a term ''resocialization''.Resocialization refers to the process of discarding former behavior patterns and accepting new ones as part of transition in one''s life. It is most prevalent in reform schools, political indoctrination camps, prisons and therapy groups.Socialization is indispensable in our lives and pursues to support the notion that we are a product of nurture rather than nature. It serves several purposes :Firstly, an individual acquires relevant gender roles.This happens as a child is oriented to their immediate environment.For example girls are taught roles of a mother, sister while boys learn to be fathers.Secondly societies are able to maintain consistency and perpetual life of its culture through the process of socialization. In addition, uniformity and transmission of culture from one society to another is ensured.Turnbull (1983) suggested that,"Socialization connects the different generations to one another. " Thirdly,socialization nurtures an individual''s ability to develop social identity and personality.Typically, social identity entails the characteristics that other people attribute to a person. Personality on the other hand is the fairly consistent patterns of attitude and behavior explicited in particular circumstances.Self identity and personalities sets us apart as individuals and enables to formulate a unique sense of ourselves and our relationship with the world.Socialization is mostly experienced by people. Human beings unlike animals form complex social structures which in turn form societies. Owing to this reason, humans are thus said to be cosmopolitan beings. As people interact, behavior are acquired which asserts that human behavior patterns are not instinctive but learnt.To reinforce the impact and importance of socialization, several sociologists and anthropologists have examined documented cases. Such cases include :isolated and institutionalized children,feral children and rhesus monkeys.Isolated and institutionalized children are virtually isolated, placed in foster homes, nursing homes and orphanages.These children lay in a crib for eighteen to twenty hours a day subjected to feeding bottles, little adult care and human contact. Such babies become antisocial and are emotionally unattached to human beings.Moreover, more often than not, they become physically and mentally retarded, as their social needs have been neglected.This study was conducted by Rene Spitz. Feral children are children raised by animals. On January,9,1900,an eleven year old boy who depicted beast like characteristics was discovered in Southern France. The boy could not speak but made strange-sounding cries, hurled like an animal and had no sense of personal hygiene. He tore clothes when dressed up and showed no emotions.After rehabilitation in Paris, the boy only learnt partially how to speak and was never interested in playing with toys.He later died in 1928.Lastly, there is a study that was conducted by Harry Harlow and Margaret Harlow (1962) on rhesus monkeys because their behavior is somewhat similar to that of human beings.The Harlow''s study comprised of two phases.In the first phase, the monkeys were subjected to total isolation, denying them any social contact for six months except for their nutritional needs.This isolation adversely affected the monkey''s development.In the second phase, the monkeys were isolated but this time provided for an ''artificial mother '' made of wire mesh with a wooden head and the nipple of a feeding tube where the breast would be.The monkeys were tremendously passive and depicted emotional damage. However, when the Harlow''s covered the ''artificial mother '' with a soft terry cloth, the infant rhesus monkeys would cling to it.From both phases of the study, the Harlow''s concluded that infants actually do require the affection and closeness of their adult parents. However, this investigation also revealed that it was lack of social experience rather than lack of a mother that led to the emotional damage of the nonhuman primates. From the above analysis of past phenomena with regard to little socialization or lack of it, it is clearly evident that socialization is an essential part of growth and development of a human being.Currently, it is considered unethical and illegal to isolate or institutionalize children inorder to prove that socialization is important. Therefore, social scientists and anthropologists use nonhuman primates to determine the effects of socialization or lack of it. Damage resulting from total isolation is profound and can be permanent.Infants who fall victims to social isolation have difficulties developing proper speech and lack common sense.Sociologists George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) and Charles Horton Cooley (1864-1929) lay alot of emphasis on how the environment reinforces our social behaviorism during the process of socialization. Both Mead and Cooley were devout believers of the role nurture in developing a sense of identity.Mead acknowledged that the environment shapes our inward thinking.His concept of the ''self'' draws more on an individual''s self awareness and image. It is only through social experience that people take the role of the other as well as develop their self image.For example, in a football game among teen boys, the boys playing might assume the role of a prominent player such as Van Per Sie of Holland.The boy who best assumes this role is treated like a hero ;thereby nurturing his self image.Cooley''s notion also focusing on self image and a sense of self also shows that interaction with others is vital.Interaction enables us to have a ''picture'' of how others see us.In 1902,Cooley coined the term "Looking glass self".The term implies that our self image is nurtured by the reactions of those whom we interact with especially on a day-to-day basis.During the process of socialization, there are many social forces involved. Such social forces include :family, peer groups, schools,internet and mass media.These may also be referred to as agents of socialization.The family is the most basic agent of socialization. It is a social institution that unites people into cooperative groups that oversee the bearing and raising of children. The family has far reaching effects on factors like attitudes, norms and career choices of an individual.
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