NATURE AND DEFINITION

OF SOCIALIZATION AND
PERSONALITY FUNCTIONS
OF SOCIALIZATION
C A M I L E A. BERCES
 What is
Socialization?
SOCIOLOGY

Socialization generally refers to the

process of social influence through which
a person acquires the culture or
subculture of their group, and in the
course of acquiring these cultural
elements the individual's self and
personality are shaped.
V. Gecas
ANTHROPOLOGY

Socialization refers to the process through which

people develop culturally patterned understandings,
behaviors, values, and emotional orientations.
The meaning of the term overlaps with “enculturation” (the process through which
children first internalize culture), “acculturation” (the process through which people
adopt new cultural models and ways of behaving), and “subject formation” (the process
through which subjectivity is shaped). Although much of the literature on socialization
has focused on childhood and adolescence, the development and socialization of the
individual continues throughout the life course—a life course in which stages such as
childhood, adolescence, and adulthood are themselves culturally variable.
PSYCHOLOGY

Socialization, the process whereby an individual

learns to adjust to a group (or society) and behave
in a manner approved by the group (or society).

According to most social scientists,

socialization essentially
represents the whole process of learning throughout the life
course and is a central influence on the behaviour, beliefs,
and actions of adults as well as of children.
 Nature of
SOCIALIZATION
NATURE OF SOCIALIZATION

1. An individual's biological structure is the first step:

when a person begins his life, he is only a biological structure
capable of responding to their social circumstances. All of these social
responses are only conceivable as a result of psychological events that
take place in each and every member of society. Social products are the
result of these social activities. The underlying fact is that socialization
transforms the non-social neonate into a social adult. A biological
structure is the form in which a child is born. He matures into a social
adult. It occurs as a result of social interactions.
NATURE OF SOCIALIZATION

2. Group life
Under the conditions of group life, a newborn baby transforms into
a human. Individuals are unable to have the kinds of effects that we see in
society. The topic of whether group life is responsible for the
transformation of a neonate into a social adult also arises. The essential
reality is that converting a neonate into a social baby is critical into a
mature social being It occurs as a result of social interactions. Previously,
group life was not thought to be a human process. Animals have a social
life as well, but they lack the social characteristics that humans possess.
NATURE OF SOCIALIZATION
3. Language
It is frequently observed that language plays an important role in
promoting engagement. Language is responsible for the characteristics that
distinguish humans. Language enables a person to exist in the outside world
and thus prepares them for the future. As a result, socialization is the result
of interaction, and language plays a crucial role in this contact.
4. Socialization does not result in uniformity or the loss of individuality
Socialization does not result in uniformity or the loss of individuality.
At home, for example, children of the same parents do not react in the
same way to the same condition or situation. It is impossible for two people
in the same family to have similar reactions to the same scenario. It is the
reason why one family member is a juvenile criminal while the other is a
well-behaved member of the group.
NATURE OF SOCIALIZATION

5. Socialization conflicts
The socialization process affects babies, children, and teenagers
in diverse ways. Individuals can also be resistant to socialization. The
journey of a child's upbringing is not always easy. In the socialization
process, a person and society respond to one other. The individual is
being molded by society.
It is also true that the person demonstrates that he is involved with
the group; that person is aware that if he is an accepted member of the
group and is tied to some group, he is safe and secure. As a result, he
accepts the group's social norms as his own norms.
NATURE OF SOCIALIZATION
6. Socialization is a never-ending process
All psychologists believe that socialization is a never-ending process.
Although it is a lifelong process, the modifications and stability are greatest
during adulthood. The life-cycle of these alterations continues. During this
time, a person takes on new roles and relinquishes previous ones. Some
psychologists believe that when people give up
certain roles, their stress level rises. The stress level is determined by the
nature of the newly acquired role.
7. Universality of the socialization process
Socialization is a lifelong process that is also universal. It varies depending
on where you are in life, such as when you finish school, when you are a child,
when you are an adolescent, and when you are an adult. Similarly, a man and
a woman are not the same. Although these distinctions in categories have
been recognized, they have only been exploited in limited trials.
NATURE OF SOCIALIZATION

8. Socialization and self-consciousness

This is a Mead theory that states that only when a person is aware of
himself can he be aware of the ideas, values, ideals, and so on of others. A
youngster is incapable of distinguishing himself from others. Only once he
learns to differentiate in this way does the socialising process begin.

9. Dependency
Learning is the foundation for socialisation. Long-term social
learning leads to a person's socialisation. In addition to his parents, the
child relies on other adults for all of his activities.
NATURE OF SOCIALIZATION

10. Interaction
Social interaction has been used to explain the socialisation
process. The result of mutual engagement with other members of society
is socialization. When a person interacts with other people, he obtains
new experiences and learns new things. Habits are formed as a result of
such learning.
Personality Function
of Socialization
(AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION)
 AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
1. The Family
Parents are effective agents of socialization, and the roles, values, norms,
and beliefs held by grown children are in congruence with the general socialization
goals held by parents.
2. The Public School System
Due to the size and complexity of the cultural base of most developed
nations, societies have created public schools. The public school, like the family, is
an institution whose explicit mandate is to socialize children. Unlike the family,
though, the school’s mission is more narrow and more formal in scope
(Gecas,1981). What’s more, schools build upon the foundations of personal
qualities laid down by the family (Koller and Ritchie, 1978)
 3. Peer Group Associations
Like schools, peer groups become more influential as the influence of
parents begin to wane. Peers supplement the influences of parents, schools, and
the media by providing additional pressure toward conformity with conventional
norms and standards, and tend to rely heavily on stereotypes to shape
appropriate behavior (Zigler et al., 1982).
4. Television and Social media
Over the last four decades, a new and powerful agent of socialization has
taken its place along side the other important influences on primary socialization—
television. Shortly after its introduction in the early 1950s, television was viewed
simply as a harmless form of entertainment, but it was gradually realized that
television could have a powerful effect on a child’s behavior. Particularly through
the work of Albert Bandura, it was shown observational learning, or imitation,
takes place regardless of whether the viewer is rewarded (Zigler et al., 1982). (This
does not mean children will actually perform the learned behavior, but they will
always have the capacity, once the behavior is learned).
 REFERENCES
V. Gecas,
Socialization, Sociology of,
Editor(s): Neil J. Smelser, Paul B. Baltes,
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences,
Pergamon,
2001,
Pages 14525-14530,
ISBN 9780080430768,
https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-08-043076-7/01964-1.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0080430767019641)
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "socialization". Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Feb. 2023,
https://www.britannica.com/science/socialization. Accessed 18 February 2023.

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Thank You.