SOCIALIZATION: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Human development is based on two assumptions:

1. The newborn having the capacity to become a member of human society. The infant has
the capacity to learn human social behavior. This capacity is provided by nature to every normal
child. But
2. The newborn child cannot become social being unless there is interaction with other
human beings

Helpless at birth, the human infant depends on others to provide nourishment and care. Human
infants are the most helpless of all; a human child cannot survive unaided for at least four or five
years of life. It is a matter of survival of human child; and then to transform the human child
into a social being he needs interaction with other members of human society without which
learning capacity is lost. This process of transformation is socialization

Socialization is process whereby people learn through interaction with others in order to
survive and function within society. In this process, they learn what roles are associated with
their status. Also, as prescribed by the culture, they learn how to play those roles. Therefore it is
a matter of NATURE and NURTURE

NATURE
Nature implies the contribution of heredity to the human being, which may include physical-
characteristics and what is inside the human body. Presumably physical and psychological
characteristics can be transmitted through heredity. Whatever is being transmitted through
heredity may be considered as human potential given by nature

NURTURE
In the 20th century, the biological explanations of human behavior were challenged. It was
assumed that much of the human behavior was not instinctive; rather it was learned. Thus,
people everywhere were equally human, differing only in their learned cultural patterns, which
highlighted the role of nurture

Today social scientists are cautious (careful) about describing any behavior as instinctive.
This does not mean that biology plays no part in human behavior. Human life, after all, depends
on the functioning of the human body. We also know that children often share biological traits
(like height, hair color, and complexion) with their parents and that heredity plays a part in
intelligence, aptitude, and personality. Without denying the importance of nature, then, nurture
matters more in shaping human behavior
More precisely, nurture has become our nature. As part of nurturing, opportunities are to be
provided for the development of human potentials. If the society does not provide learning
opportunities, the human potentials given by nature may be lost

Agents of Socialization

Every social experience we have affects us in at least a small way. However, several familiar
settings have special importance in the socialization process

1. Family
The family affects socialization in many ways. For most people, in fact, the family may be the
most important socialization agent of all. Infants are totally dependent on others for care. The
responsibility for providing a safe and caring environment typically falls on parents and other
family members. For several years—at least until children begin school—the family also has the
job of teaching children skills, values, and beliefs. Overall, research suggests, nothing is more
likely to produce a happy, well-adjusted child than a loving family (Gibbs, 2001)

Not all family learning results from intentional teaching by parents. Children also learn from the
type of environment adults create. Whether children learn to see themselves as strong or weak,
smart or stupid, loved or simply tolerated— as Erik Erikson suggests, whether they see the world
as trustworthy or dangerous—depends largely on the quality of the surroundings provided by
parents and other caregivers

Race and Class

Through the family, parents give a social identity to children. Social identity involves race.
Social class, like race, plays a large part in shaping a child’s personality. Whether born into
families of high or low social position, children gradually come to realize that their family’s
social standing affects how others see them and, in time, how they come to see themselves. In
addition, research shows that class position affects not just how much money parents have to
spend on their children but also what parents expect of them (Ellison, Bartkowski, & Segal,
1996)

When people in the United States were asked to pick from a list of traits that are most desirable
in a child, those with lower social standing favored obedience and conformity. Well-to-do
people, by contrast, chose good judgment and creativity. Melvin Kohn (1977) explains that
people of lower social standing usually have limited education and perform routine jobs under
close supervision. Expecting that their children will hold similar positions, they encourage
obedience and may even use physical punishment like spanking to get it
Because well-off parents have had more schooling, they usually have jobs that demand
imagination and creativity, so they try to inspire the same qualities in their children. Consciously
or not, all parents act in ways that encourage their children to follow in their footsteps

2. School
Schooling enlarges children’s social world to include people with backgrounds different from
their own. It is only as they encounter people who differ from themselves that children come to
understand the importance of factors such as race and social position. As they do, they are likely
to cluster in playgroups made up of one class, race, and gender
Gender
Studies show that at school, boys engage in more physical activities and spend more time
outdoors, and girls are more likely to help mothers with various housekeeping chores. Boys also
engage in more aggressive behavior in the classroom, while girls are typically quieter and better
behaved (Best, 1983; Jordan & Cowan, 1995)
What Children Learn?
Schooling is not the same for children living in rich and poor communities, children from well-
off families typically have a far better experience in school than those whose families are poor.
For all children, the lessons learned in school include more than the formal lesson plans. Schools
informally teach many things, which together might be called the hidden curriculum. Activities
such as spelling bees teach children not only how to spell but how society divides the population
into “winners” and “losers.” Sports help students develop their strength and skills and also teach
children important lessons in cooperation and competition

3. Peer Group
By the time they enter school, children have joined a peer group, a social group whose
members have interests, social position, and age in common. Unlike the family and the school,
the peer group lets children escape the direct supervision of adults. Among their peers, children
learn how to form relationships on their own. Peer groups also offer the chance to discuss
interests that adults may not share with their children (such as clothing and popular music)

It is not surprising, then, that parents express concern about who their children’s friends are. In a
rapidly changing society, peer groups have great influence, and the attitudes of young and old
may differ because of a “generation gap.” The importance of peer groups typically peaks during
adolescence, when young people begin to break away from their families and think of
themselves as adults. Even during adolescence, however, parental influence on children remains
strong. Peers may affect short-term interests such as music or films, but parents have greater
influence on long-term goals, such as going to college (Davies & Kandel, 1981)

Finally, any neighborhood or school is made up of many peer groups, individuals tend to view
their own group in positive terms and put down other groups. In addition, people are influenced
by peer groups they would like to join, a process sociologists call anticipatory socialization,
learning that helps a person achieve a desired position. In school, for example, young people
may copy the styles and slang of a group they hope will accept them. Later in life, a young
lawyer who hopes to become a partner in the law firm may conform to the attitudes and behavior
of the firm’s partners in order to be accepted

4. Mass Media
The mass media are impersonal communication aimed at a vast audience. Mass media arise as
communication technology (first the newspapers and then radio, television, films, and the
Internet) spreads information on a mass scale. The mass media have an enormous effect on our
attitudes and behavior, and on shaping people’s opinions about issues as well as what they buy.
Where television provides lot of entertainment, at the same time it is a big agent of socialization.
The portrayal of human characters in different programs and in advertisements on television
helps in projecting the gender perceptions prevalent in the society; thereby helping in gender
construction. The same programs help in shaping the attitudes, values, and basic orientation of
people to life

5. Religion
Religion plays significant role in the socialization of most Pakistanis. It influences morality,
becoming a key component in people’s ideas of right and wrong. The influence of religion
extends to many areas of our lives. For example participation in religious ceremonies not only
teaches us beliefs about the hereafter but also ideas about dress, concepts of pak & pleet, and
manners appropriate for formal occasions

Types of Socialization

There are four types of socialization, which are given by Ian Robertson in his book sociology
Primary Socialization: This is the most essential and fundamental type of socialization. It takes
place in the early years of newborn baby. At this stage, concentration is given on language and
cognitive skills, the internalization of cultural norms and values, establishment of emotions and
appreciation of other role and perspectives
Anticipatory Socialization: Individual not only learns the culture of his groups rather he also
learns the cultures of groups to which he does not belong. Such a process whereby men socialize
themselves into the culture of a group with the anticipation of joining that group is referred as
anticipatory socialization by [Link]
Developmental Socialization: This kind of learning is based on the achievements of primary
socialization. It builds on already acquired skills and knowledge as the adult progress through
new situations such as marriage or new jobs. These require new expectations, obligations and
roles. This new learning combines with old skills makes possible developmental socialization
Re-Socialization: It takes place mostly when a social role is radically changed. It may also
happens during social mobility process. When new social roles emerged which are not
compatible with the existing qualities and skills of individual, re-socialization takes place. This
phenomena is generally found in old age population who is striving hard for their survival in
changing world