Levels of Socialization
Socialization is simply the process by which we become human social beings. George Herbert Mead and Charles Cooley looked at socialization from a symbolic interactionist perspective. Remember that this is one of the major sociological theoretical perspectives from Unit 1.
Socialization is more technically defined as the process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of society.
Mead and Cooley focused on how all the symbol-based interactions we have with others shape and form our sense of self, our roles, our becoming "human," and ultimately our socialization throughout our life stages.
Newborns are not born human in the social or emotional sense of being human. They have to learn all the nuances of proper behavior, how to meet expectations for what is expected of them, and everything else needed to become a member of society. A newborn in the presence of others, interacting with family and friends typically acquires their socialization by the time they reach young adulthood.
From the first moments of life, children begin a process of socialization wherein parents, family, and friends establish an infant's social construction of reality, or what people define as real because of their background assumptions and life experiences with others.
An average U.S. child's social construction of reality includes:
Knowledge about the group in which he or she belongs (family, group of friends, clubs, etc.)
The understanding with regard to their dependency on others to meet their needs (doctors for healthcare, teachers for education, etc.)
The privileges and obligations that accompany membership in their family and community (income, level of wealth, keeping the community clean, patriotism, etc.)
Another major aspect on the road to "become human" is our life stages. In a typical set of social circumstances, children grow up through a predictable set of life stages: infancy, preschool, K-12 school years, young adulthood,
adulthood, middle adulthood, and finally later-life adulthood. Most will leave home as young adults, find a spouse or life partner in their mid-to late 20s and work in a job for pay. To expect that of the average U.S. Child is normal. All of us have a particular set of expectations placed upon us as we age.
Also when discussing the average U.S. child, it's safe to say that the most important socialization takes place early in life and in identifiable levels. Primary socialization typically begins at birth and moves forward until the beginning of the school years.
Primary socialization includes all the ways a newborn is molded into a social being capable of interacting in and meeting the expectations of society.
Most primary socialization is facilitated by the family, friends, day care, and to a certain degree various forms of media. Children watch about 3 hours of TV per day (by the time the average child attends kindergarten he or she has watched about 5,000 hours of TV). They also play video games, surf the Internet, play with friends, and read.
Children learn how to talk, interact with others, share, manage frustrations, follow the "rules," and grow up to be like older family and friends they know. When they live up to expectations they are "big boys and girls," when they don't live up to expectations they are seen as disappointments or naughty. In the early years, tremendous attention is required in the safety and nurturing of infants. As they begin to walk and talk they learn to communicate their needs and wants.
They also learn very basic skills like using the bathroom, feeding and dressing themselves. Younger children do not have strong abstract reasoning skills until adolescence, so they rely heavily on the judgment of their caregivers. Most importantly, they form significant attachments to the older people who care for them.
Around the ages of four to five, pre-school and kindergarten are presented as expectations for the children. Once they begin their schooling, they begin a different level of socialization.
Secondary socialization occurs in later childhood and adolescence when children go to school and come under the influence of non-family members.
This level runs concurrently with primary socialization. Children realize at school that they are judged for their performance now and are no longer
accepted unconditionally. In fact, to obtain approval from teachers and school employees, a tremendous amount of conformity is required—this is in contrast to having been accepted at home for being "mommy's little man or woman." Now, as students, children have to learn to belong and cooperate in large groups.
They learn a new culture that extends beyond their narrow family culture
and has complexities and challenges that require effort on their part and that create stress on the children. By the time of graduation from high school, the average U.S. child has attended 15,000 hours of school away from home. They've also probably watched 15,000 hours of TV, and spent 5-10,000 playing video games, hanging with friends, surfing the Internet, text messaging, etc.
Friends, classmates, and peers become increasingly important in the lives of children in their secondary educational stage of socialization. Most 0-5 year olds yearn for their parents and family member's affection and approval. By the time of pre-teen years, the desire for family diminishes and the yearning now becomes for friends and peers. Parents often lament the loss of influence over their children once the teen years arrive.
Studies show that parents preserve at least some of their influence over their children by influencing their children's peers. In some cases, parents who host parties, excursions, and get-togethers find that their relationship with their children's friends keeps them better connected to their children. They learn that they can persuade their children at times through the peers.
Peer pressure refers to the influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values, or behavior in order to conform to group norms.
The third level of socialization includes college, work, marriage/significant relationships, and a variety of adult roles and adventures. Adult Socialization occurs as we assume adult roles.
Though we follow an average life course as follows; birth and infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, parenthood (for most people), middle age, and finally late adulthood, few life paths conform perfectly to it. People die of heart disease, cancer, brain and lung diseases, and accidents. People marry and divorce, become parents, or finish raising their children. They start a career and change after 5-10 years to another. They may change jobs 5-10 times in the same amount of time. They go bankrupt, win lotteries, or simply pay off their mortgages. In each change that comes into their life, they find themselves adapting to new roles, new expectations, and new limitations.
