Understanding Socialization: Stages, Agents, and Groups
Understanding the Socialization Process
The socialization process is the means by which humans become integrated into society from birth. This occurs initially through family, then school, friends, and later through affiliations with formal and informal groups. It’s the psychological process by which an individual becomes part of a culture.
Culture is understood as a relatively integrated system of ideas, values, attitudes, ethics, and lifestyles, exhibiting stability within a society. Culture influences behavior and structure; everything beyond biological heritage falls under the domain of culture.
Cultural transmission requires two key elements: a transmitter and a receiver. Socializing agents are the transmitters, and the individual undergoing socialization is the receiver. This learning is continuous, progressing through various stages depending on age and the influence of socializing agents.
Stage One: Primary Socialization
The most influential agents at this stage are personal and micro-level. The mother is central, providing the child’s earliest contacts. The child is integrated into a micro-environment, the family, including the father, siblings, and other relatives, who act as personal agents in the child’s social development. Formal groups like kindergartens and schools guide the individual in internalizing values, norms, and beliefs initially introduced within the family.
Stage Two: Secondary Socialization
During this stage, agents from other groups, both informal and institutional, gain influence. This doesn’t signify a new socialization process but a continuation of the foundation laid in the family. Alternatives develop based on the wealth of influences from external groups. Institutional groups exercise social control, while informal groups, formed on shared goals and defined by their members, may not always align with the regulatory system. They can act as deterrents to control, drivers of social change, or generators of social conflict.
An important aspect of adult socialization is the acquisition and development of social roles. This involves learning appropriate behavior for one’s position within a group through interaction with others. These interactions shape beliefs about the role and determine who rewards or punishes actions based on whether they are deemed right or wrong.
Social Groups: Essential Characteristics
To be considered a social group, the following criteria must be met:
- The group must have assembled to achieve a specific objective.
- All members must be aware of their belonging to the group.
- Members must join efforts to achieve the group’s aims.
- The group must have some temporal duration.
Types of Social Groups
Social groups can be categorized as follows:
- Small groups (2 to 20 members) and large groups (more than 20 members).
- Primary groups: typically small groups connected by biological ties or proximity.
- Secondary groups: characterized by more impersonal relationships.
- Formal groups: governed by predefined rules.
- Informal groups: arise spontaneously based on friendship, affinity, tastes, etc., without pre-existing standards.