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Socialization in the study of animal and human behavior is the process by which human beings or animals learn to adopt the behavior patterns of the community in which they live. For both humans and animals, this is typically thought to occur during the early stages of life, during which individuals develop the skills and knowledge necessary to function within their culture and environment. However, this also includes adult individuals moving into an environment significantly different from one(s) in which they have previously lived and must thus learn a new set of behaviors.

Contents 1 Humans 1.1 Forms of socialization 1.1.1 Reverse socialization 1.1.2 Developmental socialization 1.1.3 Primary socialization 1.1.4 Anticipatory socialization 1.1.5 Resocialization 1.2 Agents of Socialization 1.2.1 Total Institutions 1.3 Products of socialization 1.3.1 Gender Socialization and Gender Roles 2 See also 3 External links

[edit] Humans

Socialization is, in essence, learning (see Charon, 1987:63-69). Socialization refers to all learning regardless of setting or age of the individual. In every group one has to learn the rules, expectations, and knowledge of that group, whether the group is your family, the army, or the state (nation). Socialization is the process whereby people acquire a social identity and learn the way of life within their society. All of this amounts to the learning of culture.

For some psychologists -- especially those working in the psychodynamic tradition -- the most important time when socialization occurs is between the ages of one and ten. Humans learn throughout their lives, but this first ten years is arguably the most important time in determining the personality of persons across their life span.

[edit] Forms of socialization

Sociologists may distinguish four kinds of socialization:

• Reverse socialization
• Developmental socialization
• Primary socialization
• Anticipatory socialization
• Resocialization

[edit] Reverse socialization

deviation from the desired behaviours or enculturation esp. of the younger generations

[edit] Developmental socialization

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[edit] Primary socialization

Primary socialization is the process whereby people learn the attitudes, values, and actions appropriate to individuals as members of a particular culture. For example, some Inuits learn to enjoy eating the raw intestines of birds and fish, while some Chinese people eat Carp's heads and the tripe (stomach tissue) of pigs (Schaefer & Lamm, 1992: 98).

[edit] Anticipatory socialization

Anticipatory socialization refers to the processes of socialization in which a person "rehearses" for future positions, occupations, and social relationships (See Appelbaum & Chambliss, 1997:76). Henslin (2004:71) offers the example of a high school student who, upon hearing he had been accepted to a university, began to wear college student-type clothes:

"In his last semester of high school, Michael has received word that he has been accepted to State University. Soon he begins to dismiss high school activities as being "too high school," and begins to wear clothing styles and affect mannerisms that are characteristic of State University students. Michael is exhibiting signs of anticipatory socialization."

[edit] Resocialization

Resocialization refers to the process of discarding former behavior patterns and accepting new ones as part of a transition in one's life. This occurs throughout the human life cycle (Schaefer & Lamm, 1992: 113). Resocialization can be an intense experience, with the individual experiencing a sharp break with their past, and needing to learn and be exposed to radically different norms and values. An example might be the experience of a young man or woman leaving home to join the Military.

[edit] Agents of Socialization

Agents of socialization are people and/or groups that influence self concepts, emotions, attitudes and behavior of a person. (Henslin, 1999:76-81)

1. The Family. The family is the most important of the agents of socialization. Family is responsible for, among other things, determining one's attitudes toward religion and establishing career goals.
2. The School. The school is the agency responsible for socializing groups of young people in particular skills and values in our society.
3. Peer Groups. Peers refer to people who are roughly the same age and/or who share other social characteristics (e.g., students in a college class).
4. The Mass Media.
5. Other Agents: Religion, Work Place, The State.

[edit] Total Institutions

The term "total institutions" was coined in 1961 by Erving Goffman, designed to describe a society which is socially isolated but still provides for all the needs of its members. Therefore, total institutions have the ability to resocialize people either voluntarily or involuntarily. For example, the following would be considered as total institutions: prisons, the military, mental hospitals and convents (Schaefer & Lamm, 1992: 113).

Goffman lists four characteristics of such institutions:

• All aspects of life are conducted in the same place and under the same single authority.
• Each phase of a members daily activity is carried out in the immediate company of others. All members are treated a like and all members do the same thing together.
• Daily activities are tightly scheduled. All activity is superimposed upon the individual by a system of explicit formal rules.
• A single rational plan exists to fulfill the goals of the institution.

[edit] Products of socialization

[edit] Gender Socialization and Gender Roles

Henslin (1999:76) contends that "an important part of socialization is the learning of culturally defined gender roles." Gender socialization refers to the learning of behavior and attitudes considered appropriate for a given sex. Boys learn to be boys and girls learn to be girls. This "learning" happens by way of many different agents of socialization. The family is certainly important in reinforcing gender roles, but so are one’s friends, school, work and the mass media. Gender roles are reinforced through "countless subtle and not so subtle ways" (1999:76).

Henslin (2004:66) suggests that the fact that parents let their preschool boys roam farther from home than their preschool girls illustrates the how girls are socialized to be more dependent.

Main article: Gender-related socialization

[edit] See also

Socialization of animals

• Appelbaum & Chambliss, 1997
• Charon, 1987
• Henslin (2004)
• Henslin (1999)
• Schaefer & Lamm, 1992

[edit] External links

• Timid or Shy Dogsca:Socialització

cs:Socializace de:Sozialisation es:Socialización fr:Socialisation he:חיברות nl:Socialisatie no:Sosialisering pl:Socjalizacja ru:Социализация sv:Socialisation uk:Соціалізація

This page uses content from the English-language version of Wikipedia. The original article was at Socialization. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Psychology Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.