Agents of socialization - Essay Example

Agents of Socialization: Key agents of socialization in the development of my political awareness. Because of my family background I am quite aware of differences in the way that people become socialized into society. I spent the first half of my life in Iran, and the second part of my life in the United States. This means that I have a double perspective on what it means to become part of society. My family is very important to me, and I can say with certainty that they have provided me with the main values that I live by.

They also have taught me to respect different cultures and to live alongside many people who do not share the values of my own family. I have been taught to respect the authority of my father and to look after my mother and the rest of my family as well. I think that the basic ideas of right and wrong, and a belief in the importance of family came to me through the social agents of my parents and grandparents. School was not such an important influence for me, at least not until I went to college.

I found that what I learn through reading is more important than some of the lessons at school, and I did not fully understand how to make the best of school until I was well over 20 years old. In recent years I am discovering that a lot of things can be learned from other students, and not just the teachers. Listening to other students talk in class is a way of understanding the pressures and pleasures of different kinds of people. Politics becomes more interesting when you can link it to real life people that you know yourself, and so I have to admit that my fellow students have been important agents of socialization for me, especially because I missed out on an American childhood, and cannot always imagine how and why people hold certain views.

Of course teachers are important agents of socialization too. I respect my teachers and observe how they behave in a professional way and this is important for my future, since I hope one day to be in a position of some authority in a responsible job and dealing with other people. The media are a major agent of socialization in my life and I love to use the latest gadgets and keep up with what is happening in the world. When I was young I could not imagine the possibility of being in touch with people from all over the world but now I have friends in Iran, in Europe, the Middle East and all over America through the means of social media like facebook and twitter.

I do not read newspapers very much, and I do not have much time for television, but my computer is always with me, and I read about everything on my laptop. This allows me to form my own opinions and share them with other people. The amount of material out there is huge, and it is possible that some people could be overwhelmed by the contradictions and conflicts that are presented in blogs and news sites. I find that it is good for me to explore the thoughts of people who do not agree with me, and I do this by reading sites on key issues like the death penalty, crime, drugs, health care reform and many other topics.

The internet has has become the biggest agent of socialization for me, and it helps me integrate with the whole world.ReferencesPatterson, Thomas and Halter, Gary. The American Democracy Texas Edition. (10th edition). McGraw Hill, 2010.