Socialization as a Learning Process Through Which People Learn the Development of the Self - Assignment Example

1. Socialization is a learning process through which people learn the development of the self. They acquire knowledge, skills and motivation to participate in society (http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/S655ME.html). People acquire values, beliefs, attitudes and behavior that influence the thought process. It is also a method of passing on culture from one generation to another. Socialization is a continuous and life-long process through which people acquire self-identity and the physical, mental and social skills needed for survival in society (http://www.sociologyinourtimes3e.nelson.com/chapter04/tutorial_chap04.html). There are several agents both formal and informal that assist in the process of socialization. Agents of socialization are the persons, groups or institutions that teach what is necessary to live in the society. While the school and the mass media represent the formal or sometimes known as secondary agents, the primary or the informal agents are the family and the peers. Each agent influences an individual in a different way in the process of development. Family is the most important agent of socialization and the most important source of emotional support. The entire environment which comprises of both parents and siblings make up a family. Earlier even the grandparents formed a part of the family and the children learned a lot from the wisdom of the grandparents. Today the families have split up. There are either nuclear families or with single parents and the child imbibes what he experiences. His attitudes and behaviors depend on the environment in which he grows up. The family is where individuals acquire the specific position in the society. The next important agent of socialization is the peer group which is a group of people linked by common interests, equal social position and similar age. They contribute to the sense of belonging and feelings of self-worth. The peer group teaches to live in a group and to earn the acceptance of the peers is important. A peer group has its own norms, attitudes and beliefs which have to be met. The school and the mass media are the secondary agents but equally important in the socialization process. Schools teach specific knowledge and skills and have a profound effect on the child’s self image, beliefs and values. Schools teach individuals to be productive members of the society and to contribute to the society. They teach self control and guide them in the process of selection, training and placement on different rungs in the society. Children learn the importance of competition, working in a group, and obedience to authority. The mass media works as an agent carrying important information about events and happenings in the society and the world at large. They inform us about the products and services available. Mass media is also a form of entertainment necessary for survival. It enriches us through insight into other people’s experiences. Personally I too have imbibed the values from each of these agents in my development. I grew up in a family which comprised of my parents and myself. Occasionally we used to meet my grandparents on both sides. My parents have always been a very loving couple and so I took it for granted. I always had them with me whenever I needed them. I learnt from them the values necessary like respecting every small object in life. My parents taught me to be grateful to the clothes that cover us, to the shoes that protect us. I learnt not to just throw the discarded clothes in the bathroom but to stock them properly till they are washed. This helped me to understand the others in my friends circle. A girl in our group came from a broken home and I could immediately understand the difference. She would throw things around and fling the shoes in the air. She never shut the door quietly behind her and was devoid of table manners. That is when I realized the importance of a family and that to a loving family. School shall always be one the best phases of my life. This is where I learnt to share, to forget and forgive. I learnt to compete; I learnt to win but more importantly I learnt to lose as well. This requires courage and the school did help me to acquire this. Accepting a loss is not a small achievement and I owe this to my school. Working with the peers I learnt how to behave and work together. Mass media of course has lots to teach us. At the end of the day, or even when we need a break from the studies, it has plenty on offer. Even the commercials of products on offer are stimulating. I truly understand the importance of each of these agents of socialization. 2. Differential Association (DA) theory by Edwin H. Sutherland was a major social contribution to criminology. This is a learning theory that focuses on the processes by which the individuals come to commit criminal acts (http://www.d.umn.edu/~jhamlin1/sutherland.html). Sutherland maintains that "the conditions which are said to cause crime should be present when crime is present, and they should be absent when crime is absent" (http://www.d.umn.edu/~bmork/2306/Theories/BAMdiffassn.htm). Sutherland recognized that some types of crimes are more prevalent in minority communities but that does not mean there are no good people in that community. At the same time, even in affluent society many such individuals can be found that break laws. This implies that deviance can take place in any group irrespective of race, class and ethnicity. It is the social influences and the learning experiences that matter. In the initial stage the individual learns the motives, rationalization and the motivation to commit crimes. He does not learn the techniques of committing crime. A person turns delinquent when the peer pressure forces him towards violation of law. The learning process is the same – be it criminality or conformity. These lead one to believe that even in a community or a neighborhood where criminality is prevalent, some form of social organization exists. The values, culture and practices differ from the normal social organization and these are always against the norms of the law. In such a social group, a youth stands the chance of either being extricated from the peer group, if he does not follow the norms of the group, or else turn delinquent and criminal as he adopts the values of the group. Hence peer pressure is important even in this group because criminal behavior is learnable and learned in interaction with other deviant persons. The only difference lies in frequency, duration, priority and intensity. When criminal behaviors is an expression of general needs and values it is not explained by those general needs and values, since non-criminal behavior is also an expression of the same needs and values. According to Leighninger, if a person associates with more groups that define criminal behavior as acceptable, than with groups that define criminal behavior as unacceptable, the person will probably engage in criminal behavior (http://www.skidmore.edu/academics/english/courses/en205d/student7/association.html). This means that just as individuals learn to accept the norms of the society, they also learn to defy them. In other words deviance is also a product of socialization. Here too, like conformity, parents and peers are the primary agents through whom the individual learns deviant behavior. For example, if a child grows up in an atmosphere where regular fights and stealing are common in the house, between parents and between siblings, he starts believing that these acts are not as wrong as the society or law defines them. In youth children take to drugs and this most often happens in the peer group and under peer pressure. An individual may turn his eyes away maybe three or four times but when he is urged even the fourth time with the same intensity, he may give in for fear of being isolated from the group. Gradually he starts liking it and then becomes an addict himself. He then does not find anything as seriously wrong in committing crimes as he used to believe earlier. A high-income country is classified by World Bank as a country with GNP per capita income of $9,266 or more in 2000 (http://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1231). The United States has amongst the highest rates of homicide in comparison to other high income countries. There were over 14,400 criminal homicides defined by the Uniform Crimes Report (UCR) in the United States in 2003 (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SHK/is_4_2/ai_n17216178). The vast majority of these where of age 18 and under while the elderly accounted for only 4.4 percent. The causes of homicide among the elderly are due to stabbing, beating, gunshot wound or asphyxia. The head has been the most frequent site of fatal trauma. Deaths were also caused by smoke inhalation/carbon monoxide poisoning due to arson apart from deaths due to strangulation. Youth homicide in the United States is a serious problem in the large urban areas. Differences in homicide rates by race are insignificant. The major reasons include poverty, access to handguns, involvement in drug and gang activity, family disruption and school failure (http://www.childdeathreview.org/causesHF.htm). They usually use inexpensive easily acquired handguns. Such people usually have been found to live in social exclusion, away from family or with no adult supervision. Between July 1, 2005 and 20th June 2006 there were 35 school-associated violent deaths in elementary and secondary schools in the United States (http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/crimeindicators2007/ind_01.asp). Deaths occur when the victims are on the way to or from school. Hence violence takes place much less in the school environment. Another common reason for young pregnant women’s death is homicide. Homicide is the fourth leading cause of death among all American women of childbearing age and most are killed by their intimate partners (http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2003/02/27/pregnancy_death/). There are communities and organizations that are trying to curb youth homicide and violence. In Colarodo, an organization has come up with the idea of Safe Night party where they invite the youth and teach them skills for resolving conflict peacefully (http://www.commondreams.org/pressreleases/april99/042799c.htm). Three rules are enforced at these parties: no weapons, no alcohol or drugs, and no arguments. The organizers are carrying this concept to other parts of the country as well. Media is being used in a positive way to transmit the messages of peace to the youth. We thus see that the United States having the most affluent society with access to all ammunitions and facilities, has amongst the highest incidences of homicide in the youth. This comes due to affluence and can be curbed the same agents like an organization, society, the media and the peer group, just as they were given shape. The deviant behavior has the same characteristics and requires the same agents to keep it under control as well. Read More