Socialization - Research Paper Example

? Socialization Socialization Introduction From an early age we are taught to conform to the values and mores of the society in which we live. Often times these ideas are born out of intuition and our observation of the culture around us, while other times we are taught them by our parents, peers, and other members of the society. This entire process is known as socialization and it becomes the glue that keeps a civilized culture functioning properly. Without duly socialized citizens, an entire society can crumble in a midst of chaos and confusion. By learning the skills needed to be productive members of society and to function according to the set values and beliefs of the majority, individuals can conform and become functioning citizens of any culture. While the values and beliefs of a people certainly vary by culture and tribe, the process of socialization remains largely unchanged. In an organized and functional system, members of any given group learn how to belong and integrate into their given society. They develop a system of morals and learn how to interact appropriately. Sure, there will always be members of a society that refuse to become socialized, but by and large human civilization has survived for thousands of years because the majority of its people agree to live by a set of prescribed rules and to abide by the values system that they are taught from an early age. This paper is an effort to explain the process of socialization and to also examine it from this student’s perspective and they eyes of a close friend. Technologies Impact on Socialization In generations past, a common pastime was to sit and talk with one another. While this might seem simple, it is shown to be one of the most effective ways that socialization takes place. When communicating verbally with one another, individuals pick up on cues (both verbal and non-verbal) that enable them to learn how to interact appropriately in their assigned culture. With modern technology, however, it appears that much verbal communication is going away. Instead, young people are being socialized in an entirely new way by using the Internet and the various social media outlets available there. Laurel Anderson (2012) recently noted, “The Internet adds dimensions to and takes away elements in the socialization process that have not been manifest in the same way in the past” (p. 240). In other words, the Internet itself it taking on the role of the primary influencing factor in how people become socialized. This is an entirely new process and one that is potentially wrought with conflict. When an individual has an over-reliance on the Internet, for example, they can begin to form their own self-identity based on the interactions they have on the computer. The may become detached from society at large and begin to accept the values and belief systems of a hidden online community (Anderson, 2012, p. 241). Since socialization is the process whereby new members of a group (either children or recent transplants to a new culture) learn how the existing members think, it is critically important that outside factors not influence how this occurs. Attitudes are developed and individuals learn to act appropriately within a group. If, however, a young person or recent addition to a culture spends the majority of their time away from the very people they live amongst, they may begin to lost touch with the reality of their situation. They may form attitudes and behave in ways that are contrary to the norms of the group simply because they have not been socialized within the group setting. Since this is a recent phenomenon, much research is still needed to determine the actualized effects of technology on society, but for now it remains something that should certainly be considered and monitored. Socialization and an Organization The process of socialization never really ends. At each stage of life, and with every new group entered, individuals must become socialized to some degree. For the first 22 or so years of our life, we seem to be socialized quite easily. Our parents and academic institutions do much of the work for us and we just seem to follow along. Once we set out on our own, however, we realize that there is an entirely new set of rules that we never knew existed. While the socialization process examined to this point allows people to acquire the knowledge, skills, and ways of thinking that allow them function well in society, there are some situations that will be new to a person and require the process to reactivate itself (Saeed, 2012, p. 96). When a person enters a new workplace, for example, they must be active observers first before they can become successful participants in the organizational culture. They may have to learn an entirely set of new organization rules and structures that they may never have encountered before up to this point. Saeed (2012) notes that, “Employees, while newly employed in an organization, are not that aware of and have less amount of information than they need” (p. 98). As such, it is up to the process of socialization within the organization to re-shape the attitudes and behaviors of the employee to ensure that they act in the required way. When entering a new organization, people are often uneasy and uncertain. As Kristyn Scott (2012) notes, “They lack sufficient knowledge about organization norms and values, about where to acquire the resources necessary to carry out job functions, and about organizational expectations” (p. 191). This demonstrates a process taking place similar to what occurred during childhood. Experiences are new and we are not certain how to act or what to do. As adults, we often learn this quickly, but learn we must. Taking a step back, looking at the organizational structure, and learning what is expected of us all takes place during this socialization process. Personal Reactions to the Socialization Process It has been interesting, to say the least, to consider this process of socialization. As mentioned, this concept really takes place in our lives without us really noticing. Ideas and values are ‘caught’ rather than ‘taught’ in many cases. We observe behaviors around us from infancy and begin to adopt those same attitudes and actions as we grow older. Some will refer to this as truly being a product of our own environment, and this student supposes that statement is true to an extent. We have studied about the cycle of poverty, for example, as being a situation where a child grows up in poverty and it is all they know, so they are destined to live that way as an adult. This is owed to the fact that they assume that is the only life out there available to them. Socialization can create the same effect. We learn from those around us. If they behave and act contrary to the demands of the larger group, we would still likely obey the behaviors of those closest to us. It is quite interesting to consider how society has stayed functional in a relatively stable manner for all of these years with all of the contradicting viewpoints we now have being propagated. Recently Frank, a friend of this student, was contacted to talk about the idea of socialization. Frank related that, growing up, his grandparents and parents recounted stories about what life was really like. Looking back he realizes that it is through shard family experiences that a person adopts their outlook towards life. When he wanted to do something that was wrong, and he did not know it was wrong, he often learned about it simply from the look on his mom or dad’s face. This goes back to the idea of nonverbal cues that often socialize us. He learned, through the actions of his family members what was the proper way to conduct himself in society. He also readily admits that he did not always follow these norms, but that the consequences that followed showed him what would happen if he continued to be ‘led astray’. Frank also described, as he became a teenager, he struggled with understanding who to listen to. On the one hand, he had his friends trying to socialize him one way, but his parents teaching him another. Like many teenagers, Frank admitted that he often listened to his friends, only to later discover the hard way that they were wrong. In the end, he believes that we have to listen to many voices around us in order to determine who is actually correct. There is a proper way to function in society and Frank believes that we inherently know it in our mind already. We just have to follow what we know to be right and noble. What struck me most about my conversation with Frank was the notion that we do already know how to function in society in our own. We know what is right and what is wrong. Adults and other responsible people are there to guide us, but this student now realizes we already know the ‘correct answer’. By simply observing the larger society around us, we can begin to act appropriate. Thinking back to a sand box. We know how play and share with other children, we just choose not to do it. When we witness a child being scolded by an adult for not playing appropriately, we quickly learn on our own what we should do when the same occasion arises for us. This is what socialization is all about. Conclusion Socialization is a process that we all go through. Whether or parents help us along, or we depend on technology, we will all develop a sense of how to behave in the society in which we are thrust. As we grow older, we must learn how to socialize all over again. Perhaps it is a new organization that we join, or we decide to move to a distant land, we must learn how to interact in a new environment that is different than the one we are used to. In the end, however, the process becomes simpler over time because we become good observers, active listener, and willing participants in society. References Anderson, L. (2012). A coconstructed world: Adolescent self-socialization on the Internet. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 31(2), 240-253. Saeed, T. (2012). Organizational socialization: Individual and organizational consequences. International Journal of Academic Research, 4(3), 96-101. Scott, K. (2012). Examining the impact of socialization through trust: An exploratory study. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 11(4), 191-198. Interviewee Contact Information Frank Gutierrez 508 Country Club Road Green Bay, WI 54313 Read More