Agents of Socialization

Socialization is the process through which an

individual inherits the norms, customs and ideologies of the social order they live in (ie. learns how to behave in society). Socialization is necessary for making an individual capable of interacting within the society . A person learns socialization through Agents of Socialization (AoS specific groups).

Specific sites or groups carry out socialization.

We call these agents of socialization. Similar to the concept of a business agent or insurance agent, they represent and act on the behalf of the larger society There's nothing "official" about these agents

What are the AoS

3 Main Types:

Primary Agents The primary agents of socialization include those people that are closest to an individual. family and friends. family, plays an important role in shaping the life and behavior of an individual within the society.
Secondary Agents The secondary agents of socialization are those institutions or places that help an individual find his place within the society. religious institutions, schools, work places, etc school, helps an child in improving social skills that helps the individual in integrating well with the society around him.

Social Classes
are those agents of socialization, that divide an

individual within the society. include the lower class, working middle class and the higher elite class.

AoS Over Time

Effect on Life Cycle The effects of socialization can cause an individual or a group of individuals to alter their beliefs and behavior over time Most commonly seen during political revolutions, where masses tend to follow a particular ideology Period Effect The effect of socialization affects not an individual or a group of people, but the entire society. The common examples of period effects are Black Plague, Great Depressions, etc.

 Cohort Effect
is a social event that creates a major impact on a

specific group of people. This can be explained by the Hiroshima Nagasaki bombings or the Vietnam War.

Influences of AoS
Individuals responds differently to different agents

of socialization.
Family Mass Media Peers

School (Education)

*In the order in which children are generally exposed to.

Family
The family is the earliest and without question the most

influential agent of socialization. It grabs the child at birth, when the child is most helpless and dependent and doesn't let go for a whole lifetime.
Socialization from the cradle to the grave.

The family values, beliefs, religious inclinations and

political views shape an individual's outlook towards society.

What makes socialization in the family so

important and influential?

Foundation for all civilized behavior: Language abilities (learning to talk) Body control (e.g., toilet training) Emotional control (e.g., "don't hit your sister") Rules of public conduct (e.g., "don't throw food") Moral values (e.g., "lying is a sin")

 Lifetime impacts affecting the person's self-esteem,

emotional health, identity, and personality Origin point of gender roles (masculine and feminine behavior; fundamental division of the social world into men and women) Origin point of ethnocentrisms and racism (racial and ethnic prejudice) Source of original social capital that determines life chances

 The amazing power of the family as an agent of

socialization comes from a major factor

The family has almost exclusive control of the

person during the first years of life and preeminent control during the childhood and adolescent years
Preeminent control = Cultural norms and the law recognize

the parent's right to determine what is best for their children as trumping the rights of almost any institution

 Why would children put up with being socialized?

As if they had a choice! The child's dependent situation and emotional attachment to parents motivates the child to be socialized.
Without adults, human children are very vulnerable,

largely helpless. Basic love bondchildren want to please their parents.

By later childhood the family's power as a

socialization agent has weakened considerably.

In the adolescent years that power is further

weakened by peer group influences

Overall there has been an historical trend of the

family's power as an agent of socialization being steadily eroded by the media, peer subculture and schooling.

Mass Media
In today's world, mass media is one of important

agents of socialization.
People are influenced by the social norms portrayed

by the mass media.

Political, religious and social views are enforced

in a hard way through the repeated exposure and arguments put forth by the agents of mass media.

Includes:
Television Radio Movies Music

Books, magazines, etc.

Internet

Somewhere around the age of two or three,

children in our society first encounter the media as an agent of socialization in the form of TV. Socialization comes through from children's shows, cartoons, and, most especially, commercials.
through the characters, images, words, and

narrative story lines.

Some media specifically acts to be an agent of

socialization (e.g., children's programs such as Sesame Street) Dangers: media seriously challenges the family, with children spending as much or more time in front of the TV as interacting with parents.
Many of the messages and values challenge or

directly contradict what parent's teach their children.

Peers
Peers have great impact on an individual's

thoughts and line of thinking. An individual learns to behave in a manner that they think will be acceptable to their peers. Peer acceptance is an important part of socialization.

Peers are people of roughly the same age (same

stage of development and maturity), similar social identity, and close social proximity.
friends, buddies, pals, troops, etc.

Typically, children encounter peer group influence

around age three or so. With peers, the child begins to broaden his or her circle of influence to people outside of the immediate family.

Often peer interaction in the earliest years is

closely supervised by parents so it tends to parallel and reinforce what is learned in the family. What is added to socialization are social skills in group situation with social equals.
Before this time children basically dealt with people

in a superior position.

As childhood progresses, peer group interactions

become more autonomous (less observed and supervised by adults). The lessons learned also progress from basic rules of group interaction to more complex strategies of negotiation, dominance, leadership, cooperation, compromise, etc.

School
After family, schools are probably the most

important influence on an individual. Schools help pass on knowledge, create awareness and foster the feelings of tolerance within individuals. The second step to socialization is schools where a child meets different kinds of children and learns to make out the right and wrong in society.

Traditionally around seven years old the child

enters the school system in the first grade. Today the process often starts earlier in Kindergarten or day care. Socialization takes three forms in school:
Official Curriculum 2. Social Curriculum 3. Hidden Curriculum
1.

Official Curriculum
What the school system and its teachers announce

as their content and goal.

It includes the knowledge & skills learned in English, math,

history, etc.

The school is the official place where our society

transmits it accumulated knowledge and skills from one generation to next. officially pass on our cultural values, tradition, and heritage.

Social Curriculum
learning social behavior appropriate for peer groups

that are not friendship groups, which then become the model for secondary group interactions. now the child learns to communicate, negotiate, dominate, etc. with peers outside of their immediate social circle, often from diverse social backgrounds.

Hidden Curriculum
learning the rules of behavior need to function in

formally organized groups. It includes such behavior maxims as:

Don't talk when the teacher is talking

Get your assignments in on time

Not all teachers have the same rules for their class

 As preparation for the adult world of formal

organization and workplace authority, the hidden curriculum stresses such things as formalization and standardization, following instructions, obedience to authority figures that are not Mom and Dad, learning to control behavior and fit into the group, pleasing (even manipulating) authority figures, and working in teams.

Other AoS
Other possible AoS are:
Community and Culture Religion Work Place The State

Military