Socialization refers to the process of understanding how to be a part of a certain culture. By socializing, an individual learns the language of another culture, their responsibilities in life and what they are expected of by the society (Berea, 2015) Socialization is a very crucial aspect in the development of an individual’s personality. Socialization happens when a person interacts with other individuals. The process enables all people in a certain community to establish and develop values, beliefs and even norms that are similar (Berea, 2015). Socialization is a process that happens throughout life. However, the initial stages of the socialization process are very important. In the absence of socialization, an individual would develop both physical and mental aspects that are different from others. Therefore, socialization is a crucial process in life.
My family operates in a way that all the family members work towards achieving the common good of the family; enhance family solidarity and also stability. My family identifies with the structural functional theory. In this perspective, the family is seen as a unit whose different parts work together and in harmony with the aim of promoting stability and unity. The approach suggests that an individual’s life is influenced and controlled by social structures that are stable sequences of social behavior (Segre, 2016). These social structures, in this case family, form and give a person’s life shape. Every social structure including the family has its own social functions or outcomes for the functions of the society in general.
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Compared to some families where children are raised with the notion that you only seek for your own good, my family has raised me with the perspective that working with others in harmony is crucial and that seeking for the common good for others is important. In addition, my family has taught me that by working, being part of a course meant for good, and contributing positively in groups and institutions such as school and place of work contributes to harmony, solidarity, stability and development. This is the reason as to why I am the kind of a person that I am today and believe that I need the people around me and that they also need me in making our own lives and that of our communities better.
The process of socialization is affected by a number of elements which include family, social institutions and culture. Family is the crucial agent of socialization because it is the core of a child’s life. Parents play a major role in teaching children how to function and take care of themselves. The family teach children on issues such as close relationships, how to handle group life and share resources (Berea, 2015). In addition, a family influences personality development because it is in the family that the first set of values, beliefs and norms are impacted. These in turn affects how an individual socialize with others.
Social institutions order and structure the conduct of individuals and this impacts the socialization process. This is because social institutions are systems of conduct and association patterns that are extensively interwoven and function in the whole society (Berea, 2015). They therefore influence how an individual socialize with others. The specific way in which people socialize is determined by culture too and its values. In the modern and changing culture, socialization is conducted through a mixture of things such as family and peers (Berea, 2015). For Example, there are cultures that may have slightly varying individuals doing socialization and this affect the whole process.
In conclusion, the process of socialization is different for different people and changes depending on time and place of birth. This is because of the socialization units such as family in which an individual is born into, the culture of the family and individual. In addition, cultural changes influence the socialization process.
Reference
Berea, G. (2015). Socialization – Continuous Transformational Process. Logos Universality Mentality Education Novelty. Section: Social Sciences, 04 (01), 167-175. doi:10.18662/lumenss.2015.0401.15
Segre, S. (2016). Contemporary Sociological Thinkers and Theories. Doi: 10.4324/9781315573946
