Socialization is the learning process that equips people with relevant knowledge and skills enabling them to function effectively within the social worlds. There are several agents of socialization, including family, economy, government, among others. I chose the family as the social institution because it is the fundamental unit of socialization. Families are cooperative groups that play the role of bearing and raising children (Macionis, 2014). The family unit plays a significant role in shaping a person's social behavior and general socialization process. It is the first unit that educates children on societal norms, values, and beliefs. Additionally, the family social institution contributes significantly to shaping the children's personality and attitude, which affects their lives later as adults either positively or negatively based on how they were socialized. Therefore, based on the family roles in socialization, it is essential to explore it further.
The family unit impacts the socialization process from infant stages throughout a person's life. It orientates children on the essential things in life and continues to educate them on advanced society matters as they continue to grow. They are taught to behave based on societal expectations and norms. Additionally, the family institution ensures that children understand and acknowledge societal beliefs. The socialization process is achievable through teaching or imitation. Children may imitate their parents' behavior and attitude. Consequently, parents need to act in ways acceptable in society. Children can be socialized in many ways. For instance, a family institution teaches children about chores. Most communities believe that teaching children about chores enables them to be responsible adults in the future. Some families may encourage children to do house chores by rewarding them through treats.
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Additionally, the family unit influences the socialization process by dictating appropriate ways an individual is supposed to behave in public. Several norms depict the accepted behavior. For instance, most societies do not support married people exhibiting violent behavior in public. It is considered morally right to solve marital and family matters in private. Consequently, people from such societies transfer these norms to their children. Lastly, the family unit also orientates children on personal hygienic activities like brushing their teeth.
Several factors affect the socialization process, and it may vary based on ethnicity, gender, social-economic class, sexual orientation, and life stage. For instance, the American population primarily constitutes whites, Latinos, and black ethnicities, impacting each community's socialization process (Macionis, 2014). Based on race, families may socialize each other on the values that determine their political inclination. As a result, one ethnicity may appear to favor a specific political spectrum.
Additionally, gender plays a significant role in determining the course of the socialization process. For instance, in the house chores sector, a family socializes women to maintain cleanness around the house and prepare meals for the family. Furthermore, they are expected to commit most of their time to nurture the children, whereas men engage in few house chores activities. Marriage appears to benefit men more than women based on gender roles (Macionis, 2014). The social-economic class also causes a variation in socialization. Families in different economic classes possess distinct values and norms. The lower-class families may emphasize obedience and conformity, whereas the high-class people may socialize their children based on creativity and judgment. Furthermore, the high social-economic classes can empower their children by providing them with quality education to achieve more wealth just like their parents.
Additionally, sexual orientation prompts variation in the socialization process. Men and women are socialized to behave differently because of their sexuality. For instance, most societies socialize men not to show their emotional weaknesses. Consequently, men rarely express their emotions than women. Lastly, life stages are associated with different behaviors. For instance, it is natural for children to sleep most of the day. On the other hand, it might be considered irresponsible if parents sleep most of the day and leave their children's needs unattended.
Reference
Macionis, J. (2014) Sociology . 15TH edition
