SOCIALIZATION

Socialization refers to the social group into which

we are born that transmits norms and values that
restrain our biological views. Socialization is
intended to turn individuals into conforming
members of the society. This is a process which is
essential for development of humans. It has many
agents like family, neighbours, religion, peers and
workplace also. All these agents of socialization
imbibe in us the rules for living socially in the word.
AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
he family: this is the primary and chief agent of socialisation for most people, especially in the first five years of
their life. The family provides the child with his/her first social contact with the social world and it is through it
that the correct patterns of behaviour are internalised and learnt. However, learning is done in an informal
manner and the right (or wrong behaviour) is approved (or rejected) through rewards and punishment. Studies
confirm that the family has a very significant role to play during socialisation since it is the only one that allows
that adjustments are made when necessary since there are strong emotional ties and motivations that are
fused during such informal learning.

The School: when a child reaches school age, he/she started to widen his/her socialising cycle via school
setting here learning is more of formal type since there is an obvious transition from an environment of personal
and intimate relationship to one which is more impersonal. At school, talents are evaluated on the basis of sets
of standards and requirements. The school helps the child to adapt to social order through the hidden
curriculum and functions in order to prepare the latter for a stable adult life. Moreover, the school is specialised
to impart certain technical, intellectual skills and cultural heritage of society so that the individual is able to
integrate society. In many cases, socialisation provided by the school sometimes erodes values learnt at home
and which are contrary to the dominant culture.

The Peer group: this is the second important influence that a child encounters during his/her lifetime. Play
patterns with his playmates is highly influential on the way he/she thinks and the way he/she will act later. Peer
group are usually people who are of the same age and have similar status, and association is usually
accidental. For instance, a child who enters the standard one and find him/herself in a class of children of the
same age and he/she might become friends with only some of them. Yet, the whole class constitutes his/her
peer group. However, as a child grows up, he/she starts to choose his/her peer group on a couple of criteria
usually based on common interests, activities, similar income level and status. As we can easily note, the peer
group is the only socialising agent that is not controlled by adults and they indeed affect the individual in such
issues like appearance, lifestyles, fads and fashion, social activities and dating, drugs, sex and technology
(Sebald, 1986).
The mass media: It is recognised by many sociologists that the mass media exerts a powerful socialising
influence but the extent of its effects is difficult to measure. Mass media transmit information in an impersonal
manner which is all the time conducted in a one-way flow since the audience are passive receivers, although
the mass media is perceived as empowering us with wider information, knowledge about the wider world, it
becomes clear that it also harms its audience and receivers. By concentrating and stressing on certain topics,
the media can create, manage and control our impressions of what should be seen as real, important and
normative. For instance, some research done have shown that there is a strong correlation between violent
television shows and aggressive anti-social behaviour among children, since the latter like to copy their
favourite heroes (Globe and Mail, May 20, 1993). Another contemporary threat is the internet. Although, it can
be used as a pool/reservoir of knowledge, the internet constitutes a danger for children since they can be easily
exposed to certain damaging material and fall prey to paedophilia and pornography on the web.

SOCIAL INTERACTION
Social interaction are the acts, actions, or practices of two or
more people mutually oriented towards each others selves that
is, any behavior that tries to affect or take account of each others
subjective experiences or intentions. This means that the parties
to the social interaction must be aware of each other have each
others self in mind. This does not mean being in sight of or
directly behaving towards each other. Friends writing letters are
socially interacting, as are enemy generals preparing opposing
war plans. Social interaction is not defined by type of physical
relation or behavior, or by physical distance.

It is a matter of mutual subjective orientation towards each other's professional work,there is social interaction.

Moreover, social interaction requires a mutual orientation. The spying of one on another is not social interaction
if the other is unaware. Nor do the behaviors of rapist and victim constitute social interaction if the victim is
treated as a physical object; nor behaviour between guard and prisoner, torturer and tortured, machine gunner
and enemy soldier. Indeed, wherever people treat each other as object, things, or animals, or consider each
other as reflex machines or only cause/effect phenomena, there is not social interaction. Such interaction may
comprise a system, it may be organized, controlled, or regimented.

Interaction of socialisation process

Socialisation is a learning process that begins shortly after birth. Early childhood is the period of the most
intense and the most crucial socialisation. It is then that we acquire language and learn the fundamentals of our
culture. It is also when much of our personality takes shape. However, we continue to be socialised throughout
our lives. As we age, we enter new statuses and need to learn the appropriate roles for them. We also have
experiences that teach us lessons and potentially lead us to alter our expectations, beliefs, and personality. For
instance, the experience of being raped is likely to cause a woman to be distrustful of others.
Looking around the world, we see that different cultures use different techniques to socialise their children.
There are two broad types of teaching methods- formal and informal. Formal education is what primarily
happens in a classroom. It usually is structured, controlled, and directed primarily by adult teachers who are
professional "knowers". In contrast, informal education can occur anywhere. It involves imitation of what others
do and say as well as experimentation and repetitive practice of basic skills. This is what happens when
children role-play adult interactions in their games.
Most of the crucial early socialisation throughout the world is done informally under the supervision of women
and girls. Initially, mothers and their female relatives are primarily responsible for socialisation. Later, when
children enter the lower school grades, they are usually under the control of women teachers. In North America
and some other industrialised nations, baby-sitters are most often teenage girls who live in the neighbourhood
in other societies, they are likely to be older sisters or grandmothers.

Contributions to society and nation

Socialisation is a process that is beneficial not only to the family but plays a very major role in the development
of the society and Nation. There is no Nation that can survive without people. Socialisation process if done well
with children will contribute less to drop out of school, developing emotional or behavioural problems,
commiting suicide, of falling victim to child abuse or neglect.

The significance of socialisation can hardly be exaggerated since it transforms the biological
being into a social being. Socialisation contributes for the development of personality and this is
a product of society. In the absence of groups or society the human beings is merely an
individual without culture. To support this view, several anecdotes of children not socialised and
who have never bear contacts with human beings are presented below.

Socialization provides the following to the individual and the society:

1) Transmission of culture:

Through interaction with others in the society, an individual can learns a lot about their
culture. This ensures that the way of life of the people always exists. In traditional society,
socialization provides a means for transmitting common culture.

2) Vocational training:

Socialization makes people acquire skills that can make them employable. A child can learn
how to cook and sew cloths from the mother which will later be her source of livelihood.

3) Disciplines the mind:

Without proper socialization a person will be social misfit. Socialization disciplines the mind
of people, making them more understanding, tolerant and accommodating

THE CASE OF ANNA

In 1932, Anna was born in an illegitimate relationship. Her mother was mentally handicapped
and her grandfather who was ashamed of this illegitimate child. Since birth she was locked up
and left isolated with what was sufficiently enough to keep her alive. Five years later, the young
girl was discovered by a social worker and here are the exact feelings of the latter: "...Anna was
wedged into an old chair with her arms tied above her head so that she couldn't move. She was
wearing filthy clothes, and her arms and legs were as thin as matchsticks...she stayed day after
day, month after month with almost no human contact and could not laugh, speak or even
smile. She was completely unresponsive." after her discovery, Anna was looked after and made
some progress like learning to feed herself, to speak a few sentences and dress herself but
unfortunately she died three years after her discovery. (Kinsley Davis, 1940:554).