Introduction
When a child is born, the baby depends on the people who already exist in his/her environment for survival. This differs from the type of the animals’ behavior because they rely on their instinct and skills at birth. For a newborn child, he or she must gradually advance as human to enable to operate properly in the society after all.
Socialization as a concept refers to the process by which individuals, through interaction and experience, get acquainted with the way of doing things in the society to which he or she belongs. More importantly, there is the fact that through socialization, the individual gets to know who he or she really is. Socialization establishes a link between the individual and his environment. Without socialization, a newborn child will not subsequently become a normally developed individual as he or she grows. Thus, socialization can be said to be the foundation upon which a society is built and preserved.
Socialization and Its Significance
Link Between Individual and Society
For the culture of a people to be preserved, there must be socialization. The way of life of people or communities is maintained when new generations are properly educated according to the existing cultural norms of the society in which they live. The continuous reproduction of society is also referred to as cultural transmission.
The process of learning the way of life in society and internalizing it is a vital ingredient for its sustainability because every day, people are given birth to and die, but society still survives. In some way, every generation that comes in has some semblance to the generation that follows it. This is because both have a common background or a linkage that brings them together as members of the society.
The social community in which an individual exists is partly responsible for the continued existence of that person. This, therefore, transcends that when a child is born, the baby’s survival is basically based on the people around him or her. The majority of the people who contribute immensely to the survival of the child are his/her parents and healthcare providers (and by extension some other caregivers within the child’s environment). In a way, socialization ensures that the survival of the society is not limited by the lack of transcended socialization but also the individuals that contribute to society’s advancement and development (Kenneth 2010).
Nature versus Nurture
Neither biology nor society will claim a 100% responsibility for the behavior of an individual, and no scientific claim has been made to that effect. Most importantly, it is the fact that biology makes certain potentials available in an individual. The development of such potential is, however, greatly determined by society or individual’s exposure.
Development of Self
Individuals are born with some sense of self; this refers to how we as individuals see ourselves and the perception of other people of who we are. The society also contributes to the shaping of an individual and how a person is viewed by others. Who we are could thus be connected to our acquisition of language and, to some great extent, our understanding of symbols. Knowing who we are can also come from our aptitude for reflexive thinking. This has something to do with our ability to anticipate the likely outcome of both our actions and inactions with actually being involved in it.
The Looking-Glass Self
This is the determination of who we are through other people’s responses to our actions, how confident we feel concerning our sense of humor whether people around us often laugh at our jokes or not.
Group Behavior
Aside the culture and society in which an individual lives, people on their own associate themselves with groups which also influence their behavior. This also affects the way they look at themselves and other perceptions of who they are. Most of the groups which people join have codes of conduct which guide the behaviors of the members. Affiliating one’s self with a social group, either by coincidence or deliberate action, influences an individual’s behavior.
Another important group that affects the individual’s behaviors is age. Most age groups have an impact on behaviors of an individual by default. They do not have laws or rules guiding their conduct, but as their members live together, they tend to influence each other. The impact they have on themselves individually affects the society in general. As people learn and internalize the behaviors, they are transmitted to other generations. Such ways of doing things are sustained in society and keep being transmitted to the future generations.
Conclusion
According to Mead’s concept of self, we can deduce that an individual is a product of a society in which he/she resides. How an individual finally views him/herself is a function of the initial care that he/she receives from the people around him or her and the societal codes he learns in life later on. Now, it can be said confidently that an individual is a product of socialization that realizes who he or she is through learning and experience gained in the environment.
Reference List
Kenneth, A. (2010). Explorations in Classical Sociological Theory: Seeing the Social World (2nd ed.). Thousand OAK CA: Pine Forge Press. Print.