Agents of socialisation

Family

• primary socialisation
• nuclear family is most common but increasing numbers of lone-parent families- family becoming more diverse (Postmodernism)
• children spend most time with family, highly dependent on them so learn values from them.
• Parsons- nuclear family in industrial society- despite diversity the nuclear family is still important for primary socialisation to learn value consensus, ascribed status, individualistic standards.
• learn norms by imitating parents.
• Bandura- Bobo Doll
• Morgan- use sanctions/rewards to reinforce behaviour so we conform to social expectations.
• Sewell- divsersity changes socialisation process- eg. 'absent father'- difficult for children who lack a male role model, lead to boys acting out to rove their masculinity.
• New Right- decline in nuclear family undermines important work family does for socialisation, this is due to:
• breakdown of traditional family values.
• over generous welfare benefits make it easier for fathers to 'opt out'
• rise of feminism- women as breadwinners.
• greater tolerance of gay relationships.
• better medical tech.- no need for a father (IVF etc.)
• consequence- family no longer functions to provide adequate socialisation, children will underachieve in school, behave in anti-social ways.
• Reay-m/c mothers more likely to read to children due to more free time to do so, w/c mothers less likely- fewer cultural resources/knowledge of the education system.
• Furedi- paranoid parenting- parents are no longer caring for their kids, their main role is to protect them from possible harm eg. bullies, stranger, perceived threats.

AO3:

• NR victim blame when it is really other factors responsible eg. low wage, inadequate benefits, lack of jobs.
• NR see nuclear family as 'normal' and superior but who is to say it is.

Education

• secondary socialisation
• formal education helps children pick up culture, taught culture of their society- history, language, religion, citizenship, science, maths.
• Durkheim- social solidarity- through history, language, citizenship.
• Parsons- bridge between family and wider society- socialised into universal standards, achieved status.
• Skelton- primary socialisation does not do a good enough job, parents were inadequate, had to address issues of violence, anti-authority by enforcing tough measures, locked gates etc.
  AO3:
• Marxist/Feminist- Parsons assumes system is meritocratic- ignores class, ethnicity, gender impacts.
• Bowles/Gintis- correspondence principle- education is a myth making machine, real role is to exploit/brainwash children/reproduction of inequality, hidden curriculum to create passive workforce.

Peer Groups

• secondary
• early years- children play for fun, learn norms, social skills, social roles, manners.
• teenagers- more time away from family, with friends more.
• friendship groups can be positive or negative- peer pressure.
• Adler/Adler- depends on your peers where you end up in life- being popular makes children feel good about themselves, being socially isolated does the opposite.

Mass Media

• secondary
• teenagers spend most of the time in their rooms with music/TV/games consoles/phones etc.- bombarded with media all the time- affects norms/behaviour/self image.
• means of communicating worldwide- global village.
• Gillespie- Bollywood movies can socialise children into Asian cultures/languages.
  AO3:
• Marxist- means of production- owned by ruling class, spreads ruling class ideology.

Religion

• secondary
• offers moral values, become part of culture.
• rituals/ceremonies traditionally a force of social unity.
• marriage, baptism, funerals bring people together, remind them of common values.
• moral codes guide behaviour.
  AO3:
• secularisation- religion less prominent/valued.

Work

• secondary
• introduced to new norms/values/roles.
• use anticipatory/re-socialisation.
• formal socialisation- manager is formally responsible for socialising employees, behaviour controlled by codes of conduct.
• informal socialisation- provided by peer groups/colleagues- own rituals, norms. eg. Waddington- canteen culture- police sharing 'war stories'.#