Socialisation Process

Vocabulary flashcards covering definitions, functions, and phases of the socialisation process.

Socialisation Process

Lifelong process of learning the beliefs, norms, and values expected by one’s society or social group.

Primary Socialisation

Initial learning that occurs mainly within the family, enabling a child to become a functioning member of society.

Secondary Socialisation

Learning that begins at school and continues through peer groups, mass media, and the workplace, introducing new roles and sectors of life.

Inverse Socialisation

Process in which previously socialised individuals (e.g., children) influence and socialise their original socialisers (e.g., parents).

Function: Establishing Basic Disciplines

Socialisation teaches fundamental habits and routines, such as hand-washing before meals or clinical procedures.

Function: Identity Formation

Provides individuals with a sense of self based on gender, ethnicity, family status, and professional role (e.g., nurse).

Function: Learning Social Roles

Guides individuals in the rights, duties, and behaviours associated with specific social positions.

Function: Skill Acquisition

Transfers communication, technical, and psychomotor skills—e.g., using medical slang like “STAT” or taking vital signs.

Phase 1: Commencement of Togetherness

From the start of a relationship through the birth of the first child; includes establishing a home and preparing for parenthood.

Establishment Phase

Part of Phase 1 covering courtship to formalising the relationship (marriage or cohabitation).

Expectation Phase

Later part of Phase 1, spanning established relationship to birth of the first child, focused on pregnancy and parenting preparation.

Phase 2: Childbearing Families and Couples

Birth of first child to about 30 months; parents adopt mother/father roles, infants develop feeding, sleeping, and communication patterns.

Phase 3: Families with Preschool Children

Oldest child ~30 months to 6 years; children learn sanitary habits and motor/intellectual skills while parents may adjust careers.

Phase 4: Couple with School-Going Children

Oldest child 6–13 years; child gains complex responsibilities and self-image, parents coordinate to manage family activities.

Phase 5: Families with Teenagers

Oldest child 13–18 years; adolescents seek independence and plan careers, parents provide guidance and model adult behaviour.

Phase 6: Family as a Launching Centre

Children begin leaving home for work, study, or marriage; parents in mid-forties accept career status and find new personal fulfillment.

Phase 7: Families in the Middle Years (Empty Nest)

Period from children’s departure to parental retirement; parents adjust to life without children at home and embrace grand-parenthood.

Phase 8: Ageing Families

From retirement to death of one/both partners; couple adapts to physical decline, pensions, and possible relocation to elder care.

Sociology

the study and knowledgeof society, social behaviors, and social institutions and these influence people’s social behaviour

Society

A community of individuals who share a common culture, institutions, and social relationships, shaping each person's identity and behavior.

Community

a group of individuals who live in close proximity or share workspace and often share common interests, values, and social ties, influencing their collective identity.

Family

a primary social group related by marriage, blood and adoption typically consisting of parents and their children, which plays a crucial role in socializing individuals and shaping their values, norms, and behaviors.

Socialization Process

the lifelong process through which individuals learn and internalize the values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors of their culture, essential for functioning in society. (It is continueous and evolves through various stages across the lifespan.)