socM3L3: Socialisation

Concept and Meaning of Socialisation

socialisation - learning knowledge, behaviour and actions from your surroundings
- forms identity
- helps navigate and merge with society
- be an active citizen (incorporate, adopt, learn societal activities)
enculturation - learning the cultural norms and practices of another social group
assimilation - adopting the cultural norms and practices of a host / dominant social group

learning about expectations from your culture, norms, values etc
will change from culture to culture, society to society, etc
some overlap in values and morals
we are social animals → need to learn social skills such as talking, responding, emotions, preferences, etc

school is our second home - most of our time, effort, and influence are spent in school
significant agent of socialisation due to the amount of time spent here
learning to interact with teachers, classmates, older or younger peers, culturally and religiously diverse peers, etc
school provides the opportunity to understand various social groups - empathy, understanding, cooperation, conflict resolution, etc

social sanctions and cultural values influence people from a young age
positive social sanctions encourage behaviour and enforce values based on societal priorities
can come from cultural, religious, economic institutions, etc
- need social approval from the leaders / members of these institutions to encourage regular participation in society
once learned, socialisation lessons are passed on, perpetuating the cycle
based on general values and not specific situations / individual context
social institutions and structures that influence roles

everyone has access to technology and is constantly used / easily accessible
important agent of socialisation as it is prevalent everywhere
introduced to children from a young age
social media influences trends, celebrities, advertisements, etc to influence users

communication
- establishing an understanding between two individuals
- necessary for interactions and socialisation
role expectation / identification
- understanding the expectations of actions and behaviour (role) based on social position (status)
- identifying what behaviours, actions, etc are acceptable, needed and necessary, etc and what is unacceptable
role performance
- the quality of execution of the identified role
- how much the roles are followed and conformed to / aren’t followed
culture
- provides the context / values for the role
- why and how behind the roles
- passes through generations and influences roles, statuses, norms, values, etc

different cultural backgrounds, families, communities, etc result in different socialisations which lead to different personalities being developed
interactions and experiences from various friends, family, media, society, etc all influence identity
forms beliefs, values, attitudes, etc which contribute to overall personality development
positive social interactions and social sanctions encourage behaviours, socialising value-appropriate behaviour
helps develop problem solving, conflict resolution, cooperation etc
exposure to different perspectives, cultures, religions, communities, ideas, etc encouraging personal growth
lifelong process instigated by authoritarian (parents, teachers, workplace superiors) and egalitarian (friends, siblings, colleagues, etc) influences
aids social and cognitive development

role theory → how individuals behave in a society are influenced by their roles in society
role expectations
- set of expectations, behaviours and norms with every social position (status)
role performance
- quality of adherence to the expectations, deviating or not, etc
role conflict and strain
- when multiple roles of one individual have contrasting values or responsibilities