Personal socialization is the process of integrating a person into the social system by mastering norms, rules, skills and knowledge that will help him function normally in society. If the behavior of animals is determined by instincts, then a person needs socialization for normal life.
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Types and phases of socialization
There are two basic types of socialization:
- Primary socialization. This is the period of socialization from birth to the formation of a mature personality. It is of exceptional importance because... is the foundation for further socialization of the individual. The main source of primary socialization is the family. The child adopts the behavior patterns of his parents, their worldviews, etc. The first idea of behavior in society is laid down by the family. Friends and school are also important sources of primary socialization. A person at any age depends on the influence of the environment, and in childhood this manifests itself especially strongly. An individual can continue to follow the rules and norms that he learned in childhood for a long time.
- Secondary socialization. This is a kind of degeneration in social terms. A person gets rid of some old patterns of behavior and worldviews and forms new ones. This process occurs throughout life.
There are also additional types of socialization:
- Group – socialization within a specific group, for example, in the company of friends.
- Gender – the acquisition of specific social knowledge and skills of male or female gender.
- Early – socialization that does not correspond to the current level of development of the individual. Simply put, this is a “rehearsal” for future social roles.
- Organizational – acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to perform one’s organizational function. This is, for example, familiarization with corporate rules and norms of interaction between colleagues.
As for the phases, the main phases of personality socialization are as follows:
- The first phase is the assimilation of the values and norms of the social environment in which the individual finds himself. A person strives to fit into society.
- In the second phase, the process of self-actualization and personalization takes place. A person tries to influence other people in some way.
- In the third phase, a person integrates into a certain social group, where he gets the opportunity to reveal his abilities and demonstrate them.
In addition, in the process of socialization a person also goes through several stages.
Main stages of socialization
According to these life cycles, there are four main stages of socialization:
1. Primary socialization, which corresponds to the stage of socialization of infancy; 1.Secondary socialization, coinciding with education; 1. Socialization of maturity is the stage at which the individual turns into an independent and independent person, is capable of economic independence and is ready to start a family. 1. Socialization of old age is the stage at which the individual’s activity gradually decreases and he has the right to count on the help and support of the state and his own children.
Note 1
All these stages are associated with the individual acquiring a new social status, mastering and living new roles. The duration of each of these stages and its content depend on the characterological characteristics of the individual and the level of development of the society in which he lives.
Finished works on a similar topic
Course work Phases and content of the socialization process 480 ₽ Abstract Phases and content of the socialization process 220 ₽ Test work Phases and content of the socialization process 220 ₽
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Stages of the process of personality socialization according to Erikson
Erik Erikson is a renowned developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst. According to him, there are the following stages of the socialization process:
| 1 | Infancy (from birth to one and a half years). At the earliest stage of socialization, the formation of basic trust in the world occurs. The main role in this is played by the child’s mother, and the dynamics of the development of trust depend on her. If there is too little communication with the mother, the child’s psychological development will slow down. |
| 2 | Early childhood (from 1.5 to 4 years). The child’s independence and autonomy are being formed. The child begins to walk, can already clean up his toys, etc. Parents gradually teach their child to be neat and tidy. |
| 3 | Childhood (from 4 to 6 years). During the game, the child develops a sense of enterprise and initiative, he develops his creativity, memory, logical thinking, and gains ideas about the interaction of people with each other. He is actively expanding the scope of his knowledge about the world. If you deprive a child of the opportunity to develop and socialize through play, this will be reflected in passivity, lack of initiative and lack of self-confidence in the future. |
| 4 | Junior school age (from 6 to 11 years). At this stage, socialization no longer occurs only with the participation of parents. The school introduces the child to the norms of behavior, and in communicating with classmates he receives the social experience he needs. Success or failure in studies can affect the further development of the individual. If, for example, a child is unable to study, and instead of help he receives reproaches from teachers and parents, this can lead to uncertainty, loss of interest in studies and even a feeling of inferiority. |
| 5 | Adolescence (from 11 to 20 years). At this stage, the individual is very concerned about how he appears to the people around him. This is partly due to puberty. A teenager faces the need to self-determinate and find his professional calling. |
| 6 | Youth (from 21 to 25 years old). A person is looking for a life partner, actively interacting with other people, especially within his social group. Feelings of closeness and unity with other people appear, and often the individual begins to identify himself with a social group. At the same time, due to an identity crisis, a person often feels lonely and isolated. |
| 7 | Maturity (from 25 to 55-60 years). A person invests himself in what he loves and develops a sense of identity. Interaction with other people, especially children, is of great importance. |
| 6 | Old age (from 55-60 years to death). This stage is characterized by rethinking one’s life and reflecting on the past years. A person understands that life is coming to an end. In this regard, he can distance himself from what is happening around him. |
Of course, this topic is much broader and more interesting, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to talk about everything in one article. However, what has been said is already quite enough to get an idea of socialization, as well as draw certain conclusions about your development and the development of your children.
We hope you found this article helpful. We wish you success!
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- Personality criteria
- Socialization, or How to become a person, not Mowgli
- “I-concept”: characteristics, features, meaning
- Social groups: signs, types, functions
- Eric Berne "People Who Play Games" - summary
- Piaget's theory of cognitive development
- Formation of self-awareness
- Types and forms of education: a brief educational program
Key words:1Self-knowledge
Definition of socialization
Before discussing this topic, it is necessary to understand what socialization as such is.
Psychological science says that socialization
is the process of an individual’s entry into a social system, mastering its norms, rules of behavior, values, knowledge and skills, and psychological attitudes.
Another, “unofficial” definition says that socialization is what allows a person to live in harmony with the world around him. How is this harmony achieved?
Man is the only creature who, let’s say, is not born by himself. Any animal at birth belongs to a certain species - the same one to which its parents belonged. And only a person, in order to obtain the characteristics inherent to his species, is obliged to undergo a long and complex process of socialization, individual forms of which occur throughout his entire life. In fact, if a newborn is left in the forest and there he randomly survives, then he will not learn to speak, or build, or even hunt. Certain forms of learning, of course, exist in many animals, but they take place only for a short time; an animal that has not undergone “socialization” still has a great chance of surviving and producing offspring, since the basic skills are embedded in its instincts. Long and complex socialization is observed only in higher primates, which proves that this phenomenon did not arise suddenly, but was inherited from our animal ancestors and evolved over thousands of years.
Forms of socialization
There are two forms of socialization – directed and undirected.
Directed (spontaneous) – is the spontaneous formation of social qualities as a result of a person’s presence in the immediate social environment (in the family, between colleagues, peers).
Directed socialization represents a system of methods of influence, specially developed by society, its institutions, organizations, with the goal of forming a personality in accordance with the prevailing values, interests, ideals, and goals in a given society.
Education is one of the ways of directed socialization. It is a consciously systematic, organized, purposeful process of influencing a developing personality, her behavior and consciousness, with the aim of developing specific concepts, principles, value orientations and social attitudes and preparing her for active social, cultural and industrial activities.
Both forms (directed, undirected) in certain circumstances can be consistent with each other or, conversely, come into conflict. The contradictions that arise often lead to conflict situations that complicate and impede the process of socialization of the individual.
The spontaneous form of socialization (undirected) is determined by the microsocial environment (close relatives, peers) and often contains many outdated and outdated rules, stereotypes, patterns, patterns of behavior. Along with a positive influence on the individual, it can also have a negative impact on the individual, pushing him towards negative ones that deviate from the norms established by society, which can lead to such a phenomenon as social pathology.
Undirected socialization without the inclusion of directed means can be detrimental to the formation of a person, the social group of this individual and society as a whole. Therefore, it is very important to supplement it and transform it into targeted corrective influences of targeted socialization.
But directed socialization does not always lead to a positive educational result, which is especially evident when it is used for inhumane purposes, such as, for example, the activities of various destructive religious sects, the inculcation of fascist ideology, and the propaganda of racist sentiments. Therefore, a directed form of socialization can lead to a positive formation of personality only if it is carried out in accordance with moral rules, moral criteria, freedom of conscience, responsibility and the principles of a democratic society.
Organizational socialization
Organizational or professional socialization is the process of an individual mastering the skills and attitudes adopted in an organization for the successful performance of basic functions, as well as for establishing relationships with colleagues.
At first, upon entering the workforce, newcomers become familiar with generally accepted standards of behavior in the organization, master the jargon, communication style, learn to comply with the dress code, and perceive the balance of power between people. This is also the socialization of the individual, and very important - often we have problems with work not because we are bad professionals, but only because even an excellent professional who is unable to establish relationships with people will bring nothing but harm to the organization.
To improve organizational socialization, it is customary for companies to organize various joint holidays, field trips, and conduct games and activities to improve communication between colleagues.
The ability to successfully fit into any system is useful to everyone, and one cannot think that socialization is important only for those who are not successful and do not fit into the framework. Since any framework has its values exclusively in a given period of time, and there is no guarantee that tomorrow the concept of the norm will not change, and that yesterday’s successful person will not find himself on the sidelines of life with his mossy concepts of the norm.
Socialization and education
Education, in contrast to socialization, which takes place in conditions of spontaneous interaction between the individual and the environment, is considered as a consciously controlled process, for example, religious, family or school education.
Socialization of personality is a process in pedagogy that is studied inseparably from the process of education. The main task of education is the formation of a humanistic orientation in a growing individual, which means that in the motivational sphere of the individual, social motives and incentives for socially useful activities prevail over personal motives. In everything an individual thinks about, whatever he does, the motives for his actions must include an idea of another individual, of society.
Social groups have a great influence on the process of individual socialization. Their influence is different at different stages of human ontogenesis. In early childhood, significant influence comes from the family, in adolescence - from peers, in adulthood - from the work team. The degree of influence of each group depends on cohesion as well as organization.
Education, in contrast to general socialization, is a purposeful process of influencing the individual, which means that with the help of education it is possible to regulate the impact of society on the individual and create favorable conditions for the socialization of the individual.
Socialization of the individual is also an important topic in pedagogy, since socialization is inseparable from education. Education is understood as a social phenomenon that influences the individual through the tools of society. From this emerges a connection between upbringing and the social and political structure of society, which acts as the “customer” for the reproduction of a specific type of personality. Education is a specially organized activity in the implementation of the intended goals of education, in the pedagogical process, where the subjects (teacher and student) express active actions in achieving pedagogical goals.
The famous psychologist S. Rubinstein argued that an important goal of education is the formation of a person’s personal moral position, and not the external adaptation of the individual to social rules. Education must be considered as an organized process of social internalization of value orientations, that is, their transfer from the external to the internal plane.
The success of internalization is carried out with the participation of the emotional and intellectual spheres of the individual. This means that when organizing the educational process, the teacher needs to stimulate in his students their understanding of their behavior, external requirements, sensual living of their moral and civic position. Then education, as a process of internalization of value orientations, will be carried out in two ways:
- through the communication and interpretation of useful goals, moral rules, ideals and norms of behavior. This will save the student from a spontaneous search, in which it is possible to encounter errors. This method is based on the content-semantic processing of the motivational sphere and conscious volitional work in rethinking one’s own attitude to the real world;
- through the creation of certain psychological and pedagogical conditions that would actualize interests and natural situational impulses, thereby stimulating useful social activities.
Both ways are effective only with their systematic application, integration and complementarity.
The success of the education and socialization of young people is feasible provided that positive factors embedded in social relations, lifestyle, and the neutralization of factors that interfere with the implementation of the tasks of training, education and socialization are used.
The transformation of the education and upbringing system can only be successful when it really becomes a matter of society. It is worth reorienting social life, the cultural environment, and the system of education and upbringing towards the younger generation.
Socialization functions
This mechanism is of great importance for the development of personality. Among the main functions there are:
- Normative and regulatory. This means that absolutely everything that surrounds a person can have one influence or another on him. In this case, we are talking about family, country politics, religion and much more.
- Personally transformative. In the process of communicating with other people, a person begins to show his individual qualities and characteristics. Thus, it is separated from the total mass.
- Value-oriented. This category is reminiscent of the regulatory category. However, in this case, a person adopts from everything around him not experience, but certain values.
- Information and communication. In this case, the individual’s lifestyle forms its way of life based on the experience of communicating with various representatives of society.
- Creative. If a person is brought up in the right environment, this will help a person learn to improve the world around him.
Mechanisms of socialization
The mechanisms of socialization include: socio-psychological and socio-pedagogical.
The first group includes : imprinting, copying, reflection, existence.
Imprinting is the creation of attachments to what is seen for the first time; in the future, a person experiences the joy of recognition and emotional attachment. Copying behavior is adopting behavioral norms directly from the people around you. Reflection is the creation of a system of behavior based on internal logical reasoning. Existence is the acquisition of skills, including language, under the influence of the immediate environment.
The second group includes : traditional, institutional, interpersonal, stylized.
In the traditional mechanism, the individual’s environment does not make any specific efforts for socialization and socialization occurs spontaneously. Institutional is socialization in kindergartens, schools and other public institutions of socialization. The interpersonal mechanism works in conditions of emotional closeness, when an individual’s behavior is influenced by an emotionally significant subject and this influence is purposeful. The stylized mechanism is the influence of the subculture in which the individual is included.
