Socialization

Address the following: (1) Do you agree with your colleague’s discussion of socialization over the life course? Did they leave anything out? (2) Describe to the discussant how socialization also influences our perceptions of the self.

“I believe during early childhood, socialization occurs at the smallest of levels, and assimilates children to the foundation of life. As young children, we learn how to act, feel, speak, and think. George Herbert Mead’s theory on the three stages of “I-me” self best represent the stages of socialization throughout childhood. We imitate (imitate those around us), play (play the roles of other people), and eventually participate in the game (leads into adolosence; we begin to understand others). As children, our largest agent of socialization is our family. We spend most of our time during Mead’s three stages with our family because we are too young to understand other agents of socialization. During adolesence is when we begin to play the game; we begin to understand other people’s opinions, views, and environments. Adoloscents to young adults start to understand how the world around them operates, the socioeconomic status of family and peers, and formulate their own socioeconomic status. The most influencing agent of socialization in this stage of life is education, as education levels rise, our perception of these factors becomes clearer and gives people more free will on what they choose to do with their lives (for example: one child who participates in grades K-12 is more likely to create their own socioeconomic footprint in society, whereas a child who has little to no education will more than likely take after their childhood agent aka the family). The final stage of life – adulthood – we have achieved our status in society, and we begin to particpate in norms that would likely aid our societal status. Politics, religion, occupational status, economic status, etc. are all perceptions that adults begin to strongly participate in. Peer groups, mass media, and religous institutions are the largest agents of socialization in this stage; as people begin to make choices for themselves, these outlets allow people to conjugate together and agree or disagree with particular issues that pertain to their own societal status.”