AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION:The Family, The School, Peer Groups, The Mass Media

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

Agents of socialization are the sources from which we learn about society and ourselves. People and groups
that influence our self-concept, emotions, attitudes, and behavior are called agents of socialization. They
are our socializes. People who serve as socializing agents include family members, friends, neighbors, the
police, the employers, teachers, political leaders, business leaders, religious leaders, sports stars, and
entertainers. Socialization agents also can be fictional characters that we read about or see on television or
in the movies.

Every social experience we have affects us in at least a small way. However, several familiar settings have
special importance in the socialization process. Some of the important agents of socialization are as below.

The Family

The family has the greatest impact on socialization. Infants are totally dependent on others, and the
responsibility to look after the young ones typically falls on parents and other family members. It is a matter
of child survival.

There is an automatic provision of learning situations to the young ones. Family begins the lifelong process
of defining ourselves of being male or female and the child learns the appropriate roles associated with
his/her gender.

Who we are? The perceptions about ourselves and the family status are conferred on us. The class
position of parents affects how they raise their children. Class position shapes not just how much money
parents have to spend, but what they expect of their children. In the lower class there is lot of emphasis on
conformity and obedience. The children are told " Don't get into trouble." There is more use of physical
punishment in lower class than in other classes. People of lower class standing usually have limited
education and perform routine jobs under close supervision. They expect their children will hold similar
positions, so they encourage obedience. Well-off parents, with more schooling, usually have jobs that
demand imagination and creativity. They try to inspire the same qualities in their children. Therefore in the
middle class there is emphasis on developing curiosity, self- expression, self-control, and reasoning.

The School

Schooling enlarges children's social world to include people with backgrounds different from their own.
Among the manifest functions, the schools teach children a wide range of knowledge and skills. Schools
informally convey other lessons, which might be called the hidden curriculum. Through different activities
schools help in inculcating values of patriotism, democracy, justice, honesty, and competition. Efforts are
made to introduce correct attitudes about economic system/political system.

Peer Groups

Peer group is the one whose members have interests, social position, and age in common. Unlike the family
and the school, the peer group lets children escape the direct supervision of adults. Among the peers,
children learn how to form relationships on their own. Peer groups also offer the chance to discuss
interests that adults may not share with their children (such as clothing or other activities).
In a rapidly changing society, peer groups have great influence on an individual. The attitudes of young and
old may differ because of a "generation gap." The importance of peer groups typically peaks during
adolescence, when young people begin to break away from their families and think of themselves as adults.
Neighborhood and schools provide a variety of peer groups. Individuals tend to view their own group in
positive terms and to discredit others. People are also influenced by peer groups they would like to join, a
process sociologists call anticipatory socialization, learning that helps a person achieve a desired position.
In fact peer groups have a compelling influence on its members, whereby the individuals conform to group
norms.

The Mass Media

The mass media as agents of socialization are impersonal communication aimed at a vast audience. Mass media arise as communication
technology (first the newspapers and then radio, television, films, and the Internet) spreads information on
a mass scale. The mass media have an enormous effect on our attitudes and behavior, and on shaping
people's opinions about issues as well as what they buy.
Where television provides lot of entertainment, at the same time it is a big agent of socialization. The
portrayal of human characters in different programs and in advertisements on television helps in projecting
the gender perceptions prevalent in the society; thereby helping in gender construction. The same programs
help in shaping the attitudes, values, and basic orientation of people to life.

Religion

Religion as an agent of socialization plays significant role in the socialization of most of the people. It influences morality, becoming a key
component in people's ideas of right and wrong. The influence of religion extends to many areas of our
lives. For example participation in religious ceremonies not only teaches us beliefs about the hereafter but
also ideas about dress, concepts of pak and pleet, and manners appropriate for formal occasions.