Free Paper on Discovering Socialization: Family and School as Influential Agents - A Personal Perspective

Socialization

Socialization is a process we learn our entire lives. It is where we learn about what is expected of us socially and how to interact with other people. In other words, ‘human nature’ is learned through socialization. It helps us learn about behavioral norms, enabling us to fit into society (Anastasiu, 2). There are several agents through which we learn socialization. They include family, school, peer groups, mass media, religion, and neighborhood. The agents who have had the most influence on my life are family and school.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Family

It is considered the most vital agent of socialization. Family is the first social group a child interacts with after birth. It is a child’s first emotional tie. After birth, a child relies entirely on other people for survival. As a result, parents must guide the baby so that the child can take care of himself. Parents or guardians provide children's initial systems of norms, values, and beliefs. Parents teach systems based on their religious beliefs, social status, ethnic communities, among other factors (Anastasiu, 2). The system parents instill in their children governs the child’s entire life.

Influence on my life

The family has had the most significant impact on my life as an agent of socialization. From the time I was a child, my family has taught, guided, and supported me. My parents taught me to be respectful and honest with myself and other people. Mother always reminded me that “only an honest and respectful child will be successful in life.” Learning these traits at a young age has shaped my life as an adult. I have the utmost respect for other people and their property. As a result, never in my life have I been in a case involving theft. For honesty, it is an essential requirement for one to live peacefully with others. People trust me because I am a sincere person.

School

At a certain age, it is required for a child to attend school to have an education. Schools play the role of socialization in various ways. Children have a formal curriculum that teaches them to read and write. It is where they interact with teachers who represent the school’s authority (Anastasiu, 3). Teachers have an important role in emphasizing school values and practices to instill obedience. Sociologists refer to this system as the hidden curriculum. Other values are learned from schools at a young age. For example, when a teacher groups her students to engage in a class project, she teaches the children the importance of teamwork and cooperation.

Influence on my life

I consider schooling the second most essential socialization agent that has influenced my life. I have spent more time in school than in any other place. School taught me to be patient because for me to do other activities I loved, I had to wait until the day was over. Sitting for hours in class also prepares us to work in our adult life. The school also taught me how to relate to others. I learned how to share and care for others because of going to school. It taught me how to be friendly to other people too.

Works Cited

Anastasiu, Ionut. "Family and school understood as agents of socialization." Euromentor Journal 2.2 (2011): 1.