Sociology offers a distinctive and enlightening way of seeing and understanding the

social world in which we live and which shapes our lives. Sociology looks beyond
normal, taken-for-granted views of reality, to provide deeper, more illuminating and
challenging understandings of social life. This piece of writing therefore, will define
sociaisation and explain the agents of socialization and the work of socialisation.

According to Bainbridge, William Sims (2007), Sociology is the study of social life, social
change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists
investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies and how people interact
within these contexts. Since all human behavior is social, the subject matter of
sociology ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to
religious traditions; from the divisions of race, gender and social class to the shared
beliefs of a common culture

A more formal definition of sociology may be that it is a social science which studies the
processes and patterns of human individual and group interaction, the forms of
organization of social groups, the relationship among them, and group influences on
individual behavior, and vice versa, and the interaction between one social group and
the others

Sociology is the scientific study of society, which is interested in the study of social
relationship between people in group context. Sociology is interested in how we as
human beings interact with each other (the pattern of social interaction); the laws and
principles that govern social relationship and interactions; the /influence of the social
world on the individuals, and vice versa. It deals with a factually observable subject
matter, depends upon empirical research, and involves attempts to formulate theories
and generalizations that will make sense of facts, (Goldspink, C, 2002).

Regarding the detective and expository nature the science, states that “Sociology is a
debunking science; that is, it looks for levels of reality other than those presented in
official interpretations of society and people’s common sense explanations of the social

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world. Sociologists are interested in understanding what is and do not make value
judgments.”

Sociology and other social sciences emerged from a common tradition of reflection of
social phenomena; interest in the nature of human social behavior and society has
probably always existed; however, most people in most past societies saw their culture
as a fixed and god-given entity. This view gradually was replaced by more rational
explanations beginning from the 17th century especially in Western Europe.

Karl Marx (German, 1818-1883) Marx was a world-renowned social philosopher,

sociologist and economic historian. He made remarkable contributions to the
development of various social sciences including sociology. He contributed greatly to
sociological ideas. He introduced key concepts in sociology like social class, social class
conflict, social oppression, alienation, etc. Marx, like Comte, argued that people should
make active efforts to bring about societal reforms. According to Marx, economic forces
are the keys to underestimating society and social change. He believed that the history
of human society has been that of class conflict. He dreamed of, and worked hard
towards realizing, a classless society, one in which there will be no exploitation and
oppression of one class by another, and wherein all individuals will work according to
their abilities and receive according to their needs. Marx introduced one of the major
perspectives in sociology, called social conflict theory, Gilbert, Nigel; Troitzsch, Klaus
(2005).

Socialization helps people learn to function successfully in their social worlds. This
learning takes place through interaction with various agents of socialization, like peer
groups and families, plus both formal and informal social institutions.

Socialization Agents: Socialization agents are a combination of social groups and

social institutions that provide the first experiences of socialization. Families, early
education, peer groups, the workplace, religion, government, and media all
communicate expectations and reinforce norms. People first learn to use the tangible

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objects of material culture in these settings, as well as being introduced to the beliefs
and values of society, (Goldspink, C. (2002).

Family – Family is the first agent of socialization. Mothers and fathers, siblings and
grandparents, plus members of an extended family, all teach a child what he or she
needs to know. Familes, of course, come in all sorts of formations. Whether the young
child is living with a biological parent, adopted by their parents, or exclusively raised by
a sibling or a grandparent, this unit of family is what socializes the young child to the
world first.

For example, they show the child how to use objects (such as clothes, computers,
eating utensils, books, bikes); how to relate to others (some as “family,” others as
“friends,” still others as “strangers” or “teachers” or “neighbors”); and how the world
works (what is “real” and what is “imagined”). As you are aware, either from your own
experience as a child or from your role in helping to raise one, socialization includes
teaching and learning about an unending array of objects and ideas.

The particular values of the family unit are central to the socialization process. If one
child is raised in a family where discussion of connections to people from all races,
religions, and ethnicities is both valued and practiced, this child is understanding multi-
culturalism as a necessary asset in society. Conversely, a child who is raised our
discussions and behaviors that explicitly favor their racial or religious group over others,
the child learns that multi-culturalism is a problem to be avoided. These two children
could be sitting next to each other in the same preschool classroom.

Keep in mind, however, that families do not socialize children in a vacuum. Many social
factors affect the way a family raises its children. For example, we can use sociological
imagination to recognize that individual behaviors are affected by the historical period
in which they take place. Sixty years ago, it would not have been considered especially
strict for a father to hit his son with a wooden spoon or a belt if he misbehaved, but
today that same action might be considered child abuse.

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Sociologists recognize that race, social class, religion, and other societal factors play an
important role in socialization. For example, poor families usually emphasize obedience
and conformity when raising their children, while wealthy families emphasize judgment
and. This may occur because working-class parents have less education and more
repetitive-task jobs for which it is helpful to be able to follow rules and conform.
Wealthy parents tend to have better educations and often work in managerial positions
or careers that require creative problem solving, so they teach their children behaviors
that are beneficial in these positions. This means children are effectively socialized and
raised to take the types of jobs their parents already have, thus reproducing the class
system . Likewise, children are socialized to abide by gender norms, perceptions of
race, and class-related behaviors, (Bourdeau, Michel, 2018).

Peer Groups – A peer group is made up of people who are similar in age and social
status and who share interests. Peer group socialization begins in the earliest years,
such as when kids on a playground teach younger children the norms about taking
turns, the rules of a game, or how to shoot a basket. As children grow into teenagers,
this process continues. Peer groups are important to adolescents in a new way, as they
begin to develop an identity separate from their parents and exert independence.
Additionally, peer groups provide their own opportunities for socialization since kids
usually engage in different types of activities with their peers than they do with their
families. Peer groups provide adolescents’ first major socialization experience outside
the realm of their families. Interestingly, studies have shown that although friendships
rank high in adolescents’ priorities, this is balanced by parental influence.

Just as children spend much of their day at school, many adults at some point invest a
significant amount of time at a place of employment. Although socialized into their
culture since birth, workers require new socialization into a workplace, in terms of both
material culture (such as how to operate the copy machine) and nonmaterial culture
(such as whether it’s okay to speak directly to the boss or how to share the
refrigerator).

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Different jobs require different types of socialization. In the past, many people worked a
single job until retirement. Today, the trend is to switch jobs at least once a decade.
Between the ages of eighteen and forty-six. This means that people must become
socialized to, and socialized by, a variety of work environments. In the past dressing
professionally meant wearing dress clothes to help communicate your feelings of
respect and importance about the work. Today, in many tech companies dressing in
such a way is off-putting. Many startups prefer that their workers wear their ‘everyday’
more casual clothes, bring pets to work, and ideally, blur the line between when they
are ‘on’ and work and when they are ‘away’ from work.

Religion – while some religions are informal institutions, here we focus on practices
followed by formal institutions. Religion is an important avenue of socialization for many
people. The United States is full of synagogues, temples, churches, mosques, and
similar religious communities where people gather to worship and learn. Like other
institutions, these places teach participants how to interact with the religion’s material
culture (like a mezuzah, a prayer rug, or a communion wafer). For some people,
important ceremonies related to family structure—like marriage and birth—are
connected to religious celebrations. Many religious institutions also uphold gender
norms and contribute to their enforcement through socialization. From ceremonial rites
of passage that reinforce the family unit to power dynamics that reinforce gender roles,
organized religion fosters a shared set of socialized values that are passed on through
society.

Government – Although we do not think about it, many of the rites of passage people
go through today are based on age norms established by the government. Individual
governments provide facets of socialization for both individuals and groups. To be
defined as an “adult” usually means being eighteen years old, the age at which a
person becomes legally responsible for him- or herself. And sixty-five years old is the
start of “old age” since most people become eligible for senior benefits at that point.

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Each time we embark on one of these new categories—senior, adult, taxpayer—we
must be socialized into our new role. Seniors must learn the ropes of Medicare, Social
Security benefits, and senior shopping discounts. When U.S. males turn eighteen, they
must register with the Selective Service System within thirty days to be entered into a
database for possible military service. These government dictates mark the points at
which we require socialization into a new category, (Ashley, David; Orenstein, David M,
2005) and (Kahle, Lynn R.; Valette-Florence, Pierre, 2012).

Mass Media – Mass media distribute impersonal information to a wide audience, via
television, newspapers, radio, and the Internet. Media contributes to socialization by
inundating us with messages about norms and expectations. With the average person
spending over four hours a day in front of the television (and children averaging even
more screen time), media greatly influences social norms. People learn about objects of
material culture (like new technology and transportation options), as well as
nonmaterial culture—what is true (beliefs), what is important (values), and what is
expected (norms).

Furthermore, our direct interactions with social groups, like families and peers, teach us
how others expect us to behave. Likewise, a society’s formal and informal institutions
socialize its population. Schools, workplaces, and the media communicate and reinforce
cultural norms and values.

In conclusions, understanding the social processes discussed above, one also come to
understand more clearly the forces shaping the personal experiences and outcomes of
our own lives. The ability to see and understand this connection between broad social
forces and personal experiences is extremely valuable academic preparation for living
effective and rewarding personal and professional lives in a changing and complex
society.

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 REFERENCES

Ashley, David; Orenstein, David M. (2005). Sociological Theory: Classical Statements (6

ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

Bainbridge, William Sims 2007. "Computational Sociology Archived 24 April 2021 at the
Wayback Machine." In Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, edited by G. Ritzer.
Blackwell

Bourdeau, Michel (2018) [2008]. "Auguste Comte". Stanford Encyclopaedia of

Philosophy. Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. ISSN 1095-5054. Retrieved
4 November 2011.

Gilbert, Nigel; Troitzsch, Klaus (2005). "Simulation and social science". Simulation for
Social Scientists (2nd ed.). Open University Press.

Goldspink, C. (2002). "Methodological Implications of Complex Systems Approaches to

Sociality: Simulation as a Foundation for Knowledge". Journal of Artificial Societies and
Social Simulation.

Kahle, Lynn R.; Valette-Florence, Pierre (2012). Marketplace Lifestyles in an Age of

Social Media. New York: M.E. Sharpe, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7656-2561-8.