Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

Quarter 3 –
Module 5 : Socialization
What I Need to Know

MELC:
Explain the context, content, processes, and consequences of socialization.
At the end of the module, you should be able to:
K: Explain the context, content, processes and consequence of socialization
S: Displays mastery in identifying the content and context to be observed in interacting
with others in society and the consequences in ignoring the rules
A: Recognize the value of the agents in socialization when it comes to influencing the
members of the community

What’s In
Socialization continues to be important part of human development. It is an instrument on how an
individual will adapt to his existence to survive. The process of socialization enables the individual to
grow and function socially (Medina, 1991 p. 47). Hence, the change in man’s social reality modifies his
culture. The culture becomes internalized that the individual “imbibe” it. This influences his/her
conduct.
Mass Media and Technology
The strongest and the most argued indirect agent of socialization. It puts us different ideas and
mannerism without any kind of direct interpersonal communication. Despite this, it influences our lives
to a great extent, as we tend to learn a lot from mass media, which include newspapers, magazines,
radio, Internet, video games and television. Some researchers show that most people, adults and
children alike, often tend to get so carried away by the influence of media that they confused between
the notions of ‘reality’ and ‘fiction’.

Family
Typically, the process of socialization begins in the family. It is our first source through which we
commence our social communication.
As a child, a person learns to see and interpret himself and society through the eyes and understanding
of his parents and other elders of the family. It is with the aid of the older family members that he/she
becomes familiar with social culture. It is through family that ‘socially acceptable’ ways of thinking and
behaving are imparted to a child. Values such as sharing, honesty, idealism, discipline, and the like are
also cultivated in a person through his family.
Gender roles are also learned in the family. The term gender role refers to expectations regarding the
proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and of females.

School
Had an explicit mandate to socialize people in the country, especially children, into the norms and values
of our culture. According to functionalist group, schools can only fulfill its function through teaching
children the values and customs of the larger society, and it was agreed by Conflict theorist group. They
added that the schools can reinforce the divisive aspects of society, especially those of social class.

Peer Group
A group of people of the same age, sharing similar interests and belongingness to similar backgrounds. It
enables a child to engage in experiences which he/she would otherwise never experience within his/her
family. As a child grow older, the family becomes somewhat less important in a person’s development.
Within peer group, young people associate with others who are approximately their own age and who
often enjoy a similar social status. Things such as competition, conflict, and cooperation as well as the
concept of hierarchy and egalitarianism can be learned in peer group.

Church or Religion
Is a collection of cultural systems, beliefs systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to spirituality
and, oftentimes, to moral values. It had narratives, symbols, traditions, and sacred histories that are
intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive
morality, ethics, religious laws, or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human
nature.
Parental religious participation is the most influential part of socialization-more so than religious peers
or religious beliefs. Belief in God is attributable to a combination of the above factors but is also
informed by a discussion of socialization. The biggest predictor of adult religiosity is parental religiosity.
If a person’s parents were religious when he was a child, he is likely to be religious when he grows up.
Children are socialized into religion by their parents and their peer group, as a result, they tend to stay in
religions. Alternatively, children raised in secular homes tend not to convert to religion.

Workplace
As a working adult, a person meets people of different age groups and belongingness to different social
and cultural backgrounds. This makes him/her come in close contact with different thought processes,
belief system, etc. The interaction happens in a workplace helps a person to broaden his/her horizons in
terms of social acceptance and tolerance towards others. He/she will become well-versed with the
importance of regularity in work and behaving mannerisms with respect to superior as well as juniors
and subordinates. The work place performs its socialization function through onboarding. This is the
mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behavior
through the use of tactics such as formal meetings, lectures, videos, printed materials or computer-
based orientations to become effective organizational members.

The agents of socialization guide every individual in understanding what is happening in our society.
People learn to determine what is proper, right or wrong. Social norms were formed in order to control
the individual behavior in the society. The following are forms of social norms.
 Folkways – Customary patterns that specify what is socially correct and proper in everyday life.
They are repetitive or the typical habits and patterns of expected behavior followed within a
group of community.
 Mores- They define what is morally right and wrong. These are folkways with ethical and moral
significance which are strongly held and emphasized. Laws- Norms that are enforced formally by
a special political organization. Component of culture that regulates and controls the people’s
behavior and conduct.
 Taboos- behaviors that are absolutely forbidden in specific culture. Several Theories that explain
the existence of deviants (human/groups) and deviance (acts) Social Control Theory-deviance is
primarily caused by a lack in stronger social bonds within a society.

 Rational Choice Theory- the individual’s decision to follow or to go against social norms is
dependent on their perceived cost and benefit of such action.
 Differential Association Theory- conformity or deviance is learned by an individual from those
he or she associates with.
 Labeling Theory- actions are initially not considered deviant until they are labelled as such by
members of community.
 Conflict Theory- society consists of opposing groups of people whose access to power is
unequal.
 Structural-functionalist Theory- this theory proposes two perspectives in the formation of
deviant behavior.

Two elements that promote social control:

1. Internalization- is an integral part of communicating and incorporating social norms to an
individual’s personality.
2. Sanctions- powerful in leading an individual to conform to social norms.

Types of Sanctions:
• Formal Sanctions- these are the rewards of forms of punishment that are formally
awarded by an institution such as government, council or establishment.
• Informal Sanctions- these are the rewards and forms of punishment that are
spontaneously given by an individual or a group of people as a response to a behavior that
was either accepted or disapproved.
• Positive Sanctions- these are the actions or statements that reward a particular behavior,
which reinforce its repetition.

Status- is an individual’s position in his or her society, which carries with it a set of defined
rights and obligations.
Roles- the sets of expectation from people who occupy a particular status.
Conformity- is the act of following the roles and goals of one’s society.
Deviance- the act of violating the prescribed social norms.
Primary identity- consist of the roles and statutes that an individual learns as a child.

Activity

What’s New

Summary:
Post-Test

1. Subjective Socialization- The process by which society transmits its culture from one generation
to the next and adapts the individual to the accepted and approved ways of organized social life.
2. Agents of Socialization These refers to the various social groups or social institutions that play a
significant role in introducing and integrating the individual as an accepted and functioning
member of society.
3. Rational Choice Theory- the individual’s decision to follow or to go against social norms is
dependent on their perceived cost and benefit of such action.
4. Formal Sanctions- these are the rewards of forms of punishment that are formally awarded by
an institution such as government, council or establishment.
5. Laws- Norms that are enforced formally by a special political organization. Component of
culture that regulates and controls the people’s behavior and conduct.
6. Sanctions- powerful in leading an individual to conform to social norms.
7. Primary identity- consist of the roles and statutes that an individual learns as a child.
8. Deviance- the act of violating the prescribed social norms.
9. Socialization refers to the process by which an individual is oriented and taught by his or her
society’s norms.
10. Positive Sanctions- these are the actions or statements that reward a particular behavior, which
reinforce its repetition.