what are the agents of socialization

what are the agents of socialization

1 year ago 57
Nature

The agents of socialization are the groups and institutions that influence personal attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, and help individuals learn the knowledge, attitudes, and values they need to become productive citizens. The following are the main agents of socialization:

  1. Family: Family is the first and most important 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. Families come in all sorts of formations, and the ways in which parents socialize children depend in part on the parents social class and on their childs biological sex.

  2. Education: Schools socialize children by teaching them both the formal curriculum and a hidden curriculum. Education is a formal institution that helps people learn to function successfully in their social worlds.

  3. Peer groups: Peers are an important source of emotional support and companionship, but peer pressure can induce individuals to behave in ways they might ordinarily regard as wrong.

  4. Religious organizations: Religion can act as an agent of socialization through indoctrination of younger generations into a set of beliefs or a code to live by. Agents of socialization differ in effects across religious traditions.

  5. Mass media: The mass media are another important agent of socialization, and scholars debate the effect the media have on individuals and society. Television shows, movies, popular music, magazines, websites, and other aspects of the mass media influence our political views, our tastes in popular culture, our views of women, people of color, and gays, and many other beliefs and practices.

These agents of socialization provide the first experiences of socialization and communicate expectations and reinforce norms. They help people learn to use the tangible objects of material culture, as well as being introduced to the beliefs and values of society/02%3A_How_Children_Learn_and_Understand_Their_World/2.01%3A_Agents_of_Socialization).

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