Introduction
Socialization is the process of interaction through which the growing individual learns attitudes, habits, values and beliefs of a given society in which they are born or exist. It teaches an individual to participate in social groups by educating them on the norms and the critical expectation in society. It is a method of introducing people to social rules and customs. Also, the process of socialization helps individuals function well in an organization and in turns support the overall society run effectively (Danziger, 2016). Often, social leaders, family members, teachers, religious leaders and peers play the essential roles in the process of socialization the process of socialization occurs in two primary stages. The first stage takes place from birth to adolescence, while the second phases continue after puberty into adulthood. The secondary socialization often takes place whenever peoples find themselves on the new situation of circumstances, particularly those which they interact with others of different customs and norms from their own.
Comparison of the theories of socialization
Sigmund Freud theory
According to the Sigmund Freud theory of socialization, he argues that the development of our personality is not in any way entirely depended on our conscious experiences. Most of the personality traits that we possess are controlled and developed unconsciously. He believed that our behaviours are directed by the unconscious parts of our minds. According to him, the element of socialization is directed by the behaviours and personality, which is an outcome of our unconscious such as the instinctual drives such as desire, dreams and the demands that we have. This theory is categorized into three parts the Id, Ego and the superego. It is a personality model which consists of different forces that work to drive the individual in a particular way. The id is the unorganized element of our personality and contains the basic biological urges such as eating, sex and sleep. Very often, this part of the character wants to gratify these urges instantly. The superego part of nature wants us to be a perfect being while the ego parts wish to settle the constant conflict which exists between these two elements of our personality, this theory guide the way we perceive and interact with the society according to Freud (Danziger, 2016).
Mead theory
The other socialization theory is the theory by George Herbert Mead theory of socialization. According to him, socialism is based on the element of pragmatism and social behaviourism. Pragmatism is a considerably more full philosophical interaction position from which various aspects of his influences can be developed. There exist four central tenets pf pragmatism as proposed by Mead. First, is that actual reality does not live out there in the real world. The second tenet is that people often remember and base their knowledge of the world on what has been helpful to them in any way (Checkel, 2017). The third tenet is that people often define the social and the physicals objects that they come into contact with, the value of help that such purposes have to them. Finally, in cases, we want to understand the actors we must be able to base that level of understanding on what people do.
The two theories of socialization have some common explanation on socialization and the role it plays in society. According to the theories, socialization helps in the creation of orderly and unifies how we tend to think. However, each theory explains the origin of socialism in a different way (Frønes, 2016). According to the method by Freud, socialization is not a deliberate process while Mead urges that it is intentional. About the case of scenarios of the wild child, the theory of socialization by Freud does not apply much since the victim, “Genie” was not able to learn most element of socialization due to the lack of learning by the aspect of confinement what she was put under. This is an indication that socialization takes place through the conscious part of the brain and process of learning, as proposed by Mead (Checkel, 2017).
Conclusion
Socialization stands for the development of human brains, body attitude, behaviours and reasoning. It is a critical indicator of the individuals into the social world. During the process of socialization, learners often become members of a given group or society. The process does not only a custom people to the socials groups but also in such groups become self-sustainable. On a macro level, the process of socialization ensures that individual have the process through which norms and customs of a given society are transmitted. Socialization teaches peoples what their expectation is in a particular group or scenario. It is considered a form of social control. Socialization has various goals between young people and elderly alike. For most, it can be termed as a means of developing conscience that is aligned with the social norms and prepares them to perform the various vital roles.
References
Frønes, I. (2016). Socialization in Sociological Perspectives. The Autonomous Child (pp. 11-35). Springer, Cham.
Danziger, K. (Ed.). (2016). Readings in Child Socialization: The Commonwealth and International Library: Readings in Sociology. Elsevier.
Checkel, J. T. (2017). Socialization and violence: Introduction and framework.