A man is born an individual who does not yet understand his sociality. But he is helpless, so nature ordered. Without the help of another, adult, a child cannot survive. And already at this stage, the entry of a new person, future personality, into society begins . This is a kind of growth, but growth is not physical, but social. The problem of socialization is closely involved in psychology.
In other words, we will call this integration into the already established world of adults. We are interested in what areas the personality is socializing, what conditions it needs for this, manifestations of socialization. We proceed to consider this issue.
What is socialization?
To begin with, as an introduction directly to the field of action of the science of psychology, we give here an interpretation of the concept of socialization.
So, socialization is the acquisition by a person of the skills that he needs for a successful life in society. Since human behavior is regulated not only by pure instincts, without socialization, existence in a society that has become established in its laws will be impossible. We will try to consider in which areas the socialization of the person occurs, in which it is expressed.
The process of socialization is closely related to another concept of psychology - the biosocial nature of man. But this topic is completely independent, and we will not consider it within the framework of this article.
Stages of socialization
Socialization of a person occurs not in one day, and not even in one year. This process is phased, requiring special conditions and environments.
Next, we will discuss in which areas the personality is socialized, as modern psychologists say. Before that, we learn how to prepare a socialization base from childhood, how a person prepares to interact with society in adulthood.
Areas of socialization
Psychology names three main sectors, answering our question, in which areas the socialization of the personality takes place, in what way does it manifest. This is communication, activity, self-awareness.
Socialization is manifested in the creation of ties within these areas, the expansion and consolidation of existing ones. In other words, bridges are built between the person and the people around him.
Primary socialization
The life and formation of a person begins with the stage of childhood, when everything in this world opens for the first time. The laws by which society lives also become a discovery. And at this time, primary socialization occurs.
The moment from which the child begins to integrate into the adult world is birth. The end of the stage of primary socialization is considered the formation of a mature personality.
Family - the sphere of primary socialization
The social sphere in which the personality is socialized at the initial stage of life is the family. Here the foundations are laid on which new and new stages of socialization are built in the future.
It is the family that is of primary importance for primary socialization. From it begins to take shape, a picture of society. The values that the family follows, the information provided by the family to the child, moral standards and values - all these are the very foundations, the building blocks of the future understanding of society.
Parents are the most important people who influence a child at this stage. Their relationship between themselves and with society becomes an example for the child. It is they who are able to instill in the unformed personality ideas about what is normal and what is deviation.
Next step: school
After the family, the center of human socialization is transferred to school. The main function of the educational institution is to present new conditions for development, interaction with adults and peers. Before the eyes of the child are the same people as he, at the stage of socialization, and adults - the finished "products" of this process.
The rules to be followed within the school walls also play a significant role. The innovation of the stage also consists in the fact that now the child has to join a large group - a cool team, the school as a whole.
New stages - new social groups
After school, socialization of a person occurs according to similar principles. The circles of communication are expanding, there are those that the person is ready to consider her own. Family, friends, classmates, classmates, the teaching staff of a higher educational institution - all these are the circles of communication that affect the further socialization of the individual.
The direction of socialization at all stages remains one: those norms of behavior that are accepted in a society where a person spends the most time are adopted to a greater extent.
Try on roles
In addition to the areas in which the personality is socialized, in which it is expressed, we are interested in the roles that people try on along this path. One of the important points of this issue is the development of gender roles.
Gender socialization is one of the areas in which this process takes place. It implies familiarization and adoption of those norms and roles that are inherent in a man and a woman in the surrounding society. For boys, accordingly, it is important to adopt the line of "male" behavior, girls - "female".
The beginning of adulthood
With the beginning of adulthood (according to our ideas), a person will have to master a new sphere of socialization - the labor collective, operating in a working process. New knowledge, regularities of effective communication, collective values, distinctive features are being mastered. New people, more precisely, finding contacts with them, is also an important stage, the upcoming personality for socialization.
Resocialization: making adjustments
We continue to consider individual aspects of the problem, in which areas the socialization of the individual takes place and what conditions are needed for this.
The process of socialization is gradual, but is it reversible? Is it possible to replace existing skills with others? The response of psychology to this is positive. Such a process is called resocialization - the elimination of existing patterns of behavior and perceptions by the new ones.
Such changes always lead to a certain gap between representations in the past and present. But the process of resocialization is simply necessary in a dynamic society.
conclusions
Socialization is an important process for a person as a biosocial being. Its result is the integration of the personality into the already held human society, with its laws and views on interaction.
We have considered the sphere in which the socialization of the individual takes place. Three are called by psychologists: communication, action and self-awareness. It is in these areas that we are developing, entering a new circle of communication, that is, society.