According to the well-known definition, socialization is a process of familiarizing an individual with the society in which it exists, its adoption of norms and patterns of behavior of this society. The concept of socialization is considered in many areas of knowledge, however, different disciplines study different aspects of this process. Psychologists are interested in mechanisms that help individuals adapt in society, i.e. learn its norms. Sociologists study how and what roles an individual assimilates, as well as how his personality is formed in society. Depending on what is the subject of study, narrower meanings of the concept of “socialization” can also be distinguished. This is gender, political, religious socialization and others.
Periodization
Speaking of socialization, they often divide it into primary and secondary. Primary is the adoption of existing values in society by the child. Secondary socialization is the adaptation of these norms by an adult.
It is customary to distinguish several stages of socialization :
1. Adaptation. In this period, starting from birth and ending in adolescence, through imitation, the assimilation of social experience takes place without a critical assessment of it. A growing child learns to adapt to the world.
2. Identification. At this stage, the individual tries to find his place in society, one way or another identifying himself with a particular group.
3. Integration, that is, full inclusion in public life, which in some cases may never become successful.
4. The labor stage. At this stage, the individual accumulates his own work experience and is included in the corresponding system of relations, and also actively influences the environment in which he is located.
5. The post-labor stage, which some researchers consider to be the stage of maladaptation, others as the stage of maturity, when self-acceptance, rethinking of one’s life and the time comes to transfer experience to others.
The considered stages of socialization are usually distinguished by domestic authors who are the heirs of the “labor” approach. Erickson offers a more detailed periodization that describes both children's age and the subsequent stages of the formation and development of personality in society. Other stages of socialization are also distinguished by Freud.
Groups
The process of socialization takes place in various institutions, that is, those groups in which the transfer of norms and values is carried out: these are, first of all, the family, educational institutions of all levels, labor collectives. The institutions of socialization include the so-called unorganized environment, that is, informal groups and the media, whose influence cannot be underestimated.
Socialization and education
It is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of socialization and education, as well as training. If upbringing involves a narrowly targeted impact, then socialization is a much broader concept, which includes the adoption of new roles and adaptation to the environment. However, like education, socialization is a bidirectional process. This means that not only society affects a person. He does not just adapt, he himself influences the already established norms, changes them and participates in the adaptation of others.
Unlike training, the process of assimilating social norms and finding one's place in society cannot be accelerated. We can only single out the factors influencing such a process as socialization. This is a biological factor, physical and social environment, as well as individual and group experience. It is the various innate features of a person that determine the differences between individuals who, it would seem, have grown up under identical conditions.
If we ignore scientific terms and classifications, we can say that socialization, which takes place throughout our lives, is necessary for the correct formation of a value system, fostering respect for others and awareness of oneself as a person. It is needed for normal training, and subsequently labor activity, for the full implementation of their roles and functions and the subsequent transfer of their social and other experience to future generations.