The significant question of the dominant influence on the development and formation of a person, either a hereditary, genetic predisposition, or the environment remains one of the most important and exciting minds of scientists - psychologists, sociologists and cultural scientists - for many years. Despite the successes of geneticists in deciphering genetic codes, it is impossible to explain the appearance of a certain personality trait or behavior in a person only by the influence of hereditary factors, as well as the social environment. Almost any behavior and the presence of certain personality characteristics in an individual is explained by both genetic factors and environmental influences. Therefore, the primary question is not who plays the main role, but who plays a secondary role in the formation of the personality — heredity or environment, but how they interact with each other. Our genetic code is one of the starting points of development, including physical and behavioral characteristics inherited from our ancestors, the surrounding social and cultural environment - this is another starting point of our development, the process that accompanies us throughout life and is called socialization.
Socialization is the assimilation of various social roles, as well as the assimilation of ethical and cultural values and norms, which begins in early childhood and continues to old age. The success of the socialization process depends on three main factors:
- Understanding what the environment expects of you in accordance with the rules of society.
- Behavioral changes in response to these expectations.
- Conformism, i.e. desires and aspirations to follow social norms and rules.
Stages of socialization
The long process of entry, adaptation and comprehension of various social roles has its stages. The stages of socialization, or its periods, are divided into primary and secondary. Primary begin in childhood, when a person’s personality is mainly formed. These are its very important and significant periods, in which the closest environment (parents, other relatives and friends) plays a significant role, this is the formation and development of interpersonal relationships. The primary periods of socialization are periods of comprehension and development of interpersonal communication, they contribute to the fact that a person becomes a full member of society.
The later stages of human socialization are usually called secondary. They relate to the second half of his life, when he is faced with various public institutions - the state, army, training and production team, whose influence on the formation and development of the individual is more significant and tangible already at a conscious age. The secondary stages of socialization are the stages that allow an already socialized person to comprehend new social roles, enter unknown, but important areas of the objective world.
Where can the border be drawn between the primary and secondary periods of socialization? As a rule, it is generally accepted that the stages of personality socialization replace each other when they achieve political, economic and social independence, namely, obtaining a passport, profession and work, creating a family, etc.
The process of socialization is a complementary and bilateral process. Entering and comprehending the system of social ties, an individual gains experience significant for himself, on the other hand, in the process of active assimilation of the social environment, he does not passively accept the experience gained, but transforms it into his own attitudes, values, and orientations.
Socialization necessarily takes place with someone else's participation and help. People and institutions that a person encounters while comprehending social experience are called socialization agents. As well as the stages of socialization, agents are divided into primary (close significant environment) and secondary (public institutions and institutions, their administration, representatives, etc.).
Socialization is not just a process of growing up, it is a consistent comprehension by a person of unfamiliar, but significant for her norms and roles, continuing throughout life. The stages of socialization coincide with the main life cycles of a person, which indicate the main events of his biography.