Family as Agents of Socialization | Free Research Paper Sample


Family as Agents of Socialization Introduction Socialization is a gradual process through which  a baby learns the principles, ways of life,   conventions, and regulations of his or her  society. Sociologists define it as the process   through which one inherits cultural beliefs  and ideologies of his society. It involves   learning of the crucial processes in the society. Agents of socialization refer to the structures   and techniques of social organization that  control the behavior of an individual in   a given society. There are four socialization  agents in the society. These include the family,   academic institutions, peers, and the media.  Socialization agents vary in different societies.  In most circumstances, the family  is the key socializing agent. It   is the most crucial socialization agent in  a primeval society. The human concept of a   family is a group of persons who are linked  together by resemblance, consanguinity,   and co-residence. In many communities, it is  the principal agent for children socialization.  There is no set time concerning the commencement  and end of socialization. However, some social   scientists have devised distinct socialization  stages. These include oral, anal, oedipal,   and teenage stages. The family is the chief  socializing agent in these stages. Oral stage   is the stage where an infant is not involved with  the whole family but associates with the mother.  The newborn at this point only identifies  the mother. The second stage, anal,   usually begins after the first year and ends  when the child is three years. During anal stage,   the infant distinguishes his role from his  mother’s. It is also during this stage when   the child learns fundamental issues in  his society. Oedipal stage starts when   the infant is about four years to adolescent. The child during this stage becomes a full   member of the community and identifies his  role in society. The last stage, adolescent,   starts in puberty, and this is when the child  seeks freedom from his parents.

It is at this   stage when he chooses his career and a spouse.  At this stage, he learns about the taboos of   his community. This paper will discuss the  family as the utmost socialization agent. Discussion The family marks the start of socialization for  most people. It assists young ones assimilate   their culture and identify with their community.  The family also gives the young members their   social status. It plays a prominent role  in teaching these members of society about   the dangers and effects of early sex. Young  members of the society usually socialize with   their relatives by learning their routines  and establishing signals for their wants.  The family as an agent of socialization is  seen in the fact that the young grow in a   vicious association, wherein they are taught to  love people who strike and subjugate them. The   family thus comprises the initial cell of  the society. Children start to watch their   parents and siblings for satisfactory ways  to intermingle socially, and this remains as   a physically powerful influence in their lives. Family influences on socialization have become   highly influential. The family regardless of  its nature and size is the fundamental factor in   socialization. The young learn how to associate  with others by observing their parents. They   learn how to behave in disagreements. They also  learn how to achieve what they want from others.  Children are socialized via their families  control to view the globe in different   ways. This may include viewing the nation as an  insecure place, a place to train and discover,   a place where one needs to take care of himself  and where one is sustained and totally loved.   Though these lessons keep changing all through the  live of an individual, the influence of the family   as an agent of socialization never weakens. As an agent of socialization, the family   provides a person with skills and  practices necessary for partaking in   societal activities.

Communal and cultural  stability are achieved through the family.  It entails an understanding of how things occur  in the society and the development of emotional   associations with the community members.  Through the family, socialization endows a   society member with the responsibility of  performing certain tasks in the society.   This means that the closest relatives are the  most imperative agents of socialization agents.  A family provides to its members love and  care. This helps the child to grow socially,   emotionally and physically. The parent is the  most crucial in the development of the child.   By interacting with other family members, the  child learns social, acquaintance, loyalty,   and patriotic skills. When a child lacks  a family to train him in his early stages,   then socialization for this  child becomes exceedingly hard.  The basic function of the family is to bring  persons into being both physically and socially.   One’s family experiences, therefore, fluctuate  with time. From the children’s point of view,   the family is the basic unit for orientation. It  positions children socially and plays a key task   in their culturalisation and socialization.  From parents’ perception, the family is the   basic unit of procreation whose goal is to give  birth, acculturate and bring children together.  The family has an effect on the social  relationships in any community. It is   depicted as the building social element of  the structure of any community. The family   as an agent of sociological change is also  seen when it comes to patterns of exchanging   ideas. There is a set of beliefs in a family  that demonstrate how the family members should   exchange ideas and interrelate with one another. The family pattern of exchanging ideas originates   from two fundamental principles. This is the level  at which communication is valued and the degree   at which the family unit strains on similarities  and variations concerning beliefs and attitudes.

In communities with sexual distribution  of labor, matrimony and the consequential   relationship amongst persons, the establishment  of a cost effective family unit is necessary.   Although the context of a family was initially  referred to as blood associations, intellectual   anthropologists assert that one must comprehend  the blood notion metaphorically. Many communities,   however, recognize the family via other  contexts such as genetic detachments.  The veracity of a state is the integrity of its  maleness. In fact, it can be reproductive if   only the right version of sex hierarchy has been  developed and reproduced. The family is the chief   instrument in this process. It binds all the males  and females in a society to a larger combination   in which they are supposed to familiarize  themselves to one another to be productive.  If the contemporary state is to be set for a  war, then the preferred institutional setting   to carry out this action is the family. The  family as an agent of socialization is thus   comprehended as a fundamental building slab in the  creation and elevation of the state. This state   building idea of the family runs all through to  totalitarianism and its characteristic traditions   of rebirth after times of fault and decadence. In the modern society, the family is viewed   as a place of safety, which supplies total  fulfillment. It encourages closeness, love,   and confidence where persons may run away from  the struggle of dehumanization. The family is a   storehouse of warmth and compassion and stands in  resistance to the aggressive world of trade. It   safeguards its members against the external world. The family in a customary community forms the   basic economic unit. This monetary role of the  family has, however, slowly diminished in the   modern era. In the US, the family is still  immensely influential in the agricultural   sector and many other sectors in the country.

The association between the financial role of   the family unit, socialization, and artistic  values is still complicated. Family units   may also affect both national and religious  organizations. The surprising esteem for women   in any society means that young people in that  society tend to doubt strong dictatorial leaders. Conclusion The protective nature of the family  has currently declined as the ethics   of family accomplishment have taken  new structures. In the present day,   the family is more rewarding than protective.  It provides what is crucially needed but absent   in other communal arrangements. Family  organizations of the ancient times were   advanced. Families were steady and happy since  they did not have to compete with difficulties   such as undisciplined children and separation. High rates of family separation and births out   of wedlock designate a decline in the family  institution. Marriages are no longer organized   but are for financial gain and children do  not add to the family proceeds. The increased   position of love signifies a societal change  towards supporting emotional implementation   and associations within the family. This change  essentially deteriorates the family institution.  This research paper on Family as agents of  Socialization was written and submitted by   user Alfonso Fletcher to help you with your own  studies. You are free to use it for research and   reference purposes in order to write your own  paper; however, you must cite it accordingly.