SOCIALIZATION
Human characteristics stems up from two aspects – Nature (also termed as heredity) and nurture (characters inherited from social environment). The nurturing aspect can further be divided into two – intimate social interaction as well as language that is used for communication between people.

Humans are capable of forming their own characteristics but it is important that this self development is socially constructed which means that it involves a lot of social interaction with other people. While some experts feel that development of self is like a looking-glass where we other’s opinions, viewpoints and reactions are internalized, others feel that one needs to take the role of interaction and interpretation develop the self.

Scientists consider that our mind is a product of our society and its influence on us. People learn by imitation, play and games during childhood. Understanding develops when children comprehend and interpret the reactions of the society on their actions.

Human development starts during childhood and is an ongoing process. There are 4 stages an individual undergoes to develop the ability to reason. At the infant stage, understanding begins by direct contact with the environment – looking, touching, listening and sucking. In the second stage, the children try and understand symbols but the concept does not reach them. The third stage consists of concrete understanding of the actual meaning while learning. The last stage consists of abstract thinking and the ability to reason out various observations, form conclusions or ask questions out of curiosity. Sometimes, the self-identity developed by a person does not match with the society’s demands. The individual develops and ego and the self-centred desires and inborn personal characteristics balance the individual’s superego, conscience and the self-identity. In addition, social factors like gender, class, education, religion influence personality development.

Socialization results not only in the expression of emotions but also development of internal feelings. Socialization of emotions results in conformity among people as they understand each other’s feelings.



Human behaviour is primarily controlled by gender socialization. Even during childhood, infants get messages about the different genders. Over a passage of time, there is an automatic sorting of social interaction among males and females.


There are various agents of socialization, each influencing the members of the society in different manners. Some examples include day care, school, religion, family, mass media, neighbours, peer groups and workplace.


Resocialization consists of learning new attitudes, norms, behaviours and values. Typically, this is a voluntary process. However, in the case of total institutions, the individuals becoming a part of the set-up come under the control of the officials who are responsible. In this case, resocialization is involuntary as people are forced to cut off from the society and adhere to the new values and norms as put forth by the institution.


Socialization of individuals occurs during the entire life journey and can be divided into 4 broad stages – childhood, adolescent stage, young adult, middle age and old age. The patterns of socializing and the lifestyle of people vary to adapt to the societal transitions during the passage of time. Other factors include historical influences, ethnicity, gender, race as well as social class.