Socialization

Socialization is the process by which human beings (or animals) learn to adopt the behavior patterns of the community in which they live. For both humans and animals, this is typically thought to occur during the early stages of life, during which individuals develop the skills and knowledge necessary to function within their culture and environment. However, this also includes adult individuals moving into an environment significantly different from one(s) in which they have previously lived and must thus learn a new set of behaviors.

[Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialization]
Agents of Socialization, which influence and continue the process:

  • Mass Media (mostly TV, also computers)*
  • Education
  • Religion
  • Family* and Friends

*most important
These socialize us all the time – it’s the process through which inviduals are taught to accept the values, norms, and patterns of their society.
Primary Socialization:

•    Takes place until roughly 7 years old (possible in the womb? not conclusive)

•    Teaches affectively* – emotional learning, meaning the learner and the teacher are bonded emotionally, effects the rest of your life

*affect is a verb, effect is a noun
Secondary Socialization:

•    Cognative Learning: The onset of the ability to understand

•    Provides the learner with the details so that they can live out their value system
Political Socialization:

•    The process through which your political norms, values, and patterns are taught to new members of society

•    Can occur affectively or cognitively
Cognative Dissonance: the feeling of discomfort when your secondary socialization conflicts with your primary socialization
Perceptual Screens: screen or filter conflict between cognative and effective learning, subconcious, cognative map (justification/rationalization of dissonance)
3 Basic kinds of Perceptual Screens:

1.    Selective Perception: Refusing to subject yourself to anything that might offend your ideology

2.    Internalization: Accepting the offending information but rendering it harmless by making it an exception to the rule

3.    Externalization: Accepting the information but rendering it harmless because the source of the information is unreliable
[These are notes from my Political Science class. They are abrupt and incomplete, but they illustrate a point which I will use in later entries.]