SOCIALISATION AS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS

INTRODUCTION:

Sociology can be defined as the science which studies human society and social life by focusing on social structure, social function, social actions and interactions and social changes and socialization.

Socialization is one of the major focuses of sociology.

Socialization is the process by which a member of any society learns the expectations, habits, skills, values, beliefs and attitudes which enable him participate effectively in his society. In other words socialization is the process by which an individual learns the way of a society. It takes place throughout life, because it is from womb to tomb process. Man finds himself in several grouping but firstly belongs to a family and then to other association each of these moves involves socialization.

Socialization operates in two dimensions namely:

Ø The dimension of the society

Ø The dimension of the individual

From the dimension the society, socialization functions as a process through which a society gets it new members acquire its cultural values.

From the individual dimension, socialization function as a process, an individual identifies, creates, and develops his values and inspirations.                                             

BASIC ELEMENT OF SOCIALISATION

Ø Learning of basic rules

Ø Learning accepted aspirations

Ø Learning of necessary skills

Ø Learning of appropriate roles

LEVEL OF SOCALIZATION

Ø Primary socialization

     The first socialization an individual undergoes in childhood, through which he becomes a member of the society. This takes place in the FAMILY. It is the basic and most important level of socialization.

Ø Secondary socialization.

     This starts from where the primary socialization stops. Here the child is not only confined to the member of the family. He mixes up with the other people in the society and as well interacts with them.

SOCIALIZATION SETTINGS

Socialization takes place in specific places where the child is socialized through the influences of others. These include:

Ø The Family

Ø The School

Ø Peer groups

Ø The church

Ø The community.

                                                   THE FAMILY

Family is a group of people who thinks of themselves as belonging to a separate group in society and who are related to one another by ties of either blood or marriage. This is where the child acquires those experiences that will help him adapt both to his family and his society. He learns how to greet and address his elderly ones, table manners, polite way of talking to  people, to avoid fights, all the do’s and don’ts of his family levels, he develops bad attitude at the society level. Many of societal crime is as a result of poor family training when the child is still at family.

                                              

                                               THE SCHOOL

This is where the child develops intellectual abilities. It helps the child develop intellectual skills in languages, mathematics and other subjects. Not only, has the child also acquired sportive skills in schools.

The child also sees and interacts with other children from different families and learns the dos and don’ts of the school and wider society.

                                         

THE PEER GROUP

They are group of children who have their society and their own subcultures within and apart from the main society and the main culture. An individual may belong to more than one group. These societies in may includes masquerade cult where they learn the language of the spirits, learn to play musical instrument like drums, metal gong, etc and also abide on a mapped out rules, values and norms. 

An individual acquires a lot of experience both positive and negative from his   groups.

                                          

THE CHURCH

This is where the child is taught moral. He acquires the knowledge of supernatural being-God. The child is taught how to be steadfast in his prayers, how to love God, love and respect his parents and to be of good character. Most especially how to study his bible in order to know the mind of God.

                            

                                      

  THE COMMUNITY  

The child learns wider rules, values and norms of the society. All members of the community are equally involved in the training of the child not family alone. Children learn how to behave in different situations and different time. They are taught to be good to the entire society at large. They are also punished when they break the rules guiding the community.

                                      CONCLUSION

The family is the first socializing agent of the child and so lays the foundation for the child’s future behavior. The success of all other socialization setting depends on the training the child received from the family initially. Socialization is a womb to tomb process; it is throughout lifetime {from the time of birth to the time of death} because we learn new values every day, and so therefore is continuous