A person is born as an individual who does not yet understand his sociality. But he is helpless, as nature has decreed. Without the help of another adult, a child cannot survive. And already at this stage, the entry of a new person, a future personality, into society begins. This is a kind of growth, but the growth is not physical, but social. Psychology is closely involved in the problem of socialization.
In other words, let's call it integration into the already established world of adults. We are interested in what areas the socialization of the individual takes place, what conditions she needs for this, manifestations of socialization. Let's start considering this issue.
What is socialization?
For starters, as an introduction directly to the field of action of the science of psychology, here is an interpretation of the concept of socialization.
So, socialization is the acquisition by a person of the skills that he needs for a successful life in society. Since human behavior is regulated not onlypure instincts, then without socialization, existence in a society established in its laws will be impossible. We will try to consider in what areas the socialization of the individual takes place, in what way it is expressed.
Another concept of psychology is closely connected with the process of socialization - the biosocial nature of man. But this is a completely independent topic, and we will not consider it within the scope of this article.
Stages of socialization
The socialization of a person does not happen in one day, and not even in one year. This process is phased, requiring special conditions and environment.
Next, let's talk about the areas in which the socialization of the individual occurs, as modern psychologists say about it. Before that, we will learn how the base of socialization is being prepared from childhood, how a person is preparing to interact with society in adulthood.
Spheres of socialization
Psychology names three main sectors, answering our question, in what areas does the socialization of the individual take place, in what way does it manifest itself. It is communication, activity, self-consciousness.
Socialization is manifested in the creation of ties within these areas, the expansion and consolidation of existing ones. In other words, bridges are being built between the person and the surrounding people.
Primary socialization
Life and the formation of a person begins from the stage of childhood, when everything in this world opens for the first time. The laws by which society lives are also becoming a discovery. And at this time the primarysocialization.
The moment from which the child begins to integrate into the adult world is birth. The end of the stage of primary socialization is the formation of a mature personality.
Family is the sphere of primary socialization
The social sphere in which the socialization of the individual takes place at the initial stage of life is the family. Here the foundations are laid, on which new and new levels of socialization are built in the future.
It is the family that is of paramount importance for primary socialization. From it begins to take shape a picture-representation of society. The values that the family follows, the information provided by the family to the child, moral norms and values - all these are the very foundations, the building blocks of the future idea of society.
Parents are the most important people who influence a child at this stage. Their relationships with each other and with society become an example for the child. It is they who are able to instill in an unformed personality ideas about what is normal and what is deviation.
Next step: school
After the family, the center of human socialization is transferred to school. The main function of an educational institution is to present new conditions for development, interaction with adults and peers. Before the eyes of the child are the same as him, the personality at the stage of socialization, and adults - ready-made "products" of this process.
The rules that must be observed within the walls of the school also play a significant role. The innovation of the stage also lies in the fact that now the child will have to join a large group - a coolto the team, the school as a whole.
New stages - new social groups
After school, the socialization of a person occurs according to similar principles. Social circles are expanding, there are those that a person is ready to consider his own. Family, friends, classmates, classmates, teaching staff of a higher educational institution - all these are the circles of communication that influence the further socialization of the individual.
The direction of socialization at all stages remains the same: those norms of behavior that are accepted in the society where a person spends the most time are adopted to a greater extent.
Trying on roles
In addition to the areas in which the socialization of the individual takes place, in what way it is expressed, we are interested in the roles that a person tries on along the way. One of the important points of this question is the development of gender roles.
Gender socialization is one of the areas in which this process is taking place. It implies familiarization and acceptance of those norms and roles that are inherent in a man and a woman in the surrounding society. For boys, accordingly, it is important to adopt the line of "male" behavior, for girls - "female".
Beginning of adult life
With the beginning of adult life (according to our ideas), a person will have to master a new sphere of socialization - a labor collective operating in a working process. New knowledge, patterns of effective communication are mastered,team values, distinctive features. New people, more precisely, finding contacts with them, is also an important stage for the upcoming personality for socialization.
Resocialization: making adjustments
We continue to consider certain aspects of the problem, in what areas is the socialization of the individual and what conditions are needed for this.
The process of socialization is gradual, but is it reversible? Is it possible to replace existing skills with others? The answer of psychology to this is positive. Such a process is called resocialization - the elimination of the existing behavior patterns and ideas of the individual with new ones.
Such changes always lead to some kind of gap between the views of the past and the present. But the process of resocialization is simply necessary in a dynamic society.
Conclusions
Socialization is a process that is important for a person as a biosocial being. Its result is the integration of the individual into the already established human society, with its laws and views on interaction.
We have considered the sphere in which the socialization of the individual takes place. Psychologists call three of them: communication, action and self-consciousness. It is in these areas that we are developing, entering a new circle of communication, that is, society.
