Why socialization is important

Learning Objectives Describe the three goals of socialization and why each is important. Key Points Socialization prepares people to participate in a social group by teaching them its norms and expectations. Socialization has three primary goals: teaching impulse control and developing a conscience, preparing people to perform certain social roles, and cultivating shared sources of meaning and value.

Socialization is culturally specific, but this does not mean certain cultures are better or worse than others. Jeffrey J. Socialization in School: Schools, such as this kindergarten in Afghanistan, serve as primary sites of socialization. You can browse or download additional books there. To download a. We have just noted that socialization is how culture is learned, but socialization is also important for another important reason.

After the child was born, her mother changed her diapers and fed her a minimal diet but otherwise did not interact with her. The child was left alone all day and night for years and never went outside. We now find her at the age of 6. How will her behavior and actions differ from those of the average 6-year-old? Take a moment and write down all the differences you would find. In no particular order, here is the list you probably wrote. First, the child would not be able to speak; at most, she could utter a few grunts and other sounds.

Second, the child would be afraid of us and probably cower in a corner. Third, the child would not know how to play games and interact with us. If we gave her some food and utensils, she would eat with her hands and not know how to use the utensils. Fourth, the child would be unable to express a full range of emotions. For example, she might be able to cry but would not know how to laugh. In these and many other respects, this child would differ dramatically from the average 6-year-old youngster in the United States.

She would look human, but she would not act human. In fact, in many ways she would act more like a frightened animal than like a young human being, and she would be less able than a typical dog to follow orders and obey commands. As this example indicates, socialization makes it possible for us to fully function as human beings. Without socialization, we could not have our society and culture.

And without social interaction, we could not have socialization. Our example of a socially isolated child was hypothetical, but real-life examples of such children, often called feral A term used for children who have been extremely socially isolated. One of the most famous feral children was Victor of Aveyron, who was found wandering in the woods in southern France in Socially isolated people have no one to turn to in personal emergencies, no one to confide in during a crisis, and no one against whom to measure their own behavior against or from whom to learn etiquette or socially acceptable behavior.

Social isolation can be problematic at any age, although it has different effects for different age groups that is, social isolation for children may have different effects than social isolation for adults, although both age groups may experience it.

Socially isolated individuals lack these beneficial influences, as well as lacking a social support network that can provide help and comfort in times of stress and distress. Social relationships can also connect people with diffuse social networks that facilitate access to a wide range of resources supportive of health, such as medical referral networks, access to others dealing with similar problems, or opportunities to acquire needed resources via jobs, shopping, or financial institutions.

These effects are different from receiving direct support from a friend; instead, they are based on the ties that close social ties provide to more distant connections. Sociologists debate whether new technologies, such as the Internet and mobile phones exacerbate social isolation or could help overcome it. With the advent of online social networking communities, people have increasing options for engaging in social activities that do not require real-world physical interaction.

Chat rooms, message boards, and other types of communities are now meeting social needs for those who would rather stay home alone, yet still develop communities of online friends. Social Isolation : Older adults are particularly susceptible to social isolation. A feral child is a human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, and has no or little experience of human care, loving or social behavior, and, crucially, of human language.

Some feral children have been confined in isolation by other people, usually their own parents. Feral children may have experienced severe child abuse or trauma before being abandoned or running away.

Myths, legends, and fictional stories have depicted feral children reared by wild animals such as wolves and bears. Legendary and fictional feral children are often depicted as growing up with relatively normal human intelligence and skills and an innate sense of culture or civilization, coupled with a healthy dose of survival instincts.

Their integration into human society is also made to seem relatively easy. The implication is that because of their upbringing they represent humanity in a pure and uncorrupted state, similar to the noble savage. In reality, feral children lack the basic social skills that are normally learned in the process of enculturation.

For example, they may be unable to learn to use a toilet, have trouble learning to walk upright, and display a complete lack of interest in the human activity around them.

They often seem mentally impaired and have almost insurmountable trouble learning human language. The impaired ability to learn language after having been isolated for so many years is often attributed to the existence of a critical period for language learning at an early age, and is taken as evidence in favor of the critical period hypothesis.

It is theorized that if language is not developed, at least to a degree, during this critical period, a child can never reach his or her full language potential. The fact that feral children lack these abilities pinpoints the role of socialization in human development. Tragically, feral children are not just fictional. Several cases have been discovered in which caretakers brutally isolated their children and in doing so prevented normal development.

Doctors and therapists diagnosed Danielle with environmental autism, yet she was still adopted by Bernie and Diane Lierow. Danielle could not speak or respond to others nor eat solid food. Today, Danielle lives in Tennessee with her parents and has made remarkable progress.

She communicates through the PECS system and loves to swim and ride horses. Peter Pan : Peter Pan is an example of a fictional feral child. Institutionalized children may develop institutional syndrome, which refers to deficits or disabilities in social and life skills. Discuss both the processes of institutionalization and deinstitutionalization, as they relate to issues juveniles may have.

In clinical and abnormal psychology, institutional syndrome refers to deficits or disabilities in social and life skills, which develop after a person has spent a long period living in mental hospitals, prisons, or other remote institutions.

It has also been argued that institutionalized individuals become psychologically more prone to mental health problems. However, there are a number of institutions specializing only in the treatment of juveniles, particularly when dealing with drug abuse, self-harm, eating disorders, anxiety, depression or other mental illness. Psychiatric Wards : Many state hospitals have mental health branches, such as the Northern Michigan Asylum.

Deinstitutionalization is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health service for those diagnosed with a mental disorder or developmental disability. Deinstitutionalization can have multiple definitions; the first focuses on reducing the population size of mental institutions. This can be accomplished by releasing individuals from institutions, shortening the length of stays, and reducing both admissions and readmission.

Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Search for:. The Role of Socialization. Learning Objectives Describe the three goals of socialization and why each is important. Key Takeaways Key Points Socialization prepares people to participate in a social group by teaching them its norms and expectations.

Socialization has three primary goals: teaching impulse control and developing a conscience, preparing people to perform certain social roles, and cultivating shared sources of meaning and value.

Socialization is culturally specific, but this does not mean certain cultures are better or worse than others. Jeffrey J. Nature vs. Learning Objectives Discuss both sides of the nature versus nurture debate, understanding the implications of each.

Key Takeaways Key Points Nature refers to innate qualities like human nature or genetics. Nurture refers to care given to children by parents or, more broadly, to environmental influences such as media and marketing.

The nature versus nurture debate raises philosophical questions about determinism and free will.