Essay on the Process of Socialisation – Every man tries to adjust himself to the conditions of his social environment. This process of adjustment is itself socialisation. The social order is maintained largely by socialisation. Individuals learn to conform to the norms of the group.
This helps the group to maintain its order. Socialisation is a process of transforming the human animal into a human being, of converting the biological being into a social being. No one understands the process thoroughly’ – as Kingsley Davis remarks. It is still as mysterious as photosynthesis or organic ageing.
It is true that direct socialisation begins only after birth. Man, as an organism, has some internal factors or forces which limit or help his socialisation. These internal forces relevant to the process of socialisation are: (i) reflexes, (ii) instincts, (iii) urges, (iv) capacities, and (v) comprehension and educability. We shall now examine the phenomenon of socialisation as such.
Image Source: images.slideplayer.fr
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Socialisation is a Continuous Process:
Socialisation is a process of inducting the individual into the social world. It consists in teaching culture which he must acquire and share. Socialisation is social learning. This learning is not intermittent but continuous. The more we try to learn the more remains to be learnt. Perfection in social learning is rarely achieved.
The process of socialisation is something that continues throughout life. We must not think that there is a stage in learning at which a man has learnt everything about his group and that thereafter, he ceases to learn.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Man belongs to different groups at different stages of his life. As these groups change, so we must learn new rules, new patterns of behaviour. Moreover, we do not remain within the same role.
Even though, we are members of family all our life, we are constantly changing our roles within it, acquiring new roles, dropping or modifying old ones. We begin as children, pass through adolescence into adulthood, marry, become parents, enter middle age, retire and grow old, with each role come new patterns of behaviour that we must learn.
Thus, throughout our life, we are involved in the socialisation process. Even at the door of death we are being socialised. The staffs of hospitals, for example, have a conception of what is a ‘good’ way to die. They try to socialise their dying patients into the ways of dying in a ‘proper’ manner.
Timing:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Timing is important in socialisation. Physical maturity by itself cannot produce perfect human adults without socialisation. Socialisation and maturation may proceed together in the early years of the life cycle.
Our attempts to teach the child will have varying effects depending upon the point reached in the maturation of the child. For example, we cannot expect the child to be quiet before he is capable of sustained inhibition.
Socialisation and Development of the Self:
The heart of the process of socialisation is the emergence and gradual development of the ‘self or ‘ego’. It is in terms of the self that personality takes shape and mind comes to function. The notion of self begins to arise as the child learns something of the world of sensations about him.
Everyone who is alive, in any society, has a consciousness of self. When a child is born it has no consciousness of itself or of others. He does not possess those behaviour mechanisms which make an individual apart and member of any group. The child at birth is not conscious of any of the self and other relationships. These relationships the child learns through the process of socialisation.
The ‘Self is Social. The term ‘self is often used to mean ‘self mage’ Some writers like G. Murphy view the self simply as the person’s conception of himself as a totality. But G.H. Mead would rather regard self as purely ‘social’ in nature.
It is true that the self develops out of the child’s communicative contact with others. The idea of self develops in conjunction with the idea of other things. He learns that they are distinct beings and that he too has individuality.
Acquaintance with his name and use of pronouns such as, ‘me” Myself, etc. help the process of self-discovery. Little children’s answers to such questions as ‘ What is your name?’ and ‘Whose boy are you?’ etc. would emphasise the idea of self in relation to others.