Your Article Library

Agencies of Socialisation: Family, School, Peer Groups and Mass

Media
Article shared by :

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Agencies of Socialisation: Family, School, Peer Groups and Mass Media!

In general, it may be said that the total society is the agency for socialisation and that each person
with whom one comes into contact and interact is in some way an agent of socialisation.
Socialisation is found in all interactions but the most influential interaction occurs in particular
groups which are referred to as agencies of socialisation.

The oblivious beginning of the process for the new-born child is-his immediate family group, but this
is soon extended to many other groups. Other than the family, the most important are the schools,
the peer groups (friends circle) and the mass media.

The family:
ADVERTISEMENTS:

The child’s first world is that of his family. It is a world in itself, in which the child learns to live, to
move and to have his being. Within it, not only the biological tasks of birth, protection and feeding
take place, but also develop those first and intimate associations with persons of different ages and
sexes which form the basis of the child’s personality development.

The family is the primary agency of socialisation. It is here that the child develops an initial sense of
self and habit-training—eating, sleeping etc. To a very large extent, the indoctrination of the child,
whether in primitive or modem complex society, occurs within the circle of the primary family group.
The child’s first human relationships are with the immediate members of his family—mother or
nurse, siblings, father and other close relatives.

Here, he experiences love, cooperation, authority, direction and protection. Language (a particular
dialect) is also learnt from family in childhood. People’s perceptions of behaviour appropriate of
their sex are the result of socialisation and major part of this is learnt in the family.

As the primary agents of childhood socialisation, parents play a critical role in guiding children into
their gender roles deemed appropriate in a society. They continue to teach gender role behaviour
either consciously or unconsciously, throughout childhood. Families also teach children values they
will hold throughout life. They frequently adopt their parents’ attitudes not only about work but also
about the importance of education, patriotism and religion.
School:
ADVERTISEMENTS:

After family the educational institutions take over the charge of socialisation. In some societies
(simple non-literate societies), socialisation takes place almost entirely within the family but in highly
complex societies children are also socialised by the educational system. Schools not only teach
reading, writing and other basic skills, they also teach students to develop themselves, to discipline
themselves, to cooperate with others, to obey rules and to test their achievements through
competition.

Schools teach sets of expectations about the work, profession or occupations they will follow when
they mature. Schools have the formal responsibility of imparting knowledge in those disciplines
which are most central to adult functioning in our society. It has been said that learning at home is
on a personal, emotional level, whereas learning at school is basically intellectual.

Peer group:
Besides the world of family and school fellows, the peer group (the people of their own age and
similar social status) and playmates highly influence the process of socialisation. In the peer group,
the young child learns to confirm to the accepted ways of a group and to appreciate the fact that
social life is based on rules. Peer group becomes significant others in the terminology of G.H. Mead
for the young child. Peer group socialisation has been increasing day by day these days.

Young people today spend considerable time with one another outside home and family. Young
people living in cities or suburbs and who have access to automobiles spend a great deal of time
together away from their families. Studies show that they create their own unique sub-cultures—the
college campus culture, the drug culture, motorcycle cults, athletic group culture etc. Peer groups
serve a valuable function by assisting the transition to adult responsibilities.

Teenagers imitate their friends in part because the peer group maintains a meaningful system of
rewards and punishments. The group may encourage a young person to follow pursuits that society
considers admirable.

On the other hand, the group may encourage someone to violate the culture’s norms and values by
driving recklessly, shoplifting, stealing automobiles, engaging in acts of vandalism and the like. Some
studies of deviant behaviour show that the peer group influence to cultivate behaviour patterns is
more than the family.

Why do some youths select peer groups which generally support the socially approved adult values
while others choose peer groups which are at war with adult society? The choice seems to be
related to self-image. Perhaps, this dictum works—”seeing- is behaving”. How do we see ourselves is
how we behave.

The habitual delinquent sees himself as unloved, unworthy, unable, unaccepted and unappreciated.
He joins with other such deprived youths in a delinquent peer group which reinforces and sanctions
his resentful and aggressive behaviour. The law-abiding youth sees himself as loved, worthy, able,
accepted and appreciated. He joins with other such youths in a conforming peer group which
reinforces socially approved behaviour.

Mass media:
From early forms of print technology to electronic communication (radio, TV, etc.), the media is
playing a central role in shaping the personality of the individuals. Since the last century,
technological innovations such as radio, motion pictures, recorded music and television have
become important agents of socialisation.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Television, in particular, is a critical force in the socialisation of children almost all over the new
world. According to a study conducted in America, the average young person (between the ages of 6
and 18) spends more time watching the ‘tube’ (15,000 to 16,000 hours) than studying in school.
Apart from sleeping, watching television is the most time-consuming activity of young people.

Relative to other agents of socialisation discussed above, such as family, peer group and school, TV
has certain distinctive characteristics. It permits imitation and role playing but does not encourage
more complex forms of learning. Watching TV is a passive experience. Psychologist Urie
Bronfenbrenner (1970) has expressed concern about the ‘insidious influence’ of TV in encouraging
children to forsake human interaction for passive viewing.

Workplace:
A fundamental aspect of human socialisation involves learning to behave appropriately within an
occupation. Occupational socialisation cannot be separated from the socialisation experience that
occurs during childhood and adolescence. We are mostly exposed to occupational roles through
observing the work of our parents, of people whom we meet while they are performing their duties,
and of people portrayed in the media.

The state:
Social scientists have increasingly recognised the importance of the state as an agent of socialisation
because of its growing impact on the life cycle. The protective functions, which were previously
performed by family members, have steadily been taken over by outside agencies such as hospitals,
health clinics and insurance companies. Thus, the state has become a provider of child care, which
gives it a new and direct role in the socialisation of infants and young children.

Not only this, as a citizen, the life of a person is greatly influenced by national interests. For example,
labour unions and political parties serve as intermediaries between the individual and the state. By
regulating the life cycle to some degree, the state shapes the station process by influencing our
views of appropriate behaviour at particular ages.

Related Articles:
1. Relationship between Socialisation and Deviation
 2. Mass Media and their Role in Modern Times – Essay

Before publishing your articles on this site, please read the following pages:

1. Content Guidelines 2. Prohibited Content 3. Plagiarism Prevention 4. Image Guidelines 5. Content

Filtrations 6. TOS 7. Privacy Policy 8. Disclaimer 9. Copyright 10. Report a Violation

ADVERTISEMENTS

5 Important Agencies of Socialization

Article shared by : <="" div="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: bottom; background: transparent;
max-width: 100%;">

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The following points highlight the five important agencies that

have contributed in the process of socialisation. The agencies
are: 1. The Family 2. The Peer Group 3. The School 4. The
Books 5. The Mass Media.
Agency # 1. The Family:
The family gets the baby first. Hence the process of socialisation
begins in the family. A child is born with some basic abilities that are
genetically transmitted through germplasm. These abilities and
capacities are shaped in ways determined by culture.

The mother with whom the relation of the child is the most intimate
plays a significant role in the process of moulding the child in the initial
stages. Subsequently, father and older siblings transmit to the child
many other values, knowledge and skill that children are expected to
acquire in that particular society.
Agency # 2. The Peer Group:
ADVERTISEMENTS:

As the child grows older, his contemporaries begin to influence him.

He spends most of his spare hours outside his work and study
schedule with his peers in the playground and places outside his
home. The attraction of peers is virtually irresistible to him.

He learns from them and they also learn from him. With the passage
of time, the peer group influence surpasses at of parents significantly.
It is not surprising that teen age is the age of parent-child
misunderstanding.

In the socialisation of the child, the members of the family, particularly

those who exercise authority over him, and the members of his peer
group exercise two different kinds of influence upon him. Both
authoritarian relationships (typified by the former) and equalitarian
relationships (typified by the latter) are equally significant to him.

He acquires the virtues of respect, constraint and obedience from the

first type of relationships, and the virtues of co-operation based on
trust and mutual understanding from the second.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The importance of authoritarian element in the socialization process

may be explained thus. First, the pattern of behaviour expected of a
child in a society does not usually or in all cases correspond to the
innate inclinations of the child. On the contrary, on many occasions he
is taught to act contrary to biological inclinations and follow the
prescriptions as well as the proscriptions of society.

Those who are mature and can command his respect and attention
are obviously the proper persons to initiate the process of
socialisation. Secondly, many cultural elements—both prescriptive
and prescriptive— are not always amenable to reason. The child will
naturally resent being asked to behave in a manner contrary to what
his natural inclinations prompt him to do.
In cases like this, the authority of those who are responsible for
reproducing and maintaining a child are in a unique position to make
him accept their instructions without questioning the logic and the
necessity of the contents of those instructions. He has to accept these
simply because his superiors lay them down for him.

The importance of equalitarian element in socialisation process rests

on altogether different grounds. There is free and spontaneous
interaction, instead of coercion, among those who have equalitarian
relationships. They view “the world through the same eyes,” share the
same subjective attitudes and, consequently, have perfect
“understanding” of one mother.

This applies to age mates, sex mates and class mates. They learn
from one mother “small folkways, shades of meaning, fads and
crazes, secret modes of gratification, and forbidden
knowledge.” Some such knowledge is “often socially useful and
yet socially abooed”.
Kingsley Davis has given the example of knowledge of sex which is
supposed 10 remain a closed book until marriage. If this were
followed, the problems of maladjustment and aberration of many kinds
would not have been infrequent Fortunately, such knowledge
is “transmitted as a part of the lore that passes from child to
child”.
Agency # 3. The School:
When the child comes to the school, his formal indoctrination into the
culture of the society begins. He is exposed to a wider background
than hitherto known to him. He is formally introduced to the lore and
the learning, the arts and the sciences, the values and the beliefs, the
customs and taboos of the society from a wider circle, his teachers
play a very significant role.

The child may admire, respect and love some of his teachers. The
impression which they make during this impressionable age lasts
almost throughout his life.

Agency # 4. The Books:

In literate societies another important agency of socialisation is the
printed word in books and magazines. Our cultural world—
 experiences and knowledge, values and beliefs, superstitions and
prejudices—is expressed in words.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

“Words rush at us in torrent and cascade; they leap into our vision as
in newspaper, magazine and textbook…… The words are always
written by someone and these people too—authors and editors and
advertisers— join the teachers, the peers and the parents in the
socialisation process”.

Agency # 5. The Mass Media:

Apart from newspapers which carry printed words, the two other mass
media, viz., the radio and television, exercise tremendous influence in
the socialisation process. They “assault our ears” and communicate
directly their messages and these messages also “contain in capsule
form the premises of our culture, its attitudes and ideologies”.

The role of television, in particular, is very significant. It communicates

directly to both our ears and eyes and thus leaves a strong
impression.

In individual cases, of course, the importance of these influences

varies. Different people react to the same suggestion differently.
Responses vary in terms of their natural predilections. “Some of us
respect tradition; others fear the opinion of their peers; and still
others prefer to listen to the ‘thousand tongues’ of conscience”.
David Riesman has characterised the first group as ‘tradition-
directed’, the second as ‘other directed’ and the third as ‘inner-
directed’. While discussing the nature and impact of socialisation
process, one cannot afford to ignore these innate characteristics of
human nature.

Home ›› Sociology ›› Socialisation ›› Agencies ›› Agencies of Socialisation

Related Articles:
1. Role of Educational Agencies in the Development of Society
 Upload and Share Your Article:
 Title*
 Description*
 Author Name*
 Author Email Id. (required)*

 File

Drop files here or

 Captcha

 LATEST

 100 + Sociology Questions & Answers for MA Entrance Exams

(2019,2020,2021)OCTOBER 29, 2018
 100 + Sociology Questions and Answers for M.Phil Entrance ExamsOCTOBER 29, 2018
 100 + Sociology Questions and Answers for Ph.d Entrance ExaminationOCTOBER 29,
2018
 101 Expected Sociology Questions and Answers for Civil Services
ExaminationOCTOBER 29, 2018

 101 Expected Sociology Questions and Answers for UGC-NETOCTOBER 29, 2018

Upload Your Knowledge on Sociology:

Upload Now
Terms of Service Privacy Policy Contact Us
© 2017 SociologyDiscussion - All rights reserved

Psychology Discussion
Top 6 Agencies of Socialization | Behavior | Psychology
Article Shared by <="" div="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border:
0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: bottom; background: transparent; max-width:
100%;">
This article throws light upon the primary and secondary agencies of socialisation:- 1.
The Home or the Family 2. The Neighbourhood and Community 3. The Peer Group
4. Social Class 5. Religion 6. Culture.

Agency # 1. The Home or the Family:

Every child is born into a family. The home or family is the first social agency with
which the child comes into contact. Interactions with other members of the family,
parents, siblings and others, have a lasting influence on the personality of the child
and his social behaviour.

The role of the family, particularly the parents, in shaping the social behavioural
pattern of the child was highlighted for the first time by Freud. No doubt, the
similarities among parents and children in their behavioural pattern was noticed
much earlier. But very often it was assumed that this was due to genetic or hereditary
factors. It was Freud, who for the first time analysed this phenomenon and showed
that genetic and hereditary factors are not responsible for this phenomenon.

Using the formulations of psychoanalytic theory, Freud attempted to explain the

impact of parental behaviour, parental attitudes and early childhood experiences on
the development of the personality and social behaviour of the child. “The family is
the society in miniature”, observed Freud. The above statement highlights the crucial
role of the family in the socialisation process.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

A human child compared to the young animal is much more dependent on the family
and for a much longer time. This fact to a large extent is responsible for the enduring
and significant role of the home in the process of socialisation. Psychoanalytic theory
of personality development attempted to highlight, how even such basic and
apparently non-social interactions like feeding behaviour, toilet training and other
forms of child rearing practices, can very much influence the child’s style and
manner of social behaviour.

Freud’s original findings in this regard were based on clinical experiences.

Subsequently, several studies were undertaken on child rearing practices in different
communities and societies, with the purpose of understanding the relationship
between prevalent child rearing practices and the nature of the adult character.
Researches were undertaken along different channels. On the one hand psychologists
and psychoanalysts carried out researches to show that different types of mental
disorders could be related to early childhood and child experiences and child rearing
practices. Rene Spitz coined the term ‘schizophrenogenic mothers’ in explaining the
etiology of schizophrenia. It was argued that mothers who are over indulgent and
over-protective tend to pre-dispose the children to develop into schizophrenics.

Studies on normal children, by Sears, Baldwin and others, have brought out evidence
to show that extreme shades of child rearing attitudes and practices on the part of the
parents have a definite influence in shaping the social behaviour of children. Some of
the behavioural patterns which have been investigated in this direction are
authoritarianism, aggressiveness and dependency.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

It has been found that aggressive social behaviour on the part of certain individuals is
definitely associated with certain specific patterns of child rearing. Similarly,
dependency is another social behavioural characteristic which has been investigated
extensively.

An individual who is over-aggressive in his behaviour is often so, because he himself

was at the receiving end as a child of a very aggressive and over dominant mother. It
is often said that ‘an ill-treated daughter-in-law becomes a cruel mother-in-law’.
Psychologists have also studied the phenomenon called ‘learnt helplessness’.

People, who are highly helpless and dependent are very often so, because they have
been either overprotected and overindulged and as a consequence have not learnt to
be independent and accept responsibilities, or because; they have been rejected and
not cared for, not receiving any attention or warmth during the rearing practice.

Researches in this context have perhaps not been able to establish a consistent set of
relationships between child rearing practices and other social behaviour.
Nevertheless, there is enough evidence to show that the socialisation process at home
during early childhood years leaves an indelible impression and influence on the
adult social behaviour of the child.

ADVERTISEMENTS:
Agency # 2. The Neighbourhood and Community:
Every family lives in a community. This provides the base for an individual to extend
social relations and interactions beyond the narrow limits of the home. This is
particularly true of villages where there is much more interaction among the various
families. In view of this, it is only natural that the community should play an
important role in influencing the process of socialisation. The neighbourhood uncles
and aunties are a source of social learning.

It is more, if the member families of a community have been living together for a long
time. In a way, the neighbourhood community can be regarded as a primary agency
of socialisation, next in importance only to the home. Apart from one’s own parents,
adults in the neighbourhood also exert an influence in the shaping of the social
behaviour of the growing child.

Agency # 3. The Peer Group:

The term peer group means the group of equals with whom a child interacts. This can
be a play group or a classroom group or any group of people more or less of the same
age and growth level. The role of the peer group in the process of socialisation is
quite significant. The peer group influence attains its highest level of influence
during the teenagers.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Freud observed that during this period named by him as the ‘latency period’ the
process of socialisation is very fast and very intense. Sullivan called this stage the
‘Juvenile era’. According to Sullivan the process of socialisation proceeds with
maximum intensity during this period.

This age has also been called the ‘gang’ age by some people. Peer group influence is
evident in the development of interests, values, communication styles etc. Similarly
sharing behaviour and a sense of ‘right and wrong’ are areas where peer group
influence is felt.

Peer group influence can also be negative. Very often children develop negativistic
attitudes and deviant patterns of behaviour as a result of peer group influence. It has
been found that juvenile delinquents very often function as gangs. The importance of
peer group influence can be readily seen when we compare the social behaviour of
students who stayed in hostels with those who have not stayed in hostels.
Agency # 4. Social Class:
Social class or what we may call ‘socio-economic class’ is another factor which plays a
crucial role in the process of socialisation. This is natural because child rearing habits
adopted by parents, vary according to the social class.

In addition, the nature of life at home also differs according to the social class. A
child from a home belonging to higher social class gets more exposure to media like
newspapers, magazines and television and is therefore more open to secondary
socialisation.

This is not the case with children hailing from families belonging to lower income
groups. Further, the’ kinds of people with whom members of a particular family
interact also depends on the social class. Children from upper class homes travel
more, read more, attend parties with their parents and visit clubs more compared to
children from lower income groups.

All these factors contribute to differences in the socialisation process and ultimately
bring about different types of social behaviour. Thorstein Veblen has propounded a
theory which he calls the theory of “leisure class”.

According to him, “in today’s world, people from higher income groups place a
considerable value in ‘conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure”. People
from the higher income groups not only consume more, they would like this to be
noticed by others.

Psychologists have also discussed the ‘middle class syndrome’. It has been observed
that a middle class culture is much more puritanical with an emphasis on rigid
adherence to traditional principles of morality. They have also been described as
more ambitious, entrepreneurial and growth-oriented.

Studies have also shown that children from lower classes acquire a sense of
independence and self-reliance much faster than children from higher income
groups. Children from higher income groups have often been found to be more
dependent. Thus, it may be seen that the social class to which a child belongs has a
great deal of influence in guiding the process of socialisation and ultimately the social
behaviour of the person. At the same time, it can also be seen that it is the middle
class which readily forsakes values.
 Agency # 5. Religion:
Religion is another agency which is involved in the process of socialisation,
particularly in the development of values and attitudes. The reader might have come
across the term ‘Protestant Ethic’, used to describe values, attitudes and orientation
of certain groups of people who subscribe to the faith of Protestants. Thus the values,
attitudes and orientations of the people in the U.S.A. is generally described as
representing the ‘Protestant Ethic’.

Agency # 6. Culture:
The reader may recall that while discussing the emergence of the cross cultural
perspective, reference was made to the importance of culture in shaping behaviour.
Culture is defined as the manmade part of our environment. The importance of
culture in shaping the personality and social behaviour of the individual was first
emphasised by anthropologists and subsequently by psychoanalysts.

Culture is a very broad term. People belonging to different religions may share the
same culture; thus we talk of an Oriental culture, Semitic culture, Teutonic culture
etc., or perhaps for that matter even the Aryan culture. There are many things which
people living in the Orient share in spite of differences among themselves, and which
marks them as different from the occidental people.

There are many things common to the people of India whether they are Hindus,
Muslims, Christians, Parsis or Sikhs. Culture plays a very important role in providing
a base for the process of socialisation and also for bringing about similarities in
personality and social behaviour.

Abram Kardiner came out with a concept of ‘basic personality structure’. The term
basic personality structure implies that in any culture people tend to develop a basic
common system of values, attitudes motivations etc., in-spite of differences. Culture
shapes the basic character of the individual.

Home ›› Agencies of Socialisation ›› Behaviour ›› Psychology ›› Socialisation

Related Articles:
1. The Process of Socialisation | Behavior | Psychology

Welcome to PsychologyDiscussion.net! Our mission is to provide an online platform to help students

to discuss anything and everything about Psychology. This website includes study notes, research
papers, essays, articles and other allied information submitted by visitors like YOU.
 Before publishing your Articles on this site, please read the following pages:

1. Content Guidelines
2. Privacy Policy
3. TOS
4. Disclaimer Copyright

Publish Your Article

ABOUT US

 Publish Your Article

 Contact Us

ADVERTISEMENTS