Your agents of socialization, that's who! We've spent the first few days of our socialization unit examining how we learn about the norms of society and who teaches us those things so that we can be well mannered, positive, functioning members of society, and your agents of socialization (see the comprehensive list below) help you to reach this lofty goal at all points of your life. Remember, as pointed out in class, you never stop being socialized.....you all socialize me every day, which is why I can use words like "beast" in a sentence.....such as "Patrick Sharp is a beast on the ice this season!" Did I do that right? :) Anyway, here is a list of those who socialize you....feel free to comment if I forgot anybody!
*Family--Mom & Dad have first crack at teaching you how to be a good member of society. They not only teach you language and help you with motor skills, they teach you useful things like how to tie your shoes, when to say please and thank you, and give you a sense of right and wrong that you can use to interpret the world around you. To take a page out of Cooley's socialization textbook, you may see yourself as your parents see you......hopefully your parents have been your biggest fans and you see yourself positively as well.
*Friends/Peers--You enter school and all of a sudden the good manners and values your parents instilled in you may be erased by some of your peers who have no problems teaching you swear words, or that sharing may not indeed be caring :) You join clubs and sports and hang out with people that are just like you. Speaking of sports....
*Sports--Just as with Candyland, sports teaches you cooperation and teamwork, the value of hard work, and give you a competitive drive.
*Religion--Regardless of your religious affiliation, this is a major highway for values and morals to enter your brain. Golden Rule, anyone?
*Daycare--If your parents had to work, you might have been dropped off at KinderCare, or other places to keep your 3 year old self occupied and out of trouble. As I've seen in my family, this is a mixed bag. Daycare teaches you language skills and independence that you might not receive at home if you're with Mom 24/7, but you're not as connected to your parents.
*Work--If you have a job right now, that is part of your identity, and shapes your behaviors accordingly. As you get older, you are defined by your job....it's less about who you ARE but what you DO. I've found with family and friends who have retired that they have a real terrible time adjusting to their life without work because they don't have that anchor to guide their days.
*Media--Miss Katy Perry proved the point here, as does my gal pal Miley Cyrus. Little kids are very impressionable.....and heck, you teenagers are as well. You see all sorts of images on TV, on the Internet, and in movies and print media that tell you that you need to wear your hair "just like this" or dress "just like that" and life will be perfect for you. If you eat this or that, you'll be strong and popular. Clothing labels like Forever 21, Abercrombie and Fitch and Aeropostale are creating a line of their clothing for kids as young as 6 to hook them in to their brands at a young age. I see it with my nieces. Clothes from Kohls or Target are fine, but if it says Old Navy it's even better and means you're "cool" and "popular."
What do you think? Did I leave anything out?
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