Describe and assess the evidence that socialisation plays a major part in shaping human behavior?

Answer 1

Socialisation refers to the process of learning one’s culture and how to live within it. The process of socialisation involves the transmission of culture from one generation to the next. It is during socialisation that individuals learn the values and norms that play such an important part in shaping human behaviour. Socialisation provides the skills and habits necessary for acting and participating within one’s society.

Charles Cooley divided socialisation into two stages – primary and secondary socialisation. Primary socialisation is the early years of our socialisation. It occurs when a child learns the attitudes, values and actions appropriate to individuals as members of a particular culture. The most important agency of primary socialisation is the family and significant others. Secondary socialisation refers to the process of learning the appropriate behaviour as a member of a smaller group within the larger society. Secondary socialisation is a never ending process. It involves a number of different agencies such as family, media, institutions, peer groups and employment.

The social psychologist G.H.Mead (The Mind, the Self and Society) made an important contribution to understanding the process of primary socialisation. He identified three different stages; the preparatory stage, the play stage and the game stage. During the preparatory stage, the child learns by imitating significant others. During this stage, simple rewards and punishments are used. In the play stage, the infant plays at being other people. According to Mead, this is a crucial stage in child development since the child learns from playing how other people think. When the child reaches the age of 7 or 8, they enter the game stage. During this stage, the child internalises the rules of the game. At this stage, the child begins to experience emotions such as guilt. Mead suggested that it was essential that children pass through these stages of socialisation by interacting with other..