Agents of Socialization--- Children Agents of socialization are the persons, groups, or institutions that teach us what we need to know

to participate in society. The people, groups, and institutions Identify the key agents of socializaotin : The People, groups, and institution that teach us what we need to know to participate in society are called agents of socialization. The agents include the fa ily, schools, peer groups, the edia, and the workplace. Families, which trans it cultural and social !alues to us, are the ost i portant agents of socialization in all societies and ha!e these roles: "#$ procreating and socializing children, "%$ pro!iding e otional support, and "&$ assigning social position. Schools are another key agent of socialization' they not only teach knowledge and skills (ut also deeply influence the self-i age, (eliefs, and !alues of children. Peer groups contri(ute to our sense of (elonging and self-worth' they teach and reinforce cultural nor s and are a key source of infor ation a(out accepta(le (eha!iour. The media function as socializing agents (y "#$ infor ing us a(out world e!ents, "%$ introducing us to a wide !ariety of people, and "&$ pro!iding an opportunity to li!e !icariously through other people)s e*periences.
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The Family: The ost i portant agency of childhood socialization is the fa ily, or in so e cases the group or organization which looks after the child in early infancy. First, the family has early access to the child while its personality, self- image and identity are still unformed. The family interacts with the child before the child has encountered the world on its own and while the child has little ability to reason and criticize and challenge the things it is being taught. Second, in early childhood the family has almost exclusive access to the child. the impact of the family or of the group or organization which looks after the child in earliest infancy has the potential to make deep and lasting

Third, the family is a primary group, one in which relationships involve emotion, intimacy and strong ties of loyalty and obligation. ithin primary relationships such as these, the influence of one person on another has a deeper impact and meaning than in secondary relationships where ties of loyalty, emotion, intimacy and obligation are much weaker or absent. The School: The second agency of childhood socialization in our society is the school and the educational system. Schools bridge the gap between the intimate and personal life of the family and the impersonal and often bureaucratic organization of adult institutions. !t school the child is taught not only the intended, planned and conscious lessons in english, math, reading and writing but also learns, perhaps unconsciously, many other unintended, latent lessons about his or her social world that are part of the hidden curriculum. The child learns standards of behaviour and obedience to authority, that conformity to teachers" and principals" e#pectations is rewarded whereas independent behaviour which deviates from their e#pectations may be punished. Peer Groups: ! peer group is a group of people who are linked by common interests, e$ual social position, and %usually& similar age %see the

te#tbook, page '(&. )n the case of children, their peer group is their classmates, friends and relatives of the same age. )n such peer groups that the child learns to conform to the e#pectations of others within his or her own informal social world. *eer groups function as agents of socialization by contributing to our sense of belonging and our feelings of self-worth. +nlike families and schools, peer groups provide children and adolescents with some degree of freedom from parents and other authority figures The Mass Media: The mass media is important because it plays an e#tremely important role in influencing public opinion. )t also e#poses children and youth to alternative, and sometimes conflicting, norms and values to those supported and e#pressed in the family, the school and the local community. Through the mass media, children and youth see other ways of acting and behaving than those which are taken for granted in their own milieu. The mass media are powerful in presenting to children and youth new roles and new role-models to copy and emulate. Religious Organization: religious organizations do atte pt to instill in the child a (asic set of (eliefs concerning the ulti ate eaning of life and atte pt to recruit the child to a particular religious syste of (elief and practices. In Conclusion the socialization process allo!s "or the development o" individual personalities !hile also producing some degree o" con"ormity to the dominant norms o" the society or social group in !hich the individual gro!s up#