Understanding Why Family Is the Most Important Agent Socialization

Erik Homburger Erikson (1902-1994), a brilliant Germen-born American Psychoanalyst once said that “It is human to have a long childhood; it is civilized to have an even longer childhood. Long childhood makes a technical and mental virtuoso out of man, but it also leaves a life-long residue of emotional immaturity in him.” Sociologists, social psychologists, educationalist as well as anthropologists and politicians have studied the process of socialization for years. Great mines like Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, George Herbert Mead Carol Gilligan, and Charles Horton Cooley. All had a theory about the socialization process. Socialization is an important process through which individuals are able to interact within the society and they inherit their languages, values, norms, traditions, and customs in order for his/her peers to socially accept them. The agents of socialization are the persons, groups, or institutions that teach us what we need to know in order to participate in society. There are four important agents of socialization. They include family, peers, school, and the mass media (Argosy University Online, 2008). This essay will look at the changes since the 1950 to the present. In addition, Comparing and contrasting the differences in marriage and family.

At the same time as, I will interpret why a trend back towards traditional (pre-world war II) families might affect women’s right. While American societies have changed since the 1950’s, family is still the most important socialization agent. Sociologists, social psychologists, educationalist as well as anthropologists and politicians have studied the process of socialization. Great mines like Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), Erik Erikson (1902-1994), Jean Piaget (1896–1980), Lawrence Kohlberg (1981), George Mead (1863–1931), Carol Gilligan (1982), and Charles Cooley (1864–1929). All had a theory about the socialization process. Socialization is the process by which older members of a society teach their way of life to the young. Socialization is also the way we develop our own special personality, and this learning continues over the entire life course from infancy to old age (Argosy University Online, 2008). Socialization is an important process through which individuals are able to interact within the society and they inherit their languages, values, norms, traditions, and customs in order for his/her peers to socially accept them. Socialization is learned by individual through socialization agents.

Every social experience we have affects us in at least a small way. However, several familiar settings have special important to the socialization process. The key agents of socialization are the family, the school, the peer group, and the mass media this is what teaches us what we need to know in order to contribute in society (Argosy University Online, 2008). The family is the most important socialization agent, because parental influences play a key role on how we grow up and view the world. Moreover, it is the family job to teach children skills, religious beliefs, and their cultural values. Nothing is more possible to produce a happy child than a family that loves and supports them. In addition, children also get their social identity from their family. For example, wealthier families encourage good judgment and creativity, while lower-income families value obedience and conformity. Families have changed from being a traditional family (nuclear family) a wife a husband and two children, not only that, but both men and women traditional roles have changed from the 1950 to the present. For example, a lot of husbands to day stay at home and watches the children while their wife works.

This let you know that they have seen a dramatic change take place in the way families in the present are structured. The way families are structured today you may see the basic family-a married couple, a nuclear family, an extended family-where children are be raised by the grandparents or other family member, a homosexual family-where there are two men or two women raising children, and last but not least, the attenuated family-where there is only one parent in the household, and the male is usually missing. When I compared and contrasted the differences in marriage and family with relation to race, I have to say that In the United States and other countries, family is structure and then they get marriage, because it is an officially permitted relationship, which is usually involving economic cooperation, sexual activity, and childbearing (Argosy University Online, 2008). The African American family and The Caucasian American family have some similarities between them, but there are a lot of differences. Although the similarities are few when it comes to class, they both wanted to be in the upper class in there society, so they can provided for their families. They both want a prominent position in the corporate world. They both want to love and support their wives, and lastly, they both want to get married one day and raise a family. Moreover, in contrasts the African American families and the Caucasian American families when it comes to class are different.

The African American men do not get the same opportunity in cooperate America then the Caucasian American men. While wives are making more money than they did in the 50s, the husband still does not want his wife to make more money than them in his household. I feel the trend towards diverse families is positive, as long as the parents instill their family values and norms to be successful in their society, and in life. Yes it will be hard at first, trying to fit in the too society, but once they do they’ll be like any other family. When I trend back towards a traditional (pre-world war II) family, women was the homemakers. I have to say that family is essentially an important factor in an individual making it in his/her society. Traditionally a woman’s place in a nuclear family was in the home, and they had the reasonability of taking care of the children, cooking, cleaning, and looking good for their husband, because he was the sole provider and women were the homemaker. I remember when I was growing up everybody wanted to be like the white and upper middle class family sitcoms like Leave it to Beaver. They had the family norms back then that every family wanted to be like black or white.

The father complements his wife, while giving love and support to her for being the maker of the home. “The traditional belief that a professional career woman must sacrifice her family life until her mid-life is a violation of her human rights (N/A).” I believe women’s rights were affected, because parenting played a big role in women pursuing their career in a traditional (pre-world war II) family and some women economically became dependent on their partner. Before the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Women’s Reserve Act in 1942, women thought that their role in a family was predominantly domestic labor and childrearing.

While American societies have changed since the 1950’s, family is still the most important socialization agent. Throughout time sociologists and psychologists have been explaining the socialization process. Hopefully my above explanation, help you understand that family is the most important Agent of Socialization, because it plays an important role in the life of an individual. Moreover, it is the family job to teach children skills, religious beliefs, and their cultural values. It is the family job to teach the child different positive attributes to make him/her feel respected and confident in the society.

References:

Argosy University Online (2008). Macionis. Society: The Basics, 10th Edition Lecture Notes. Retrieved on from http://www.myeclassonline.com. Satz, Debra, “Feminist Perspectives on Reproduction and the Family”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.).

(N/A, 2009).Working outside the home and traditional family gender roles: Is it time to reconsider? From retrieved http://www.helium.com/items/1394519-working-outside-the-home-and-traditional-family-gender-roles-is-it-time-to