Socialization is the learning process, how we acquire the beliefs, attitudes, values and behaviors that become our way of thinking.  Some sociologists define it as a way of passing on the culture from one generation to another.  It is a process that is characterized by the following:

1. A life long process that continues throughout the life cycle from early childhood until our death.

2. Much of it takes place in the early years when we are in the formative years.  At this time we are under the influence of our parents.  In these early years 1-6 years, we are influenced mainly by our parents without much outside influences.

3. During the early childhood development much socialization takes place because the child is receptive to learning:

o He or she is open to ideas, no prejudices or biases exist yet

o The child has a strong desire to be accepted or be part of the family group or to please the mother and father

o No critical analysis is yet formed

o Parents as authority figures are held in the highest esteem

4. Change is not likely to take place for most people from what they learn in early childhood.  In other words, most of the early socialization stays with us the rest of our lives.  The basic values system—religion, patriotism, and sense of self doesn’t change in the life experience for most people.  Something to think about:  most of what we believe was acquired before we reached the age of reason.

5. Potential for change occurs in key points in the life cycle.  These include adolescence, going to college, making changes in life style, such as, getting married, having children, taking on an occupation and growing old.

6. The impact of nature is highlighted in the nature vs. nurture debate.  How much is inherent in our psychology, biology, chemistry and how much is learned is hard to know.

7. Agents of socialization are those responsible for the learning process.  They can be divided into two categories:  primary and secondary agents.

Primary Agents

   Family

   School

   Peers

   Media

Secondary Agents

   Race

   Religion

   Gender

   Occupation

   Geographical Region

   Events

The first and most important agent is the family.  Mother or father if they are together in the process can achieve the desired result.  If they disagree than either one will be successful over the other or the child will avoid conflict and not adopt the views of either parent. 

Much about the family has changed:

      Decline of the nuclear family

      Single parent households

      Latchkey and surrogate parents

      Divorce

      Decline of extended family

All of these changes impact socialization

Schools (grade and high) mainly reinforce family socialization.  The exception in the school system is the college experience where the environment is different and the student is receptive to change.  Schools should be seen as a combination of the following:  teachers, books and materials, classes, peers, and environmental culture.  The more all of these elements are congruent with each other the more likely an influence is likely to occur.  If only one element like a teach is different or at odds with previous socialization then the effect is likely to be minimal. The one generalization from the literature is that a college education is likely to produce tolerance but not increases in political knowledge, efficacy, or political participation.

Additional Resources:

Socialization

Week Six

Schools
One of the primary agents of socialization is the schools.  Next to the family the schools are one of the first agents of socialization that children are exposed to after being socialized exclusively by the family.  Schools can be viewed as having three major components:  teachers, classes and texts, and a culture.  If all of these factors work together than the school can be an effective agent, influence the development of ideas.  Especially in light of today’s problems in the family (for example, single parents, divorce), the school is seen as a surrogate parent expected to “fill in” for parents who do not have the time or the desire to socialize their children.  Much of the literature was conducted in the 70’s when the family was more stable.  One could hypothesize that the school is a more important agent of socialization in our time.

The literature on political socialization suggests that the school is mainly a reinforcing agent.  Schools tend not to be controversial or direct in their effort to socialize young people.  Teachers and texts tend not to be critical or controversial.  Instead the tendency is for schools to be conservative and non-controversial.  The emphasis is placed on civic education with a stress on citizen responsibility, patriotism, and the development of positive attitudes toward the U.S. government and America.  In fact, many of the same stories about the founders are still told.  The negative side of America, for example, the way Indians and African Americans have been treated tend to be downplayed.  The “hidden agenda” is to create positive attitudes among the young even if this means teaching revisionist history.

Students who take civics or government classes in public schools do not seem to achieve higher levels of political information, political participation, or political efficacy(positive attitudes about political participation and their ability to influence government policy) than students who do not take the courses.  This is probably due to the fact that the content of the courses and the teachers are not very challenging.  In fact the courses are often taught by teachers without a background in political science and the courses tend to stress facts and non-controversial ideas rather than critical thinking.

Teachers in general have been shown not to have much of an impact on political socialization.  This is probably due to the fact that the family is a much stronger agent of socialization than any individual teacher and also the fact that teachers are not free to voice controversial opinions in most grade and high schools.  However, keep in mind that much of this literature was gathered in the 70’s and 80’s and doesn’t speak to the changes that have taken place in society in more recent years.

The hidden agenda or hidden curriculum appears to be successful at instilling loyalty, patriotism, and obedience to the law, but does not have as much of an impact on the formation of attitudes toward political institutions and processes, such as, willingness to vote and participate in politics.  Differences exist among children based on whether they come from upper or lower socioeconomic homes.  Families with parents who have a college education, for example, seem to pass the desired goals of the educational system:  political awareness, efficacy and willingness to participate in politics, on to their children while lower class families do not.  This suggests that schools (grammar and high) do not have as much influence on the socialization process as does the family.

The college experience appears to be very different from grade and high schools.  The potential to influence is much greater in college.  The environment is different with teachers and classes more willing to be controversial and to provide an alternative to opinions learned in the earlier years.  If the total experience, teachers, classes, peers, and culture are in agreement than an impact is much more likely to take place.  If only one or two of these elements offers an alternative to earlier socialization than change is much less likely to occur. Data on this subject goes back as far as the 1940's with the famous Bennington College study.  In that longitudinal study the young women who went to Bennington changed from the conservative views of their parents as a result of their college experience.
 

Adolescence

As children early adolescence  (12-14) involvement with peers and the attraction of peer identification increases.  Pre-adolescents is a time of rapid physical, emotional and social changes.  It is at this time that teens begin to question adult values, standards and the need for parental guidance.  They find it reassuring to turn for advice to friends who understand and sympathize — friends who are in the same position themselves.

The peer group is a source of affection, sympathy and understanding; a place for
experimentation; and a supportive setting for achieving the two primary developmental tasks of adolescence. These are: (1) identity — finding the answer to the question "Who Am I?" and (2) autonomy — discovering that self as separate and independent from parents. It is no wonder, then, that adolescents like to spend time with their peers.

1. Teens tend to spend more time with their peers
2. They are also more mobile than when younger so more time is spent with peers without parental supervision. 
3. During the teen years, there will be increased contact with opposite-sex peers. 
4. In the early teen years, often small groups of friends or cliques are formed which help to boost their confidence and give them a sense of identity. 
5. Another feature of the teen years is the emergence of crowds. These are large groups of teens who gather together because they have characteristics that identify them with a particular crowd.
6.  Teens use crowds to figure out who to associate with. Crowds help teens sort peers
into groups of people they would like to spend time with and those they wouldn't. 
7. Through crowds and cliques, teens show other people who they are.

Service Learning and Political Socialization
Newcomb's Bennington College Study