ZIMSEC A LEVEL NOTES ON TYPES OF SOCIALISATION

 TYPES AND APPROACHES OF SOCIALISATION

By Wilbert Masamba 

Definition of terms

 Approach

- is a way of dealing with a situation or problem

Socialisation

-is the process through which people are taught to be proficient members of a society.

- the process of inducting the individual into the social world

Approaches of socialization

- the guiding approach is the Ubuntu/unhu philosophy

Ubuntu/unhu pivots on humanity meaning "l am because we are"

-it places emphasis on being self through others

- Ubuntu gives a common guiding principle of human values

- Without ubuntu mankind is enveloped by greed selfishness, immortality and pride among other things

- Samkange & Samkange (1980:89) defines unhu as being more than biological being. He further asserts that it is the attention one human being gives to another, the kindness, courtesy, consideration, friendliness in the relationship between people, a code of behaviour, an attitude to others and life.

- in line with the given definition, the ubuntu/unhu philosophy  is the yardstick in which all the types of socialization processes are centred on, to come out with a wholesome person whose personality is socially acceptable

Types of socialization

- there are basically 5 types of socialization namely

*  Primary

*  Secondary

*  Developmental/ Adult

*  Anticipatory

*  Resocialisation

 Primary Socialization

-takes place in the early years of life of the new born individual

- it is the process which people learn attitudes, values, actions appropriate to individuals as members of a given society. e.g. a child learns the language of people s/he stays with, at a tender age can scold or praise depending on how one is shaped

-this transpires at family level, when a child learns love, sadness, humour, communication etc

-a child learns the most basic norms, values, goals, attitudes of our culture and society from the family. Examples include greetings, saying please, thank you, table mannerisms, toilet usage etc

-children internalise norms and values by imitating their parents/ guardians

-at this given stage, they are rewarded for socially acceptable behaviour and punished for socially deviant behavior

- they also learn language and cognitive skills

Primary Socialization is the first stage in which the social norms are internalised

Secondary Socialization

 -it refers to a process of learning what os appropriate behaviour as a member of a smaller group within a larger society

-it is a larger more specialised group in which members engage in impersonal, goal oriented relationships. 

-an individual will learn more complex norms and values

-occurs in later childhood

Examples include school, media, workplace

- these can be very influential in teaching norms, values and customs

- media can create hero worshipping and a child may end up idolising a certain character. 

- in schools and workplaces certain values are inculcated which may later define someone. For example time keeping

Development/Adult Socialization

-it os the process of learning behaviour in a social institution or developing social skills

For example a shy senior high school student starts to teach form ones in order to develop verbal communication

- it teaches people to take on new duties

-the main aim of developmental socialization is to bring  change  in the views of the individual

- it is more likely to change overt behaviour, whereas child socialization moulds basic values

Anticipatory socialization

-is the process facilitated by social interactions, in which non group members learn to take on the values and standards of groups that they aspire to join so as to erase their entry into the group and help them interact competently once the have been accepted by it

- as a person learns the proper beliefs, values, norms of a status/group to which s/he aspire, s/he is learning how to act in the new role. 

Examples include bridal showers or bachelor's parties in which one would be socialized into marriage

 Resocialisation

- it refers to the process of discarding former behaviour patterns and accepting new ones as part of a transition in one's life. This occurs throughout the human life (Schaefer & Lamn 1992)

- this refers to the process whereby an individual or a group, are brought in contact with a new culture, which requires them to leave behind their old identity and take up a new one

For example when a criminal is rehabilitated, one has to change the role radically e.g. having a haircut, jewellery taken, change pf dressing to jail attire, no phone etc or one finds self a widow

Qsn: Is there any difference between pre colonial and contemporary ways and forms of socialization?

Qsn: *Primary socialisation plays a significant role in shaping the behavior of children throughout their lifetime as compared to other approaches of socialisation. Do you agree?*

Answer :

Hard working 

Love for people 

Humility 

Respect and kindness are some of the values in the home that can create such a strong bond for a long time

SIGNIFICANCE OF SOCIALISATION 

I think it is also important to look at the significance of socialisation and these include :

Firstly, it is through the process of Socialization, as Otite and Ogionwo (1979) have rightly argued, that human beings who are biological beings become socially human.

 Socialization ensure the continuity of society or it persistence over time due to inculcation into its members of the essential values and norms necessary for its survival and development.

 It is through Socialization that individuals and groups are assigned specific roles e.g., men and women in the society and they will continue to perform their various responsibilities or duties. 

It further serves to standardise the acceptable patterns of behaviours in most societies and among the individuals and corporate groups in existence.

Socialization process also serves the function of providing the members of society with appropriate skills and knowledge for performing future roles e.g., training of people in formal institutude such as schools, colleges, vocationals institutions etc

New members of the society are often Socialized into accepting the moral code of society, the basis upon which the society survives; without moral regulation, most societies are likely to fall apart.

Finally, it is through Socialization that every member of the society is provided with his or her personality.

 It should, however, be noted that consequences of the Socialization process may also prevail resulting in deviant behaviours, including criminality, among individuals and groups in society.