Socialization: definition, types, stages and stages of personality socialization.

Personal socialization is the process of integrating a person into the social system by mastering norms, rules, skills and knowledge that will help him function normally in society. If the behavior of animals is determined by instincts, then a person needs socialization for normal life.

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Definition of socialization

Before discussing this topic, it is necessary to understand what socialization as such is.

Psychological science says that
socialization
is the process of an individual entering a social system, mastering its norms, rules of behavior, values, knowledge and skills, and psychological attitudes.

Another, “unofficial” definition says that socialization is what allows a person to live in harmony with the world around him. How is this harmony achieved?

Man is the only creature who, let’s say, is not born by himself. Any animal at birth belongs to a certain species - the same one to which its parents belonged. And only a person, in order to obtain the characteristics inherent to his species, is obliged to undergo a long and complex process of socialization, individual forms of which occur throughout his entire life. In fact, if a newborn is left in the forest and there he randomly survives, then he will not learn to speak, or build, or even hunt. Certain forms of learning, of course, exist in many animals, but they take place only for a short time; an animal that has not undergone “socialization” still has a great chance of surviving and producing offspring, since the basic skills are embedded in its instincts. Long and complex socialization is observed only in higher primates, which proves that this phenomenon did not arise suddenly, but was inherited from our animal ancestors and evolved over thousands of years.

Socialization functions

Socialization plays an important role for both the individual and society. The main functions of socialization are the following:

For the individual : a comprehensive, time-extended entry into the objective world - a separate part of society, a family or other community. Socialization makes it possible to understand oneself and interpret the behavior of other people, and interact with others.
For society : socialization is one of the factors of normal reproduction of society. Despite the fact that people are constantly born and die, socialization makes it possible for society to reproduce itself and is a condition for the preservation and development of social culture.

Types of socialization

Socialization is a difficult, even contradictory process. In the process of his development, an individual becomes acquainted with both humanity as a whole and individual groups of people who have their own rules, goals and guidelines.

Therefore, experts distinguish several types of this phenomenon:

Primary socialization
begins at the birth of a child and ends with the formation of a mature personality. It lays the foundations for all subsequent development of a person, and to some extent determines the scenario of his future life. The family is of greatest importance, because it is the first thing a child sees in his life. It is necessary to keep in mind that children perceive what they see around them uncritically, therefore they regard the behavior of adults in the family as basic, standard. Alcoholism and sloppiness, unsanitary conditions in the house - all this is “imprinted” in the child’s mind and can remain with him for life if he does not go through the subsequent stages of socialization. And vice versa - intelligence and cleanliness learned in the family will also accompany him in the future. In the future, kindergarten, school, a group of friends and peers become new social environments, where the child has to get accustomed to a new environment and act in accordance with new rules.
Secondary socialization, or resocialization
, is the process of eliminating previous patterns of behavior and learning new ones. This process continues throughout the individual's life. During resocialization, a person experiences a complete break with his past and feels the need to assimilate new values that are strikingly different from those that he previously adhered to. Typically, the changes that occur during secondary socialization are less than during primary socialization.
Group socialization
is a process that takes place within a social group. So, if a child spends more time with his peers than in the family, then he more actively adopts the norms and rules inherent in the peer group.
Gender socialization
is a process that involves learning the role of a man or woman in society. At the same time, boys learn to be men, and girls learn to be women. In the past, gender socialization was an important and necessary part of a person's entry into society, but nowadays gender has largely ceased to have any meaning. Equality of rights and opportunities eliminates the need to “command” and “obey”, and representatives of both sexes have the opportunity to master the same professions, occupy the same positions and take on the same social roles (for example, in a family, both parents can take turns working and raising children, either the wife works, and the husband looks after the household and raises the children, or “the old fashioned way” - the husband works, and the wife takes care of the household and children). The principles of gender socialization are still strong in traditional, backward societies (in the countries of Asia and Africa), but even there they are gradually losing their position.
Organizational socialization
is a process in which an individual who is part of an organization learns its norms and rules and masters the skills of his work within its framework.
Early socialization
is the process of mastering norms, rules and skills that do not correspond to the current level of physical, psychological and social development. First of all, this type of socialization is understood as a game - a kind of “rehearsal” for future social activity.

Mechanisms of socialization

The assimilation of social norms and rules is carried out through socio-psychological mechanisms of socialization, which include suggestion, mental infection, imitation, identification, conformity, stereotyping, social assessment, reference group, authority, popularity, prestige, role prescriptions, social and group expectations - expectations , directed at the subject by society and the group to which he belongs. At different age stages, different mechanisms of socialization are dominant.

Stages of socialization

Socialization is a complex and gradual process that takes place in several stages. The first step should be social adaptation. This is the name given to the active adaptation of an individual to the conditions of the social environment in which he finds himself. It is believed that adaptation takes place at three levels - physiological, psychological and social.

On the physiological

stage, a person explores a new environment for himself, enters into new social connections and studies his capabilities, which will help him to realize himself in a given social group. At this time, the individual actively communicates and gets used to living by new rules, after which he tries to make his own efforts to achieve results that are relevant for the given team.

At the stage of individualization

a person is already firmly aware of himself as a unit of society. In fact, the formation of a personality takes place - an individual who has his own beliefs, abilities, skills, and his own assessment of what is happening. If at the first stage of socialization he learns to be like others in everything, then at the next stage he tries to become unlike others, having his own characteristics, which, however, are part of the general system of values and are regulated by it.

However, individualization is a rather subjective process. The assimilation of general rules and common experience and self-realization in a social group occur differently for each person. Some, for example, decide to become as conformal as possible, that is, to follow the norms and rules in everything; Such pedantry in some individuals reaches the point of absurdity. Others, during socialization, overcome stereotypes, break certain rules and behave non-standardly, however, ensuring the overall development of the group. Finally, still others destroy the very foundations of a given social group, resulting in either its disintegration or the expulsion of a given individual from the group.

The next stage of socialization is integration

. This term came to social science from exact and natural disciplines - mathematics, biology, physics; and it means the process of acceptance of personality by other members of a social group. Society reaches some consensus - agrees to at least “tolerate” a newcomer who promises to live at least by basic general rules and not interfere with others. More successful integration occurs if the newcomer is useful in some way to a given social group; For this individual, society is even ready to forgive certain “weaknesses” and inconsistencies.

It should be noted that the complete absence of any discrepancies in socialization is undesirable, at least in developed societies. Absolute conformism is usually perceived as one of the forms of deviant behavior, because a conformist does not bring anything useful to society. The main part of a particular social group has a certain “degree of freedom,” but in such a way as not to violate the foundations of this group. However, in undeveloped, primitive societies, absolute conformism is encouraged; in such societies the slightest deviation from the norm, even if it is beneficial to the entire group, is persecuted and eliminated. In such societies, each person is obliged to hold a spoon in a strictly defined hand at dinner, get out of bed on a strictly defined leg, chew food at a strictly defined speed of jaw movement, etc. An example of such a society is the population of Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. In developed societies, rules and norms are perceived only as a means to help organize all members of the group into a system; and in primitive societies, norms and rules are an end in themselves, and socialization comes down to memorizing them.

Socialization structure

Socialization is a two-way process, including, on the one hand, the assimilation by an individual of social experience by entering into a social environment, a system of social connections, on the other hand, the process of active reproduction of a system of social connections by an individual due to his active activity, active activity, active inclusion into the social environment. Thus, in the structure of socialization two interrelated processes can be distinguished:

The process of internalization of social experience (social typification) – the subject’s assimilation of social norms, values and standards of behavior.
The process of exteriorization (individualization, autonomization) of social experience is the active recreation by a person of acquired experience in the process of independent activity, behavior and communication, the reproduction by the subject of social relations through his own activity.

Stages of personality socialization

It has been noted that one of the main goals of socialization is to overcome one’s egocentrism. Entering any social group requires an understanding that “you are not alone.” This is considered one of the signs of growing up. It is known that a child up to a certain age perceives himself as the center of the universe, and this is his natural state. Subsequently, we observe what is called youthful maximalism: the teenager continues to consider himself “the very best,” the one and only, but is faced with an abundance of the same “one and only” around him. This leads to conflicts, often serious ones.

Individuals who have not undergone socialization for some reason retain for a long time the characteristics characteristic of children or “newcomers.” Those around them perceive them as infantile and narrow-minded people, but in reality everything is more complicated. If in adulthood the passion inherent in adolescents for learning new things, active communication, and mastering new skills and abilities remains, then this can only be welcomed. At the same time, egocentrism and difficult experiences of one’s failures are clearly undesirable signs for a mature personality.

An example of insufficient socialization in adulthood is belief in “alternative histories” - the writings of Nosovsky and Fomenko, Chudinov and other pseudoscientific freaks. The point here is not only about political, “patriotic” and selfish motives. It’s just that a child, just starting to explore the world and discovering something new, strives to share his discovery with others; parents and other older members of society, to play along with him, share his joy.

During his school years, a teenager is faced with the impossibility of being a pioneer in the modern world: everything he learns about has already been discovered by someone, and his “discovery” is no longer of great value to others. A mentally healthy person gradually gets used to this situation and finds unexplored areas where he can show his skills and give something new to society. And a mentally disabled person experiences rejection from this situation; Instead of searching for unexplored areas, he is eager to “rediscover” what has already been discovered, to create a sensation and receive the laurels of a discoverer, which, as he is sure, simply must belong to him.

The biography of Anatoly Fomenko, the author of the famous pseudoscientific “New Chronology,” very clearly presents us with just such a person - an unsocialized intellectual who, for the sake of the honor of being a discoverer, is ready to commit any lie and achieve his goal by any means. For a long time he eked out the life of a “lesser” mathematician, compiled standard textbooks on geometry for students and was content with a modest salary. In the end, he got tired of it, he realized that the modest and routine work of teaching did not bring happiness, and decided to do something loud and sensational. In his native field, geometry, it is very difficult to become a discoverer, but history is a different matter. Written in collaboration with the equally unsocialized intellectual Gleb Nosovsky, “New Chronology” instantly became a bestseller; Many uneducated readers of this work seriously call Fomenko a “prophet.”

It was said above that school becomes an important environment for primary socialization. Indeed, the task of school is not only to provide some knowledge on various subjects, but also to teach how to live in society. In many countries, special techniques are used for this purpose. For example, in the United States, schools do not have stable classrooms; When a student enrolls in school, he chooses which subjects he will study, and at each lesson he finds himself in a new classroom, in a completely new team. Such socialization is very useful, especially in the USA, because a significant part of the population of this country lives in very small settlements where “everyone knows each other,” but excessive attachment to “one’s own corner” can create problems in the future when it is necessary to change place of residence (in connections with study, work, etc.).

Most Russians live in cities and towns with significantly larger populations, so they do not feel an urgent need for this type of school in our country. At the same time, another type of socialization is required - the ability to work in a stable team, which a Russian-style school can handle quite well.

Stages of socialization

Any person at some point in his life began to enter society. Basically, this happens very early in childhood, when the child is sent to kindergarten and he first begins to interact with other children, with strangers, new adults, and so on. This process is called the socialization of the individual. In fact, it haunts us all our lives, as we often come into contact with new people, move up the levels of education, and professional positions. Rice. 1. Socialization of the individualTwo foundations that make up the entire process of socialization:

Initial stage.
Or primary. It all starts with the birth of an individual and continues until his death. Initially, he recognizes himself only in the family circle and adopts the principles of behavior from his parents. Then the social circle expands - the child goes to kindergarten, where the process of socialization as such begins, because he has to interact with other children and adults. Their behavior and rules may differ from those accepted in the family of each individual.
Second stage . At this stage, the individual begins to rebuild his personality, his beliefs and values change, after he enters a period of maturity and begins to realize his place in the social group.

Important! The main teachers are, of course, people. They are the ones who act in the process of training new social persons, teaching them culture and social values. Naturally, this process is untargeted, rather unconscious.

Socialization results

In the process of socialization, social norms, values and requirements move into the internal plane and become the basis of human behavior. In the process of socialization, there is interaction between the individual and society, coordination of mutual requirements and expectations. At the same time, the individual does not simply assimilate and reproduce social patterns; on the contrary, in the course of socialization, the actualization of its capabilities, potentials, expansion and deepening of self-awareness is carried out, i.e. personality development occurs.

Indicators of successful socialization of an individual are:

Inclusion of the individual in the system of social relations.
Expanding and deepening the individual’s connection with people and various spheres of society.
Mastery of social experience, its appropriation and transformation into one’s own values, attitudes and orientations.
Active activity of the individual with his active involvement in the social sphere.
Active reproduction of the system of social connections.

It should be emphasized that the main vector of socialization is a positive focus on morality and law. Deviation has the opposite direction - the deviation of the subject’s behavior from social norms.

Agents of Socialization

There are main people who help individuals enter society and are their first and main teachers:

The first group of people.
Here parents, grandparents, relatives, brothers, sisters, friends and teachers participate and help in the socialization of the individual. This is the first and main society of man.
Second group . People of higher and more complex positions are already appearing here. For example, this could be a school director, a head teacher, or a police officer. This is the group that is smaller, but still influences the individual.
Third group . Mass participation is already taking place here. The whole school as a whole, the university, the state.

Phases of personality socialization

Socialization never happens spontaneously. The entire process of socialization occurs in three main stages:

First stage.
At this phase, mastery and memorization of those norms and values that are inherent in this society occur. As a result, the individual tries to match those around him.
Second phase . At this phase, the individual strives to gain recognition, works on himself in order to influence other people.
Third stage . At this stage, the individual sets certain goals for himself, tries to achieve them, to realize himself in order to enter society and find his place there.

Only chronological observance of all three stages helps to successfully carry out the process of entering society. All these processes can be considered at the stages of growing up and developing a person’s personality.
Rice. 2. Stages of personality socialization

Socialization factors

Socialization is carried out as a result of the influence of certain factors on the individual: on the one hand, the targeted influences of society on its members (raising and teaching children, etc.), on the other hand, random, spontaneous influences of society on the individual. In addition, the result of socialization is also influenced by the individual’s own activity (the process of self-determination), and as one grows older, the importance of self-determination increases and, sooner or later, becomes decisive.

Stages of personality socialization

The process of becoming each individual personality begins at birth. It is at the initial stages that certain human qualities are revealed. The famous German psychologist Erik Homburger Erikson became famous thanks to his theory of “Psychosocial development”. In it, he described all stages of a person’s life and how personality is formed at all these stages.

First stage - infancy

In response to all this, the child begins to trust the world and is not afraid of it. Otherwise, if the child is not given enough attention, this will lead to impaired mental development.

Second stage - early childhood

The child begins to show independence, learns to walk and talk. Parents begin to teach the child how to eat, go to the potty, etc. correctly.

The third stage is childhood itself

Preschool stage. At this stage, the child understands that he is a separate person, an individual, since he can walk, talk, and express his opinion. He begins to develop memory, attention, etc.

Important! At this stage, the child’s games cannot be suppressed, otherwise it will lead to mental disorders.

Stage four - school years

The child begins to adapt to new people, learn, and remember knowledge. He develops the view that he is what he has learned. At school they help instill in the child a sense of discipline, restraint, develop thinking and diligence.

Important! You cannot suppress or reproach a child for having too much fun if this seems to parents to be an obstacle to more important activities. This can lead to the development of an inferiority complex.

Fifth stage - adolescence

Erickson considers this age to be from 12 to 20 years. This period is one of the most important, since it is at the teenage stage that a person understands what he would like to do next or what to devote his life to. Rice. 3. Institutes of personality socialization Teenagers are learning about a new world for them, and the main thing at this stage is to help them so that they do not become disappointed in themselves.

Sixth stage - youth

According to Erikson, it begins at the age of 20 and continues until the age of 25. At this stage, preparations for adult life are underway, a profession is chosen, courtship begins, and an interest in intimacy appears.

Seventh stage - adulthood

Starts at age 25 and continues until age 55-60. A person begins to give more of himself to others. A family appears, children are realized at the expense of their own children, they show that you are important and necessary to them. At this stage, one invests in one’s own work, raising children, and satisfaction with one’s life.

Eighth stage - old age

From 60 years old. At this stage, the individual begins to reconsider and rethink his life. There is an assessment of everything he has done.
A person accepts himself. The processes of socialization and personality development are very complex and labor-intensive. We need to help and support a person, no matter what stage he is at. The development of each person's individual personality is very important. Socialization is necessary for the successful functioning of society as a whole. All people in society influence each other in one way or another. Everyone will always join a certain group that is close to them in order to feel comfortable within it, to become part of the group. Understanding what “I” is and what “We” is is the main thing in the life of every individual. All this gives a person vitality, self-confidence, and gives a feeling of importance and need. The processes of interaction between individuals are the improvement and formation of a new, individual personality. A thematic video will help you better understand the material presented. Be sure to watch it.

Material Fixation Test

1Socialization of the individual is:
The process as a result of which each individual enters society and from this changes occur, both in the person himself and in the social group
The process by which each individual learns moral and cultural norms

Question 1 of 5

2How many stages of personality socialization according to Erik Erikson are there?
Seven
Eight

Question 2 of 5

3Who is part of the main group of people at the initial stages of socialization?
Friends and controls
Schools, universities, and other large-scale enterprises

Question 3 of 5

4What problem may an individual have when entering society?
Difficulties with adaptation, problems with changing oneself
Adaptability problems, low activity

Question 4 of 5

5At what stage of socialization does a child begin to understand that he is a separate person?
At the early childhood stage
During my school years

Question 5 of 5

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Stage of primary socialization

– continues from birth to adolescence, when the child assimilates social experience uncritically, adapts, adapts, and imitates.
Of great importance at this stage are cognitive processes and the child’s mastery of social roles in play activities, his exercises in self-identification, the emergence and consolidation of a system of expectations, the demands placed on him by his parents, and the nature of their treatment of him. Occurs in small social groups (family, nursery group, etc.). The main agents of socialization are parents, relatives, family friends, etc. (primary agents of socialization). At this stage, according to Freud
the following is distinguished:

1) oral stage (from birth to 2 years) – the child’s world is centered around his mouth;

2) anal stage (from 2 to 3 years) - instilling hygiene and neatness skills, often accompanied by punishment for wet panties. This stage largely determines the further development of the child;

3) phallic stage (from 4 to 5 years) - sympathy for parents of the opposite sex appears and identification with a parent of the same sex, imitation of them. During this period, the first conflicts related to gender appear (the Oedipus complex in boys and the Electra complex in girls);

Stage of individualization (marginalization)

– observed in adolescence and adolescence, occurs in large social groups and is manifested by a desire to distinguish oneself from others, a critical attitude towards social norms of behavior. To the primary agents of socialization are added secondary ones - social institutions of socialization. These institutions, in terms of their social status, can be formal (official institutions of society (state), which, according to their functional purpose, are designed to educate and train each new generation (preschool institutions, schools, universities, cultural institutions, etc.)) and informal institutions ( different social groups, from small to large, in which the individual finds himself included (family, class, peer group, ethnic community, reference group, etc.)).

Formal and informal institutions of socialization often have different goals and methods of influence, as a result of which a struggle arises between them, the results of which are such social phenomena as “street children”, delinquents and rebels, people with “double morals”, divergence in the value system of different categories of citizens and etc.

In adolescence, the stage of individualization is characterized by self-determination of the concept of “the world and I”, instability of the teenager’s worldview and character. In adolescence, stable personality traits are developed;

Integration stage

observed in late adolescence, when the desire to find one’s place in society appears. Integration proceeds successfully if a person’s characteristics are accepted by the group, by society. If not accepted, the following outcomes are possible:

1) maintaining one’s dissimilarity and the emergence of aggressive interactions (relationships) with people and society;

2) changing yourself;

3) conformism, external agreement, adaptation.

Stage of stable socialization or labor stage

socialization continues throughout the entire period of a person’s working activity, when he not only assimilates social experience, but also reproduces it. At this stage, a person usually achieves a stable position in society, which indicates the socio-psychological adaptation of the individual;

Stage of loss of status or post-labor stage

Socialization begins with retirement and is characterized by the reproduction of social experience, in the process of transferring it to new generations.

21. Stages of the socialization process

The stage of primary socialization lasts from birth to adolescence, when the child assimilates social experience uncritically, adapts, adjusts, and imitates. Of great importance at this stage are cognitive processes and the child’s mastery of social roles in play activities, his exercises in self-identification, the emergence and consolidation of a system of expectations, the demands placed on him by his parents, and the nature of their treatment of him. Occurs in small social groups (family, nursery group, etc.). The main agents of socialization are parents, relatives, family friends, etc. (primary agents of socialization). At this stage, according to Freud, the following stands out:

1) oral stage (from birth to 2 years) – the child’s world is centered around his mouth;

2) anal stage (from 2 to 3 years) - instilling hygiene and neatness skills, often accompanied by punishment for wet panties. This stage largely determines the further development of the child;

The stage of individualization (marginalization) is observed in adolescence and adolescence, occurs in large social groups and is manifested by a desire to distinguish oneself from others, a critical attitude towards social norms of behavior. To the primary agents of socialization are added secondary ones - social institutions of socialization. These institutions, in terms of their social status, can be formal (official institutions of society (state), which, according to their functional purpose, are designed to educate and train each new generation (preschool institutions, schools, universities, cultural institutions, etc.)) and informal institutions ( different social groups, from small to large, in which the individual finds himself included (family, class, peer group, ethnic community, reference group, etc.)).

The integration stage is observed in late adolescence, when the desire to find one’s place in society appears. Integration proceeds successfully if a person’s characteristics are accepted by the group, by society. If not accepted, the following outcomes are possible:

1) maintaining one’s dissimilarity and the emergence of aggressive interactions (relationships) with people and society;

2) changing yourself;

3) conformism, external agreement, adaptation.

The stage of stable socialization or the labor stage of socialization continues throughout the entire period of a person’s working activity, when he not only assimilates social experience, but also reproduces it. At this stage, a person usually achieves a stable position in society, which indicates the socio-psychological adaptation of the individual;

The stage of loss of status or the post-labor stage of socialization begins with retirement and is characterized by the reproduction of social experience, in the process of transferring it to new generations.

This text is an introductory fragment.

Sources used:

https://psylogik.ru/47-chto-takoe-socializacija.html
https://nauka.club/psikhologiya/socializaciya-lichnosti.html
https://studopedia.ru/view_psihilogiya.php
https://bookap.info/sociopsy/cheldyshova_shpargalka_po_sotsialnoy_psihologii/gl21.shtm
https://psy.wikireading.ru/22005