Determination Of Socialization

When I think of Socialization, I think of being social or social interactions. I never thought much about what it meant and was surprised to read deeper into understanding what it means and how it affects a large part of our lives. Socialization is something most of us grow up with and don’t even think about, it becomes natural to most, especially as our expectations grow. Socialization is in our everyday lives and has been since childhood, it is part of the reasons we are who we are, why we do what we do, how we perceive and present ourselves. Socialization is important to everyone, in all cultures, because it creates a standard for our population and how we choose to live.

Socialization begins during infancy or childhood and can present in our surroundings, through the environment, our social class, and social norm. As children grow and become more observant and independent, the children learn from their surroundings, are socializing and retaining what they’re subject to. Learning how to speak the language that is spoken to them, how to eat, use the facilities, how to look, act and how to treat others. Without this socialization or stimulation of their surroundings, the children would not know how or what to do in social situations, personal situations, or in life. Being socialized is also helpful in personal acceptance, it helps when being able to have someone to talk to. The stimulation of your loved ones, support to help you overcome and achieve rather than become disappointed and depressed, is something we all need to thrive.

Growing into who we are, our beliefs, religion, dislikes and likes, our perception of ourselves, and the way we perceive ourselves comes from socialization. We begin to pick up on how we should act, what to do in certain situations, settings, or with certain groups. A role is acquired, along with it are expectations, rules to follow, and perceptions. The way we behave or project our personal self in public, at work, in school, or at home with our family are different pieces of ourselves. Labeling ourselves in our society is not always good or bad, others have their own view of us. Socialization is not about you, it is about everyone else, so be the person you would want to learn from, someone you would want to look up to.

Socialization includes our society putting the good and the bad, the hard and the easy standards out in the world, or what we should be doing, how we should look and feel. Standards and expectations are wanted of us. It may be different depending on what you portray, if you have a college education, you are a physician vs. grocery store clerk. Our standards and expectations come from others, and if we do not meet them, we feel defeated, are disappointed, or are in some trouble. If we achieve more and do well, we are praised, supported and others look up to us. All these are a part of socialization and can be difficult.

Our socialization is passed down from generation to generation, with great changes or small tweaks. Our politics, religion, health, knowledge, culture, environment, nurturing, nature, and much more. Our future generations are picking up where we leave, building on, or making changes to what we have done. Our generation will pick up on what we have projected, in all these categories, and hopefully be able to do better, cure cancer, clean up the environment and create peace.