Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The concept of socialization figures prominently in sociology, underlying many of the discipline's major claims about the nature of society and social relations. Sociologists have used socialization to examine the possibility of society, the nature of social order, the reproduction of social organization, the formation of personal identities, and mechanisms of social control and deviance. The concept has also played an important role in studies of families, schools, professions, organizations, peer groups, and subcultures. In general terms, socialization is a generic concept embracing the ways people acquire the general competencies required for participation in society. At the societal level, socialization helps explain how and the extent to which large numbers of individuals come successfully to cooperate and adapt to the demands of social life ( Long & Hadden 1985 ). At the organizational level, it summarizes processes by which newcomers to social groups and organizations are transformed from outsiders to participating members. At the personal level, it refers to the social and cultural shaping and development of the mental, emotional, and behavioral abilities of individuals. Sociology's major conceptions of socialization have shifted over time. At the turn of the twentieth century, sociologists employed the concept to address the Hobbesian question of how social order is ... log in or subscribe to read full text