Explain the process of socialization with suitable examples and discuss any one agency of socialization you are member of.

Process of socialization – Human behaviour and skills have to be taught and learnt. This learning process is called as socialization. According to Mead, formation of self occurs in three distinct stages. 

Stage 1 – Imitation : In this stage, children imitate behaviour of adults without understanding it. For example, A little boy might drive his mother to her office by driving his toy car.

Stage 2 – Play stage : A child plays, sometimes as being a mother or a teacher etc. In this stage, responses are not organised. A child internalises the attitudes of others who are significant to her/ his through enacting the roles of others.

Stage 3 – Game stage : As a child matures, and as the self gradually develops, one internalises the expectations of a large number of people . For example, a child at this stage is likely to be aware of the different responsibilities of people in a restaurant .Socialization, in this sense is a process of selfawareness.

I am member of various social groups which are agencies of my socialization like family, peer- group, school, neighbourhood etc.

Family as an agency of socialization I have learnt a range of roles in family-like learning responsibilities and duties from my parents and other family members. Family has played a significant role in developing acceptable behaviour patterns in me thus the process of learning attitudes, norms and behaviour patterns takes place in family.