Socialisation, the process of learning what society views as the correct behaviour. As soon as you are born you begin to be socialised, always learning something new. People are socialised and influenced in all sorts of ways. Primary socialisation is the main form of contact that you have until the age of about 4, this is mainly done through parents and family. However as you grow older and perhaps branch away from your family, secondary socialisation takes its place. Secondary socialisations are things such as the media and your peer group. Arguably it is said that ‘peer group’ is the most effective method of socialisation, but is it?
Peer group is definitely a big factor of most peoples lives, sometimes people don’t even realise it. Your friends can influence so much about you, for example your interests, your behaviour, your appearance and so much more. From such a young age your peer group is a massive agent of socialisation. People can argue that peer groups are the most effective method of socialisation as it is the one that will be with you the longest. From the age of about 5 you start to be around other people that are not your family and these are the people that can influence you more especially during teenage years. This is because a lot of the time young people subconsciously want to fit in and that is achieved by copying or mimicking your peer group. Whether your peer group is a good or bad influence on a person is debatable.
However, for a lot of people ‘family’ is the most effective agent of socialisaiton. For the first 4 years of your life the only contact that you regularly have is with your family. Your family are the ones that teach you right and wrong, basic human behaviour and the norms and values of society. Your family are always going to be with you and they are the people who you are most likely to take advice from. As well as that, unlike friends your family never change and they always have your best interests at heart. Saying that, some people for whatever reason may not have a family, or they are not very close with them and they then turn to someone else to help and guide them through life, which is then your peer group.
Another agent of socialisation which is where your peer group is normally formed is school. For at least 11 years from the age of about 5 you have to be in full time education. Even though the prime reason of school is to educate young people there is also an aspect of friendship, meeting new people and learning about other