Social Biography
The definition of socialisation is, “the process whereby an individual learns to adjust to a
group (or society) and behave in a manner approved by the group (or society)” (The Editors
of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018). Socialisation occurs and changes throughout the course
of an individual’s life as they experience different social situations, however, the most
important years of developing a person’s ability to understand socialisation in the world, are
their initial infant-childhood years of life. Family is a primary agent of socialisation. “Family
is the most influential socialization force. Parents, grandparents, and siblings all transmit to
infants and young children what they consider to be important values, behaviours, skills and
attitudes.” (Psychology Encyclopaedia, 2020) Children will duplicate and imitate the adults
around them, adjusting how they approach life circumstances until they are old enough to
make their own judged decisions. This social biography report closely examines the impact
of family as a primary socialisation on eighteen-year-old Lara, a student studying a Bachelor
of Social Work at the Australian Catholic University.
Lara grew up in a nuclear family, with both of her parents working 9am-5pm, Monday to
Friday jobs, and an older sister who studied at university. Their family managed set
female/male roles within the household. Lara’s father participated in traditional male
household roles, such as “fixing things around the house.” Her mother followed traditional
female roles including “cooking meals most nights, doing the laundry, grocery shopping and
cleaning the house.” Lara and her older sister would “wash the dishes, vacuum the house and
occasionally cook dinner.” Supporting traditional gender roles within the household gave
“stability” and “a set routine” for Lara and her sister as they knew what was required of them
to do. Having a set routine for each family member to partake in, enabled strong relationships
to be formed within the household as all individuals contributed to household chores and
worked together. Having a routine in any aspect of life, helps individuals to get through their
daily tasks and free up time for other things. This allowed trust, respect and fairness to be
built within the family and each member felt valued and important.
The definition of socialisation is, “the process whereby an individual learns to adjust to a
group (or society) and behave in a manner approved by the group (or society)” (The Editors
of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018). Socialisation occurs and changes throughout the course
of an individual’s life as they experience different social situations, however, the most
important years of developing a person’s ability to understand socialisation in the world, are
their initial infant-childhood years of life. Family is a primary agent of socialisation. “Family
is the most influential socialization force. Parents, grandparents, and siblings all transmit to
infants and young children what they consider to be important values, behaviours, skills and
attitudes.” (Psychology Encyclopaedia, 2020) Children will duplicate and imitate the adults
around them, adjusting how they approach life circumstances until they are old enough to
make their own judged decisions. This social biography report closely examines the impact
of family as a primary socialisation on eighteen-year-old Lara, a student studying a Bachelor
of Social Work at the Australian Catholic University.
Lara grew up in a nuclear family, with both of her parents working 9am-5pm, Monday to
Friday jobs, and an older sister who studied at university. Their family managed set
female/male roles within the household. Lara’s father participated in traditional male
household roles, such as “fixing things around the house.” Her mother followed traditional
female roles including “cooking meals most nights, doing the laundry, grocery shopping and
cleaning the house.” Lara and her older sister would “wash the dishes, vacuum the house and
occasionally cook dinner.” Supporting traditional gender roles within the household gave
“stability” and “a set routine” for Lara and her sister as they knew what was required of them
to do. Having a set routine for each family member to partake in, enabled strong relationships
to be formed within the household as all individuals contributed to household chores and
worked together. Having a routine in any aspect of life, helps individuals to get through their
daily tasks and free up time for other things. This allowed trust, respect and fairness to be
built within the family and each member felt valued and important.
