Agents of socialisation
Talcott Parsons & socialisation
Is any social group or organisation that passes on cultural norms
He claimed that socialisation is the process by which humans learn & internalise
others. It is through these agents that we learn the expected rule
their culture's norms & values. He claimed that people learn specific beliefs &
society.
forms of behaviour appropriate to their cultures, & so their society becomes
internalised & part of their personality development.
The aims of family socialisation
He claimed there are 3 stages to socialisation:
Much family socialisation is deliberate. Parents consciously teach
1. Primary socialisation – child learns from immediate family in the home. It
to become functioning members of their society. They aim to pas
adopts the beliefs & values of the family & learns the expectations that the
of social skills to their children:
parents have of the child.
• Ability to do certain things – read & swim
2. Secondary socialisation – where the child learns what wider society
• Desire to achieve ambitions – gain a job
expects of its members. Is acquired from agencies of socialisation such as
• The ability to survive in outside world & avoid danger, by teac
friendship groups, education, the mass media & religious orgs.
recognise & deal with threats
3. Tertiary socialisation – is adult socialisation & takes place when people
• To learn social roles to support them in adulthood – parenting
need to adapt to new situations such as becoming a parent, changing jobs,
• To think about the social roles of others & how people interac
coping with illness or disability or retirement.
other - 'good manners'
How do we learn to
be social?
Family & habitus
Then there are two elements of socialisation: Pierre Bourdieu, (Marxist) claimed
1. Formal socialisation – processes where people are deliberately & that bc members of families tend to
consciously manipulated to ensure they learn to follow certain rules. belong to the same social backgrounds
2. Informal socialisation – more haphazard process where people learn to & ethnic groups, children learn a set of
fit into their culture by watching & learning from others around them. behaviours & perceptions that mark
them out from others with different
Parsons believed that if people behaved in a way that was unusual, then this backgrounds. We will have a similar
was evidence of poor socialisation within the family. He did not consider the accent, set of manners & patterns of
possibility that people may know the rules, but deliberately choose not to thinking to our family members –
follow them for logical reasons of their own. similarities = a habitus. Our habitus is
-> the social situation we feel
comfortable & at home.
Talcott Parsons & socialisation
Is any social group or organisation that passes on cultural norms
He claimed that socialisation is the process by which humans learn & internalise
others. It is through these agents that we learn the expected rule
their culture's norms & values. He claimed that people learn specific beliefs &
society.
forms of behaviour appropriate to their cultures, & so their society becomes
internalised & part of their personality development.
The aims of family socialisation
He claimed there are 3 stages to socialisation:
Much family socialisation is deliberate. Parents consciously teach
1. Primary socialisation – child learns from immediate family in the home. It
to become functioning members of their society. They aim to pas
adopts the beliefs & values of the family & learns the expectations that the
of social skills to their children:
parents have of the child.
• Ability to do certain things – read & swim
2. Secondary socialisation – where the child learns what wider society
• Desire to achieve ambitions – gain a job
expects of its members. Is acquired from agencies of socialisation such as
• The ability to survive in outside world & avoid danger, by teac
friendship groups, education, the mass media & religious orgs.
recognise & deal with threats
3. Tertiary socialisation – is adult socialisation & takes place when people
• To learn social roles to support them in adulthood – parenting
need to adapt to new situations such as becoming a parent, changing jobs,
• To think about the social roles of others & how people interac
coping with illness or disability or retirement.
other - 'good manners'
How do we learn to
be social?
Family & habitus
Then there are two elements of socialisation: Pierre Bourdieu, (Marxist) claimed
1. Formal socialisation – processes where people are deliberately & that bc members of families tend to
consciously manipulated to ensure they learn to follow certain rules. belong to the same social backgrounds
2. Informal socialisation – more haphazard process where people learn to & ethnic groups, children learn a set of
fit into their culture by watching & learning from others around them. behaviours & perceptions that mark
them out from others with different
Parsons believed that if people behaved in a way that was unusual, then this backgrounds. We will have a similar
was evidence of poor socialisation within the family. He did not consider the accent, set of manners & patterns of
possibility that people may know the rules, but deliberately choose not to thinking to our family members –
follow them for logical reasons of their own. similarities = a habitus. Our habitus is
-> the social situation we feel
comfortable & at home.
