How Agents of Socialization have Influenced my Life

The lifelong and continuing process of socialization involves several social forces that shape people’s identities and influence their lives. Among the most significant agents of socialization that have impacted my life are family and school. Family is an important aspect of socialization that enables individuals to accept their culture and learn how to interact with other people in society (Schaefer, 2019). Every family has a parent or guardian who plays a significant role in guiding their children on how they can assume different gender roles in society. School is also a significant agent of socialization that has an explicit mandate to socialize individuals into values and norms in their culture. It also helps in fulfilling the function of teaching individuals the customs and values of the larger society. Both family and school are significant aspects of socialization that have shaped my life in many ways.

Family as an agent of socialization has influenced my life by enabling me to learn important aspects of society and different roles. Through my parents and other family members, I have learned different aspects of society including household rules, values, priorities, customs, traditions, culture, cuisine, celebrations, holidays, religious or spiritual rituals, and practices. They also taught me acceptance, diversity, generosity, abundance, gratitude, boundaries, appropriate actions, and values about beliefs on limitations of roles or duties based on gender or equality (Schaefer, 2019). My family’s resources influenced the way I grew up hugely. It determined the types of experiences I could afford as well as my hopes and dreams. A family cannot determine everything about a child, but it helped teach me many things in life.

School has influenced my life by providing me with perspectives that I may not have considered normally. It has helped broaden my understanding of the world and left me a more well-rounded person. The school has helped me learn about different aspects of life and how more informed decisions (Schaefer, 2019). After experiencing the benefit of an informed decision, I am inclined to seek out information before making decisions. From the knowledge gained in school, I understand how to make major decisions in life like where to live, what career path to take, who to marry, how many children to have, and when to get medical. These decisions have led to dramatic impacts on my health, safety, and happiness. School has also helped me to learn how to be an independent person and how to make money. Independence enables me to have a better home, a better career, and to take care of my family. Nonetheless, it has prepared me for my future career and has helped me learn how I can solve different problems in society.

Reference

Schaefer, T. R. (2019). Sociology: A Brief Introduction (Thirteenth Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.