Socialization: The Importance in Child Development

A person learns what he is supposed to do as well as what he is not, through the process of socialization. The ways in which sanctions are applied plays a big role in child development.

Although we are inclined to think of emotion in a negative context, some of the most influential effects of socialization on personality come through an individual's interactions at the emotional level by making each individual psychologically accessible to one another. It may be noted that sometimes even our enemies bring out the best in us.

Agencies of socialization change as the individual matures. In the beginning, the family is the most important. In childhood and in adolescence, it is the peer group and the school that become important. And while in the adulthood, the occupational group and a new family structure take over.

For the most part, mothers raise the young in our culture. And for the child's personality development, what the mother is like is more important than what she does. Studies show that negative home atmospheres, rather than specific practices, lead to poorly adjusted people. A child's personality development depends on the social interaction and ultimately the effect of it on the child.

In order to judge the development of child, a parent should keep in mind, what is that the child wants to develop within his or her potentials. One must also be aware that there is a delicate balance between encouraging a competitive spirit and at the same time, not allowing the behavior to become aggressive. In the family, the child learns his typical reactions. The over protective mother may steer him toward infantile behavior. An authoritarian father will divert the child's behavior towards shyness and an attitude of inferiority.

Success or failure in the school will have an impact on personality formation because of the great deal of time spent in school. When the values of the school is not in line with what is found in home, the seeds of conflict are sown. Self esteem or self confidence are built or destroyed here. A large amount of social learning takes place from the age of six on. For one reason or the other, the school may mean chaos for one child and a haven of calm for another.