Socialisation
Socialisation
Socialisation is the lifelong process by which a child learns the language, values, roles and behaviour of the society around it and becomes an accepted member of that society. It begins in the family, widens to school and peers, and turns a biological infant into a social person.
How socialisation works
The child learns in three ways: by imitation of people around, by reward and punishment from adults, and by identification with a person it admires. None of these needs formal teaching; a Class 2 child copies the teacher's way of greeting long before anyone explains politeness.
Agencies of socialisation
| Agency | Type | What it mainly gives |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Primary, informal | Language, first values, emotional security, gender roles |
| School | Secondary, formal | Discipline, cooperation, national values, achievement |
| Peer group | Primary, informal | Equality, give-and-take, group rules, loyalty |
| Neighbourhood and community | Informal | Festivals, customs, local behaviour |
| Media | Informal | Wider world, models of behaviour, aspirations |
Family is the first and most powerful agency because it acts earliest and with the strongest emotional bond. School is the first formal agency — the first place where a child is judged by rules that apply equally to everyone, not by affection.
The peer group in Classes 1-5
Between six and twelve the peer group becomes a real force. Among equals a child learns things no adult can teach: how to lose a game without crying, how to negotiate a turn, how to defend a friend. A teacher who uses group tasks is using this agency deliberately.
The school as a socialising agency
- It replaces personal affection with impersonal rules, preparing the child for public life.
- It brings children of different castes, religions and income levels into one room — the constitutional purpose behind Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act.
- Its hidden curriculum — how the teacher speaks, who is asked to lead, who cleans the board — teaches as much as the syllabus.
✗ Socialisation is only what parents deliberately teach at home. | ✓ Socialisation is mostly unplanned learning from family, peers, school and community together.
संकेत: समाजीकरण (socialisation) का अर्थ है बच्चे का समाज के नियम, भाषा और मूल्य सीखकर उसका सदस्य बनना; परिवार पहली और विद्यालय पहली औपचारिक संस्था है।
CTET asks one question, most commonly 'the primary/first agency of socialisation is' (family) or 'the first formal agency is' (school). The trap is the word formal — if it appears, the answer is school, not family. Another frequent item asks what the peer group uniquely gives; the answer is learning among equals — cooperation, competition and give-and-take — which an adult relationship cannot supply.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the first agency of socialisation?
The family. It reaches the child earliest, gives the mother tongue, first values and emotional security, and its influence is the strongest because it works through the closest emotional bond the child has.
What is the difference between a primary and a secondary agency of socialisation?
A primary agency is small, face-to-face and emotionally close, such as the family and the peer group. A secondary agency is larger, impersonal and organised around rules, such as the school or the media.
How does the school socialise a child differently from the family?
The school judges the child by rules that apply to everyone rather than by affection, mixes children from different backgrounds, and adds achievement and cooperation to the values the family has already given.
60-second recap
- Socialisation = learning the language, values and roles of one's society.
- Learnt through imitation, reward and punishment, and identification.
- Family = first and primary agency; school = first formal agency.
- Peer group teaches what adults cannot: equality, negotiation, group rules.
- The hidden curriculum of a school socialises as strongly as the syllabus.
Ab isi chapter ke questions CTET Paper 1 mock test me practice karo — Growth and Development ke sawaal wahin milenge.