Agents of Socialization
People and institutions that shape our behaviour and teach you how to participate
 Family
 Peer groups
 Workplace
 Media
 Religion
Primary Agent: The Family
 Meets most basic needs
 First introduction to right
and wrong, im/proper,
in/appropriate
 Crucial in early years of
development
 Family Structure and Socialization
 No such thing as a typical family
 All different types of family are equally important
Types of families
 Nuclear
 Extended
 Lone-parent
 Blended
 Same-sex
Vanier Institute of the Family
 Family: any combination of two or more people who are bound together over time by ties of
mutual consent, birth/adoption, placement and who together assume responsibilities for:
 Physical care and maintenance of members
 Addition – procreation or adoption
 Socialization of children
 Social control of members
 Production, consumption, distribution of goods and services
 Affective nurturance (love)
Secondary Agents
 Non-family people and institutions
 School
 Transmit knowledge (curriculum) and skills
 Socializes: punctuality, self-reliance, teamwork, competitiveness, obedience through praise and
positive reinforcement
Peer Groups
 Provides opportunities to learn skills: communication, collaboration, compromise
 Social curriculum of schools: learn about gender and culture to establish relationships with
others
 Teaching individuals about sexual relationships
 Susceptible to media influence
The Workplace
 First learn about work at home through chores, play, observation of parents who shape our
attitudes toward work
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Media
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Later experience part-time jobs or co-op placements
Young people learn from values, beliefs and behaviours exhibited by TV characters.
May stand in direct opposition to parents
TV, video games, internet taking away from time with others
New ways to connect to others around the world
Exposure to other cultures and ideas
Religion
 Fewer people are part of
organized religions
 Religions have moral codes, set standards for behaviour, can teach social responsibility for
others (charity, social justice)
Canadian Social Institutions
pgs. 434 - 445
Key terms:
 Social institution
 Social Change
Social Institution: organization or social framework whose function is to meet the basic needs of its
members by providing direction and operating principles for society
 Promotes social cohesion
 Prison
 college
Functions of Social Institutions p. 434
 Satisfy the basic needs of its members (health care)
 Demonstrate dominant values and beliefs (Charter of Rights and Freedoms)
 Establish enduring patterns of social behaviour (child care)
 Define roles for individuals to emulate (husband and wife)
Social Institutions and Their Primary Goals
 How have your family and your education influenced your identity?
 Chart p. 435
 Family
 Religion
 Education
 Government
 Economy
Family
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Nuclear was the norm
Family is continuously changing
Attitudes toward parenting, marriage and family now include, lone-parent, same- sex
In all cultures family is responsible for promoting universal functions
Family is the blueprint for social norms and beliefs
The only institution to use nurturance and emotional support as a basis for all its relationships
(self-esteem, creativity, self-confidence)
Well adjusted young adults emerge from family ready and capable of fully participating in other
institutions and society itself
Vanier Institute of the Family and Family Types p. 436
Religion
 Provides a sense of serenity and calm, helps celebrate important rituals of life, and provide
support in times of grief and personal tragedy
 Help explain the origins of the world, universal order that governs it and presence of good and
evil
 Beliefs developed through initiation rites: baptism
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Natural phenomena (life and death) explained through attending prayer services, observing
important rites and learning sacred scripture
Helps develop charity, compassion, altruism
Organized religions create social cohesion and social conflict among believers and society
Host charity events, community meals, perform public service
Charity and good will extended to the entire community not just its members
Religious groups come together to promote peaceful resolution to global issues, alleviate social
inequality and injustice
Religious Affiliation and Attendance chart p. 438
15-29 yr olds religion highly important 2002: 34% 2009: 22%
Education
 Transmits knowledge, skills and social values
 Building blocks for the workplace
 Social and life management skills that lead to independence
 Education must represent all groups fairly and equitably
Future of Education
 Features of Education p. 439
 Socialization and roles
 Discipline and obedience
 Knowledge and skills
 Competition and collaboration
Government
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Use of Tanning Salons by Minors
Economy
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 In Focus: Googleplex
Social Change
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