5 Characteristics of Socialization

Socialization is a process that goes on from a person’s birth till death; it is a process in which a person assimilates the cultural values and ideals of his society and nation. Through this process, the culture of a particular society is transferred to the future generation. The characteristic of socialization can be explained in the following way.

1. Dynamic Process

Socialization enhances the functional ability of a person by which he renounces the qualities of a biological being and becomes a social being. The child keeps on making some changes in his behaviour from infancy till old age because this change in behaviour is desirable for living in the society and also we have to behave in various activities of the society according to the expectations of other members of the society. That is why we can say that socialization is a dynamic process.

2. Lifelong Process

Socialization is a nonstop process because it continuous from infancy till old age of a person. A person keeps on learning throughout his life time; these changes in our behaviour sometimes have to be made as per the expectation of others and sometimes for our own satisfaction. This process of socialization is associated with the social side of a person’s behaviour and this development always goes on in the social side.

3. Learning Process

A child constantly brings changes in his behaviour to adjust in his society because he wants to show or make himself as a conscious member in the society. In sociology, this process is called socialization. It should also be kept in mind that development of socially accepted virtuous in the behaviour of the individual is socialization, such as following the rules and obligations of society, respecting elders, preserving the environment, etc. Therefore, learning these qualities by the person is socialization and not learning about thievery, insulting others, etc.

4. Imbibing Cultural Heritage of Society

The culture of a society lies in its social activities. When a person is incorporating these social qualities in his behaviour, he is indirectly assimilating the culture of that particular society. In the process of socialization, not only does the person have knowledge of his culture, but he is also imbibing that particular culture in his behaviour.

5. Socializing a Person

When a person is born, he is a biological animal, in other words, he is like an animal, when the child comes in contact with others, and then gradually social qualities develop in him. After adopting social qualities in his behaviour, he changes from biological animal to social animal, thus the process of socialization can be defined as the development of social qualities in a person.

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