Socialization and childhood in sociological theorizing

Abstract

Socialization occupies a central place in sociological theory, being considered the basic process of social interaction by which people acquire behaviors essential for effective participation in society - the process of becoming a social being. It is essential for the renewal of culture and the perpetuation of society. Primary socialization is the first stage in a lifelong process, and though societies differ in their definitions of childhood, all societies begin the socialization process as early as possible since the transmission of societal norms during childhood and adolescence is considered fundamental for sustaining all later forms of socialization. Thus, the child is a central figure in socialization. This does not mean that the child’s role has always been protagonistic. In fact, the child appears in conventional versions of socialization as a passive being, intended to receive a complex and complete set of rules from adults to ensure proper adaptation to society and maintain the social order. Faced with this concept of socialization, other approaches have arisen that represent socialization as an interactive process in which children themselves appropriate and reinterpret reality in the course of ongoing relationships with others. This chapter presents various concepts of socialization and explain how they interpret the role of children and affect children’s social well-being. Due to these effects, the chapter calls for a reconceptualization of socialization within social studies of childhood.