Socialization essay

Sociology defines socialization as a process that occurs when a person interacts with stimuli from other people in the environment. It proceeds to point out that socialization leads to the formation of personalities. Personalities are a result of the manner in which people in the environment interact with an individual. Self-identity is because of taking the perception of an individual from other people. All the three elements of a person involve dynamic processes that end when a person dies. All these descriptions make sense and are accurate in defining how individuals interact with each other in society since birth. However, the definition of self-identity is a bit off track. This is because some people develop a self-identity that does not rely heavily on their environment. There are individuals whose self-identity was so independent of their environment and was more of a self-resolution. This includes people like Oprah Winfrey who were able to accomplish achievements. They did this despite lacking people in society to point out how great they were when young. Their self-identity came more from within and less from the perception people had of them.
Nature versus nurture is a debate where some scholars believe people are born with some characteristics while others think that the environment molds an individual’s characteristics. Both sides are correct and both sides have relevant arguments. Nature determines biological features in human beings. These include aspects like height and eye color. The environment influences behavior. The brain learns how to react to stimuli in the environment by forming neuron pathways. These pathways cannot be formed without stimulation. However, this concept does not explain how a minority of the population have mannerisms that are influenced neither by genes nor by the environment. For instance, serial killers lack the capability to be empathetic. Their environment does not teach them this, nor do they have a gene that predisposes them to being serial killers. The concept can however, be used to explain the mannerisms for majority of the world’s population.
Erik Erikson divided the process of socialization into eight stages. These stages describe the main events while socializing for a normal individual. The stages describe two sides of each stage. These sides are what determine the personality path taken by an individual. For instance, individuals aged between 12 and 20 may be realizing their role in society. On the other hand, the same individuals may be confused about their role in society. Throughout the eight stages, the path an individual will take cannot be pre-determined in any way.
The sociological assessment of Freud’s theory as presented by the article is inaccurate. The paper concludes that he did not acknowledge the effect of society on personality development. However, Freud acknowledged the environment does affect the personality of an individual. He stated that the id and the ego work out a balance between satisfying innate needs for self-gratification and foregoing this gratification in order to co-exist with other people. Therefore, how one manages to create this balance determines the person’s personality.
Re-socialization refers to the re-definition of self-identity. This can be a voluntary process where an individual decides to have a different perspective of the same thing. It can also be involuntary like when a person is declared mentally ill by the courts. It is a vital element in society as perceptions formed while people are young are usually misconstrued or naive.

Works cited

Macionis, John J. Sociology. Upper Saddle River, N. J: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.
Smelser, Neil J, and Bertrand Badie. Sociology. Cambridge, Mass., USA: Blackwell, 1994. Print.