Describe and analyze the process of socialization

The Process of Socialization
Name
Institution
The Process of Socialization
When I reflect on the question ‘who am I’, I often get torn up on whether to give an answer in relation to my personality or the traits that I possess. I am a cheerful soul who views life in a positive manner; I like to give positive energy to those around me. I strive not to judge others while interacting, I also treat everyone with the respect I would want them to treat me with. I, however, am not a pushover. When a person tries to take advantage of my respectful and polite demeanor, they are met with the defensive part of me.
I am a bit shy around new faces, I tend to hang back and study strangers first before letting them in. The trait has seen me create very few group friendships. The only groups I hang around with comprise of the people with grew up with, my classmates and schoolmates. Once I let a person into my inner circle they get to see the fun and loyal side of me (Crossman, 2017). Those close to me describe me as a humorous person with a big heart. I always try to be there for those close to me. I go above and beyond to ensure I reciprocate the quality treatment I get from them.
In terms of roles, I tend to take lead on everything I do; I am a doer, not a dreamer. I take the initiative of making things work. I organize social events like hiking, biking and invite friends over to participate. I score exemplary in terms of competency (Crossman, 2017). I am dependable in everything I do.

I also strive to give my best and to work within the time limits for any task I undertake.
Agents of Socialization
Family
The family is the first line of interaction that a child experiences when they come into the world. At the tender age, the child is highly dependent on the family for survival. A practical example is a child completely depending on his/her mother to breastfeed them since their development is not yet stable enough to rely on solid foods. Growing up at the young age I used to emulate my family members in everything they did. It goes without saying that my family played a significant role in shaping my socializing skills.
Just as expressed by the social learning theory. All the traits that define my personality as a child was learned from those around me. Growing up we had little to spare for leisure and extra fun activities. I learned how to practice restraint and be accommodative. I also learn ton how to prioritize stuff, for example, asking for a cheaper toy like a soccer ball instead of a bike simply because I knew my parents had little to spare (Major Perspectives in Sociology, 2018). My elder brother loved soccer to so through interacting with him, I also developed a liking for soccer too.
Family as an agent of socialization affects the most critical interaction skills like speech. I got to pick my diction and choice of words through learning from my family members. I rarely curse as I was brought up in a respectable family that view cursing as an offensive habit.
School/Education
Before going to school the only interaction I had enjoyed before largely revolved around my family. The school created a new foreign environment for me to interact with and learn on from them. In school, I had to spend close to 7 hours with other new children and teachers. They became part of my day to day interaction (Sociological Imagination, 2018). Apart from learning the school environment was crucial in learning the culture and personalities of other individuals. The kids in schools created a thriving competition that was key in shaping up my problem-solving skills. The healthy class work competition enabled me to be active in class. I became more confident in my ability critically think and solve mathematical problems.
Through schooling, I became more mature and practice self-control more. Meeting with people who do things differently and hold different views from those I hold helped me to incorporate other people’s view without casting any judgment on them. My social development in school is better explained through the Social Phenomenology theory (Sociological Imagination, 2018). The theory argues that when people from different worlds come together they develop a means of communication that enables them to understand their differences and complement each other’s weaknesses without judging or ridiculing each other. The agent of school socialization helped me to build a status of respect towards others despite their background.
Religion
Religion played a crucial role in sculpturing my social growth. Right from my childhood, the issue of religion came up. Being born in a Christian family. My knowledge of God got introduced to me by my parents. I learned how to pray and how God expects me to live. Through religion, I got to keep Christianity traits like being respectful, doing good, to others and helping others through difficult times. Religion has shaped me to be a role model to others (Crossman, 2017). Religious leaders are always at one’s disposal and always checking up on them to make sure that they are still walking in the Godly way.
Religion also has taught me on how to interact with others who are not necessarily from my religion. For example, as a Christian, I have learned on how to peacefully interact with atheists, Muslims and those who believe in other religious groups. Instead of arguing and judging them, I have learned how to treat them the best way I can. I have also learned on how to avoid stepping on their toes through arguing over who is on the right path (Major Perspectives in Sociology, 2018). Symbolic interaction theory closely shares my sentiments on how an individual experiences social development through religion. It highlights that peoples’ behavior gets evoked by what they believe. Through my belief in God, I have strong traits that guide me to live in the light and path that I deem acceptable by my religion despite all the challenges I face in my quest to achieve a Christian life.
Media
Media plays a significant role in supporting continued societal growth. Nowadays media has gotten entwined into our day to day lives. We have grown so much dependent on media today. Normalcy would be disrupted if media blackout was to occur today. While growing up media had two different effects on me. I got to learn about other cultures through interactions online, and in eye-opening television programs. I got to see news on others around the world and got to appreciate their means of livelihoods through the use of media. As a child, I enjoyed watching cartoons that helped me to live a more fun life.
Media also in a way slightly eroded my morals. Watching violent programs on television at some point made me act out and fight with other kids. The habit came as a way of me wanting to look cool like the bad guys on the television (Major Perspectives in Sociology, 2018). The negative attribute, however, was short-lived as my parents and teachers made an intervention to ensure that I retrace my steps back to being good.
Media in a way also fostered me to believe in my ability to learn and tackle challenges on my own. The existence of the internet enabled me to tackle issues on how to handle the different challenges I was undergoing through searching for information on how others handled the same situations. In relation to functionalist theory, mass media effect on social interaction can be seen how one gets to appreciate how others live and their ideas through freedom of expression carried by the mass medium (Sociological Imagination, 2018). Through media, we get to see how we are part of a larger country that identifies and respects the different views of others.
In conclusion, we can clearly agree that our environment is key in defining the social growth we undergo. The agents of sociology build our individual traits. They give us new information and practical experience on how to deal with the different situations that we face in our daily lives. The interaction that one undergoes as a child forms the principal foundation of how they will approach future interactions. Each and every agent gives a different teaching on socialization and combining the teachings from all agents creates an individual’s identity.

References
Crossman, A. (2017). Definition of the Sociological Imagination and Overview of the Book.
ThoughtCo..Examples of Sociological Imagination. (2018). YourDictionary. Retrieved 8 February 2018,
from http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-sociological-imagination.html
Three Major Perspectives in Sociology. (2018). Cliffsnotes.com. Retrieved 8 February 2018,
from https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/the-sociological-perspective/three-major-perspectives-in-sociology