Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sociology - Essay Example The world becomes accessible through greater connectivity and the socialization becomes a grand scale phenomenon in which all of the world is accessible if one learns how to create that access. When a child is born, socialization begins through the ways in which the world around them responds to their gender, in balance with the traditions that have been passed down in the way that an infant is handled. In the beginning, the way a child is talked to, the expectations that are imposed upon the child, and the ways in which adults behave around them will begin the process of teaching the child how to behave in the world and interact with others. As shown by Davis, a child will learn to get attention and to manifest wants, as well as how to eat and dispose of his or her elimination in a manner that is congruent with the people who are around them. When denied this type of learning, they will simply not participate in the world (558). As adults and older children interact with an infant, they begin to imitate the behaviors that they see being exhibited around them. This is the process of socialization. This occurs as the context of environmental factors begins to shape the perception of identity through different aspects of experience which include gender, ethnic identity, and nationality. In the United States this is a multifaceted structure in which connectivity is derived from crossing a series of cultures to which one is exposed and learning how to interact through a variety of different methods within a variety of different environments (Anderson and Taylor 98). As opposed to just one environment, a person has multiple environments in which different behaviors are appropriate. The way one behaves at home, in school, at work, and in social situations may all be very different and those behaviors are learned by observation and then imitation. Socialization is the occurrence of being able to navigate those atmospheres and to fit into them through interaction. Soci alization is the way in which a child learns to engage in the world. Without learning communication, both through verbal and physical indications, a child will be without the ability to interact. If the situation of Helen Keller is examined, a girl who was born without the ability to either see nor hear, one can see how communication is developed through interaction. Because of her condition, Helen was indulged and became used to violently and aggressive outbursts through which she communicated what she wanted, but she did not have a concept of the needs of others (Keller et al xi). She had neither heard nor seen anything of her world, thus her only concept was that of her self. Through the interactions that were provided by a strong willed teacher who sought to bring her out of her self involved world, Keller was able to begin to understand communication, through which she could not only act, but interact. The example provided by Davis of Anna, a little girl who had been severely n eglected to the point of showing little to no development of any kind, it is shown that through a small amount of interaction a child will be begin to interact with the world, thus proving the need and power of socialization. Anna showed little in the way of emotions, thus showing that even the acts of crying or smiling were not necessarily instinctual, but learned. However, just