What is the Difference Between Primary and Secondary Socialization?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The difference between primary and secondary socialization lies in the agents involved in the process and the context in which it takes place.
Primary Socialization:
- Occurs within the family unit, where children learn from their parents, siblings, and other close family members.
- Involves the transmission of cultural norms, values, and language.
- Begins from infancy and extends throughout early childhood.
- Children learn through informal, natural observations and experiences, imitating and internalizing the behaviors and attitudes of those around them.
- Family members serve as role models during primary socialization.
Secondary Socialization:
- Occurs outside the home and is influenced by external agents such as teachers, peers, and the media.
- Involves learning what is appropriate behavior in different social contexts.
- Takes place during school, work, and other group activities.
- Secondary socialization begins where primary socialization ends.
- Provides opportunities for individuals to learn new norms and expectations, as well as how to function in groups and deal with different social situations.
In summary, primary socialization is initiated within the family and lays the foundation for an individual's social skills, values, and beliefs, while secondary socialization takes place outside the home and allows individuals to learn and adapt to new social situations and expectations.
Comparative Table: Primary vs Secondary Socialization
Here is a table comparing the differences between primary and secondary socialization:
| Feature | Primary Socialization | Secondary Socialization |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The process where a child becomes socialized through the family in early childhood years. | The process that occurs outside the home, such as in school, church, work contexts, and through interactions with peers and other sources like television. |
| Occurrence | Occurs in the home. | Occurs outside the home. |
| Social Agents | Family, including parents and caregivers, is the primary social agent. | Teachers, peers, and the media are some examples of secondary social agents. |
| Objective | Sets the groundwork for all future socialization and is crucial for children's development. | Occurs throughout a person's life and reinforces primary socialization or introduces new norms and expectations. |
| Key Influences | Learning basic norms, values, and customs relevant to the family's culture. | Learning how to function in groups, dealing with different authority figures, and handling new norms and expectations. |
Primary socialization is the process where a child becomes socialized through the family in their early years, while secondary socialization occurs later in life and involves learning from various sources outside the family.
- Primary Education vs Secondary Education
- Primary vs Secondary Deviance
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- Secondary vs Primary Sources
- Socialization vs Orientation
- Primary vs Secondary Sexual Characteristics
- Political Culture vs Political Socialization
- Primary vs Secondary Cell Culture
- Primary vs Secondary Data
- Primary Research vs Secondary Research
- Primary vs Secondary Immune Response
- Primary vs Secondary Care
- Primary vs Secondary Markets
- Primary vs Secondary Valency
- Primary vs Secondary Cells
- Social vs Societal
- Primary vs Secondary Immunodeficiency Disorders
- Primary Succession vs Secondary Succession
- Primary vs Secondary Growth