Outline and explain two ways in which the family socializes individuals into their culture (16 marks)

One way in which the family socializes individuals into their culture is through the use of certain sanctions. Sanctionss are positive or negative reinforcements of certain behaviour that can be reflected through facial expressions or words. Oakley discovered that these reinforcements were used during primary socialization to enforce basic norms and values of each gender. She called this manipulation - in which the parents rewarded or discouraged behaviour that was deemed appropriate or inappropritate in relation to the child's sex. For example a father may engourage his son to take part in sports by taking him to football practice but discourage him from showing emotional weakness by telling him not to cry and not displaying emotional weakness himself.

The family also relies on role models as a method of socialization. Role models for young children are often siblings or their parents who have bene in a similar status and act as guidance for appropriate behaviour. Children will use imitation through a process of trial and error to discover behaviour that is acceptable and the behaviour that is unacceptable. For example, through this practice, children may learn to recognise the difference between talking polietly in a coversation and rudely interrupting.