Methods of Socialization in Child Development

This assignment delves into the various methods of socialization that influence child development. It examines behavioral methods, where children learn through rewards and punishments, cognitive methods, focusing on how children process information and learn through thinking, and social learning methods, emphasizing observation and imitation. The essay highlights the role of agents like family, educators, and communities in shaping a child's self-concept within a dynamic environment.

Running head: PARENTING AND FAMILY ISSUES
Parenting and Family Issues
Name of student
Name of university
Author note

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PARENTING AND FAMILY ISSUES
Task 1
a.
A child’s development is known to be affected by the social relationships and the
environment around. Theoretical frameworks help in understanding this key association in a
suitable manner. Ecological systems model is a significant approach toward answering the
question of how the social environment and ecology influence a child’s development. The
present essay describes a child’s ecology as proposed by Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological
System Model.
Urie Bronfenbrenner, a famous American psychologist, formulated the Ecological system
model for explaining how the inherent qualities of a child and the environment engage in
interaction for influencing the growth and development of the child. The model organizes the
development of a child into five distinct levels of external influences; microsystem, mesosystem,
exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. By studying these systems, one can understand the
diversity of influences that in association with each other has a major impact on the development
of the child (Vélez-Agosto et al., 2017). Microsystem refers to the most immediate and smallest
environment presented to a child. It comprises of family, school, neighborhood, religious
institutions and peers. Interactions within the microsystem involve personal relationships with
classmates, caregivers, teachers and family members. Supportive and nurturing relationships and
interactions lead to the healthy development of a child. The mesosystem defines the interaction
between different microsystems within which the development of a child is promoted. In
essence, it is a system of microsystems and involves interactions between teachers and family for

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example. A child’s development is positively influenced through coherence and harmony if the
parents are actively involved in the relationship of a child with his peers (Sallis et al., 2015).
The exosystems concern the associations existing between multiple settings in which a
child does not have an active role. For example, a child’s experience might be influenced by the
experiences of parents at the workplace. If both the parents are working for long hours and
unable to spend quality time with the child, the development might be influenced in an undesired
manner. Macrosystem clearly articulates the culture in which a child is being brought up. This
includes socioeconomic status, ethnicity and heritage. A child and his parents are a part of a large
cultural context, and it has repeatedly been pointed out that member of a particular cultural group
shares a common heritage, identity, and value. Further, the macrosystem undergoes evolution
over time. Lastly, chronosystem is the pattern of transitions and environmental events over time.
It adds the valuable dimension of time, indicating constancy and change in the environment of
the child. For example, divorces of parents are one transition and research highlights that the
negative impact of divorce on a child is drastic (Walker & Pattison, 2016).
In conclusion, it is found that a child is to be studied in the context of multiple
environments he is subjected to. A child is simultaneously enmeshed in different ecosystems,
wherein, the most intimate one is the home ecology, and the most outward one is the social and
cultural system. Each of the systems interacts with each other to influence all aspects of a child’s
life. Awareness of these precise contexts can sensitize humans to changes in the behavior and
responses of a child.

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b.
Socialization for a child is a process by which human beings actively acquire the set of
skills, knowledge and character traits that help him to participate as an effective member of the
society. The process of socialization begins at birth and psychologists point out that the process
is reciprocal and dynamic. Socialization includes education, social development, and child-
rearing, and the outcomes are unique for each child (Furnham & Milner, 2017). The present
essay discusses how the elements of the Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System Model influence a
child’s socialization process.
The ecological model of Bronfenbrenner's has the proposition that socialization of a child
takes place in multiple contexts and the child is to be imaged place in the center of concentric
circles, modeled by layers of multiple contexts. The child is not to be considered as solely a
passive recipient in this whole interrelated process. Rather, there is a direct interaction of the
child with the humans in the systems. The elements of the model, namely microsystem,
mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem are the driving factors for values,
attitudes, motives and attributes acquired by the child. Values are the beliefs perceived as
important or desirable. Attitudes are the tendencies to respond in a certain manner to particular
situations. Motives are the emotions and need causing a child to act in a certain way. Attributes
are the explanations laid out for the performance. For a child, the primary socialization agents
are family, school, community culture and peers. The theory of Bronfenbrenner informs these
socialization agents that influence child growth and development (Perry‐Jenkins & Wadsworth
2017).

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Ervin-Tripp (2014) gave suitable examples so explain this context of how ecological
elements influence child socialization. One example is where a child X is taking part in an art
class using colors to draw pictures. Another child B joins her at her table and cuts scrap paper
with a scissor. When child A places a paper on the table for drawing, child B mistakenly cuts it
too. Understanding the mistake, child A jumps and shouts followed by punching child B on her
face. The teacher then arrives at the scenario. This example can be informed by the ecological
model considering the mesosystem and microsystem. The mesosystem of child A is aggressive
and forceful and the manner in which the teacher reacts results in the child developing the same
approach towards others. Instead of punishing her, the educator must consult her parents as
punishing her would make her hostile. In addition, the educator must be informed by the
ecological model to reflect on the classroom environment to ensure that the child A’s
microsystem, mainly parents, is not hostile towards her. If the microsystem is hostile towards
her, then the impact on her growth would be negative.
With reference to the exosystem, Gonzalez-Mena (2016) cited the sample of the father of
a child losing a job. When the father has lost a job, it is usual for the child to not attend his
school for a considerable period due to the economic crisis. When the child is absent from
school, he is subjected to social turmoil as the parents are fighting constantly due to economic
misbalance. This ultimately leads the child to undergo a series of life-changing events hindering
growth and development. On resuming presence at school, he might not be in a position to
socialize with peers and would seclude himself from the school activities. The macrosystem
would also play an important role in this regard. In certain cultures, the misuse of drugs and
alcohol is extensive which has a direct impact on the child who is unable to understand the
adverse effect. When parents have an inclination towards interacting with individuals known to

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have alcohol and substance abuse history, the child develops the same inclination. This results in
the inappropriate socialization of the child with individuals having a negative impact on the life
and development. Coming to the impact of chronosystem, the authors stated that the clear
connection between time and socialization is reflected by how a child integrates attitudes and
habits into his regular socialization pattern through observation. A child has the strong cognitive
ability to analyse and observe the different patterns of socialization over time that he finds in his
surroundings. Gradually, he develops the same patterns of socialization and exhibits the same as
deemed fit by him.
In conclusion, socialization is the lifelong process of acquiring and disseminating
customs, norms, and ideologies that provide a child with the habits to participate within his own
society. Socialization occurs when the child develops values and attitudes capable of executing
an action. The elements of the ecological model exclusively promote socialization for a child,
each with its own discreet features.

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Task 2
Socialization is the active process of learning behavior from other individuals over time,
and children can learn socialization skills from anyone he has contact with. There are a number
of methods by which children can be socialized hat involves goals, aims and outcomes. These
methods help in promoting the dynamic and reciprocal socialization process within which each
child plays his role (Johnson et al., 2017). The present essay describes four socialization
methods, namely affective, operant, observational and cognitive. The essay also highlights how
these would be used to socialize children.
Affective method refers to the feelings and emotions that lead to attachment with an
individual. Such a method merges from person-to-person interaction and is the best method of
socialization for children. When individuals develop a connection with a like-minded person
with a similar set of priorities and beliefs, there is an emotional bond between them. Over time,
this emotional tie is effective in binding the two individuals together in space and might endure
over time. When a child is successful in establishing a secured attachment, it is due to this
attachment that the child is able to adopt a certain behavior of that individual. The best example
can be provided by explaining how a child would inbuilt a habit of taking part in regular physical
exercise from his father. A father might be having a strong preference for engaging in regular
physical exercises. If the father is successful in establishing a strong bond with the child and able
to motivate him, it is likely that the child would be motivated an encouraged to engage in regular
physical exercises (Singer, 2017).
Operant method refers to the production of a strong and lasting effect on the mind of the
child through reinforcement. The child, in this case, learns a certain behavior or develops a

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preference or disliking for a particular habit due to the response received against it. This implies
that the behavior takes place first and then the child is in a position to learn from the response
received. The response might be positive or negative, depending on the circumstances. One of
the best methods is feedback that acts as a powerful tool for providing either positive or negative
information about the behavior. The simplest example can be related to smoking as children at a
tender age are inclined towards developing the habit of smoking. The response in this case would
be a strong negative feedback about substance abuse from the parents. This would pave the way
for a fast change in the desired behavior (Gonzalez-Mena, 2016).
Observational method of socialization refers to the modeling or imitation learning
occurring by observation and analysis. In such a case the child observes another person, child or
adult, performing a certain behavior and experiences the desire to conduct the same. In this
method, the child learns through the different experiences he undergoes and picks up the lessons
learned. The likelihood that a child would model a behavior demonstrated by other individual is
a key function of his level of cognitive development, attention, ability to reproduce the behavior,
type of activity done and the gamut of alternative behavior. Children observe their parents for a
wide range of habits and behaviors and incorporate them in their daily actions. For instance, a
child would observe his parents pressing the remote buttons for changing channels on television
and might try to imitate the same. Another example would be a child observing his parents wash
hands before having a meal and pick up the lesson (Singer, 2017).
Cognitive method of socialization indicates the manner in which a child processes
information and abstracts from repeated experiences. By cognitive ability, one refers to the
ability of thinking and the conscious mental processes of the human mind. The child, in this case,
learns effectively through particular thinking processes that can be reasoning, following

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directions or setting standards. The focus is on how the child processes the information and
relates to multidimensional information. The best example can be related to a school
environment where the interactions between other students and educators enable a child to
execute his cognitive ability to learn lessons. A child observes a peer talking repeatedly in class
and getting strict punishment for the same. This can act a factor to make him realize and
understand that the inappropriate behavior leads to an undesirable situation that he would like to
avoid, thus restraining him from talking in class (Berns, 2012).
At the end of the discussion, it can be stated that methods of socialization aim at
developing a self-concept for the child who is subjected to a fast evolving environment. By
proper utilization of these methods, a child can socialize with other individuals in the vicinity as
a result of their biology and culture. The active role of socialization agents such as the family,
educator, and community cannot be denied in this respect.

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References
Berns, R. (2012). Child, family, school, community: Socialization and support. Nelson
Education.
Ervin-Tripp, S. (Ed.). (2014). Child discourse. Elsevier.
Furnham, A., & Milner, R. (2017). Parent‘s beliefs and behaviours about the economic
socialisation, through allowances/pocket money, of their children. Psychology, 8(08),
1216.
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2016). Child, family, and community: Family-centered early care and
education. Pearson.
Johnson, A. M., Hawes, D. J., Eisenberg, N., Kohlhoff, J., & Dudeney, J. (2017). Emotion
socialization and child conduct problems: A comprehensive review and meta-
analysis. Clinical psychology review, 54, 65-80.
Perry‐Jenkins, M., & Wadsworth, S. M. (2017). Work and Family Research and Theory: Review
and Analysis From an Ecological Perspective. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 9(2),
219-237.
Sallis, J. F., Owen, N., & Fisher, E. (2015). Ecological models of health behavior. Health
behavior: Theory, research, and practice, 5, 43-64.
Singer, E. (2017). Child-care and the psychology of development (Vol. 12). Routledge.

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Vélez-Agosto, N. M., Soto-Crespo, J. G., Vizcarrondo-Oppenheimer, M., Vega-Molina, S., &
García Coll, C. (2017). Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory revision: Moving culture
from the macro into the micro. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(5), 900-910.
Walker, G., & Pattison, E. (2016). Using Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Framework to Design
Support Systems for Education and Special Education: Learning About Thought
Systems. In Special and Gifted Education: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and
Applications (pp. 11-31). IGI Global.