SOCIALIZATION

Socialization shapes us and plays a role in how we live and grow up. These agents of socialization are groups that we are apart of, and groups that we may not even think of that shape us. The first is family. Growing up you can choose your friends, what hobbies or sports you want to be a part of, but you do not get to pick your family. The family you are born into is the family you will be surrounded by your whole life. I was blessed to grow up  in an amazing family that taught me so much about life and about myself, but it was not until this unit in Sociology that I realized all the latent lessons my family has taught me. Sports are also a big part of growing up and a major factor in socialization, through sports you learn that life is not all about winning but the lessons you learn from a sport last a lifetime. I learned a lot more than just how score goals in soccer. I learned that without teammates and others you cannot succeed, and you have to rely on others sometimes, and trust is very important. Soccer has been one of the biggest influencing factors in my life.Another key agent of socialization is religion. People tend to socialize with others who have the same beliefs as themselves. It is easy to click with people when you can talk about something that really does mean a lot to both of you. As I have aged, I have personally found it way easier to get along with people who share the same beliefs I do in religion. I was raised Christian, but recently found myself enjoying Catholicism. Being raised under these roots, I have been impacted greatly under God. Everyone has different agents of socialization that may influence them more than others, but all of these agents do effect everyone. Socialization is everywhere and it was pretty neat learning about all of this.