1. “The peer group is the most effective agency of socialisation.”
Evaluate the arguments for and against this claim. 12
Increasingly as children in modern society are becoming more rebellious and independant
and construct their own individual identities, many people argue that the peer they socialise
with have the greatest effect on their behaviour. This idea is debateable however, as there
are other institutions like the media or the family that are key in instilling norms and values
of society.
The ways in which peer groups socialise a person into his/her gender identity are many.
Through peer group pressure along with positive and negative sanctions, it is inevitable that
a young person will conform to their groups norms and values. Firstly, the idea of being
isolated from a friendship group is a daunting vision for many youngsters, and are thus
willing to adopt the groups norms and values if it means they will acquire popularity or just
to be part of a group. The peer group is a secondary agent of socialisation which means
they develop and further reinforce the learning one was once subjected to in early
childhood. A peer group that holds good values, like hard work may encourage its members
into positive things, yet one that has detrimental values may lead to deviant behaviour.
In spite of this influence, some may argue that the media in todays media saturated world
has become the most influential agent of socialisation. Stereotypes related to gender are
regularly portrayed in the media. Women are shown to be sexually desirable and attractive
to men whilst men are often portrayed as powerful, strong and intelligent. These
stereotypes puts pressure on males and females to conform and we are constantly shown
what would happen if we did not conform to them. This is done through a process of
scapegoating. The media will illustrate what types of behaviour are considered deviant.
Programmes like 16 and pregnant go against the common understanding of girls being
modest and illustrate the consequences of going against the accepted norms of society. All
of this leads to pressure on teenagers in particular to conform to these images and if they
don’t they run the risk of being considered deviant.
Some may argue that it is the primary agent of socialisation – the family that is the most
influential. Families socialises its members through processes like Canalisation – whereby
they purchase gender specific toys or encourage children to play certain gender specific
activities like girls playing quietly with dolls. Member of our family also serve as our role
models.
In conclusion, as the family declines in importance, as more and more parents both go out
to work and children are spending more and more time in front of the TV or a computer
screen and with their friends, perhaps it is true to say that those secondary agents of
socialisation like the media or peer group become ever more important and influential in
forming out values and identity.