Socialization (Sociology)

A broad term that describes how a person learns to conform to a society's norms, values, and social roles. Learning these cultural aspects is necessary for successful participation in a given society. Agents of socialization include parents, teachers, and others in authority. Agencies of socialization include the family, religion, and the mass media. While the majority of socialization occurs during the younger years of a person's life, adults may experience resocialization as the result of overcoming an addiction or entering prison or the military. Some nonhuman animals also undergo a process of socialization, for example, domestication of dogs or cats. Dogs can also be socialized as working canines. When these animals remain unsocialized due to lack of human contact, they are regarded as feral or wild.