This is my last blog before I start collecting applied research, than I plan on directing my posts towards that. Under the broad topic of childhood socialization each of my blogs managed to differ so I would like to use this post to summarize what I have learned from my observations, but I also have a good idea for a post sooo I am just going to do both!
In my previous post I mentioned how girls should start being educated about bullying at an earlier age. Its an unfortunate truth but in today's society the youth needs to be exposed to the potential harms of the world to avoid danger. It is a pleasant feeling to assume every person has good intentions, but as people age and are frequently exposed to the danger's of the world they realize it is naive to believe just that. Children on the other hand do not have a developed world view and are vulnerable to the attacks of a predator because of their innocent optimism.
It is unfortunate that people cannot feel completely secure in their own neighborhoods. When my oldest siblings, who are now well into adulthood, were in elementary school on Halloween they were allowed to walk up and down the block alone, their biggest precaution was to check their candy before they ate it. When I was in elementary school an adult would trick-or-treat with us but there were still very upbeat, communal,and safe vibes in connotation with trick-or-treating. But in present day when my niece goes trick-or-treating, in the same neighborhood my siblings and I did, she has to be overcautious to protect her personal security.. I have noticed now that Halloween celebrations mostly take place at school, trunk-or-treats, or even local mall's. The traditional emphasis on trick-or-treating throughout your neighborhood seems to have less emphasis. What I am observing could be explained by Edward Sutherland's Differential Association Theory, it suggests that from the different groups we associate with we learn to deviate from or conform to society's norms. So, since my niece Alyssa associates with her generation she denies the tradition my siblings and I were accustomed to and is more inclined to participate in the church's "trunk-or-treat" or go look at a haunted house. However, Alyssa does not feel like she is violating what we considered normal because (due to the profound threat of strangers kids trick-or-treat less) majority of her peers are doing the same as she.
One more thing.... A quick synopsis of what I have gathered so far.
My posts have had so much variation that I thought it would be difficult to sum them all up in one sentence. I was trying to skim over them and see what really relates and than I realized that the concrete definition of Childhood Socialization that I included in my second post really does the job..."The term social refers to a relationship or interaction between two or more people, who by definition respond to each other and influence each other’s behavior. Socialization is an important process in child development. Stated simply, it is the process whereby individuals, especially children, become functioning members of a particular group and take on the values, behaviors, and beliefs of the group’s other members. Although the process begins shortly after birth and continues into adulthood, the age of early childhood is a crucial period of socialization."... It is almost funny that after this month of posting what I have concluded is what I started with. But to be honest in my second post I had less awareness about what this definition was really saying. This portion of the blogging project has shown me the vital importance of Childhood Socialization, how children are socialized does not just mold the basis for their personal development but it molds the basis for the development of our future society.
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