Humans are social creatures by nature; they have a need or requirement to socialize with others. According to the Cambridge University Press, the definition of socialize, for the purposes of people or animals, “is to train them to behave in a way that others in the group think is suitable”. This definition of the word socialize, leads into another, which is that of socialization. Socialization is a definitive part of every human’s life. Socialization is defined as: “The life long process of social interaction through which: we become a consistent and recognizable person, and obtain the physical mental and social skills needed for survival in society.” The process of socialization is a key factor in the life of humans because socialization is contributory in the development of personality and community roles. As stated by psychologists the process of socialization starts at birth when a child begins to learn what is expected of them from their parents. The child will then go through the process of learning what is considered right from wrong, what is socially acceptable. They learn to share, and to communicate through language and actions. Socialization continues through school, friends, employment, extended family, strangers and countless other methods. In other words, socialization is a process in which people learn to be a participating member of a society through their behaviors, thoughts, beliefs, emotional traits and so forth. Individuals learn to act in accordance to their expectations and that of others.
Furthermore, this constant exchange of interaction between members of the society is the building block of socialization. Sociologists say that socialization is important for both the society and individual. Society benefit because each new generation of its members conform to be part of it; thus accounting the continuation of the society. The individual also gains as he or she would develop a sense of self and have a personality that is exclusively his or hers. Besides what have been mentioned, there are some more important factors of socialization process which helps a person to become an effective member of the society. Babies are born into this world without knowing who they are and the social norms of their society. However, they will grow up to be adults who know the language, beliefs and values of the community. This process of socialization begins for everyone in the family. They are not only closely related to the child but physically also they are nearer to the child than others. The child learns respect for persons in authority. The environment of a family influences the growth of a child. Of the parents it is the mother who first begins the process of socialization. Later on this procedure and responsibility go from family to school which is the second and momentous agency of socialization. The education the child gets in the school molds his/her ideas and attitudes. Education is of great importance in socialization. The communication they receive from their teachers help to socialize them and to make them finally mature members of their societies. Furthermore, the relation between a child and his/her playmates is one of equality. It is based on cooperation and mutual understanding. The child acquires something from his/her friends and playmates which he cannot acquire from parents. From the friends the child obtains cooperative morality and some of the informal aspects of culture like fashions, trends, modes of gratification and forbidden knowledge. The knowledge of such things is necessary from the social point of view. Moreover, the government is another vital element for the socialization process which it makes laws for the people and lays down the modes of conduct expected of them. If people fail to adjust their behavior in accordance with the laws of the government, they may be punished for such failure.
In contrast, if we compare the socialization process in Afghanistan than other countries we realize that this procedure is not being followed efficiently by masses due to many factors: firstly, most of the parents aren’t educated and don’t know what truly socialization is and what is the impacts of the socialization on the lives of children and how it changes the quality of their lives. Likewise, they don’t have the knowledge and other information about socialization to show their children the way how to set themselves according to the norms, values and other important things which the society has. Secondly, there aren’t any programs and seminars hold by government and other social organizations to give information about this issue and its effects on the personality traits, lifestyle and behavior of children. In addition, if we consider schools and in particular the respected teachers, we find out that they merely work on the education of the children and it rarely happens that they address this issue, therefore, the children aren’t well-socialized. Moreover, it is clear that, Afghanistan is a traditional society and most of the families have lots of children, which makes it hard for the parents to raise them in the best way possible because when quantity increases needless to say it effects on quality. Therefore, efforts need to be done to help children, youngsters and adults to become socialized members of the society who care and cherish the values and norms that our society has.
Socialization is extremely important to children’s well-being. Parents and other agents who are in touch with children should dedicate serious effort to understanding what is involved in socialization and making sure that the children receive the socialization they need to succeed in life. The societies that go towards stability and progress should solve some basic problems of socialization at all stages of childhood and youths so that the future of those societies become prosperous because of having socialized members who are committed and care about the norms, values and principles of those societies.