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Culture and Socialization

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Question:“Define “culture”. How does socialization influence the culture of a society? Discuss, giving examples of different methods and types of socialization used by the various groups in your society and how they contribute to the culture of the society.”

“Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the dictionary.”Raymond Williams (1976).The topic of culture is a big study for sociologists in that there are many different societies. Culture plays a very vital role in our societies; each society has its own individual culture some of which are similar. A society can be seen as a group of people who interact with each other and also share common interest. According to Haralambos and Holborn (2008), in order to understand the social context of human behavior one has to understand the culture of the society to which they belong. Linton (1945) defines culture as ‘the way of life of its members; the collection of ideas and habits which they learn, share and transmit from generation to generation” (Mustapha, 2007).The process in which we acquire such knowledge is called socialization. The way in which we socialize influences the culture of the society. In Each society there are also different methods of socialization and types of socialization. Throughout this paper I will show how these methods and types of socialization help to contribute to the culture of society. Our culture is a huge part of our everyday life. There are different ways in which socialization impacts or influence our culture. With the use of socialization individuals become aware of what and or who they are. Persons have a better understanding of why specific things are done and the true meaning behind it. Take for instance, in Jamaica when baking a potato pudding; it is traditional that it is baked on a coal stove rather than in the oven also the process of having the fire at

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