A teenager begins to adopt the slang, dress, and values of their peer group at school, distinct from those of their family. Which agent of socialization is primarily at work here, and what type of socialization does this represent?
AThe family; primary socialization
BThe school as an institution; primary socialization
CThe peer group; secondary socialization
DThe media; resocialization
Peer groups are a classic agent of secondary socialization — they shape role-specific and context-specific behavior after the foundational primary socialization of early childhood (mainly family) has already occurred. The peer group is the agent; the process is secondary socialization because it refines identity in a particular social context rather than establishing core selfhood.
Question 2 True / False
Because socialization shapes an individual's values and behavior from a young age, it is impractical for a person to meaningfully resist or reinterpret the norms they were taught.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
Socialization is not deterministic. Individuals are active participants who negotiate, contest, and selectively internalize social norms. Sociologists document countless examples of resistance — subcultures, counter-movements, and individual deviance all demonstrate that socialization sets tendencies, not fixed outcomes. Goffman's work on self-presentation highlights how people strategically manage the scripts they have learned rather than simply enacting them.
Question 3 Short Answer
What distinguishes resocialization from ordinary secondary socialization, and what does the concept reveal about the nature of socialization as a lifelong process?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Resocialization involves a deliberate and often intense dismantling of previously internalized norms and identities in order to replace them with new ones — as happens in total institutions like the military or in processes like religious conversion. This shows that socialization is not a one-time event completed in childhood but an ongoing process in which any deeply embedded norm can, under sufficient pressure or motivation, be unlearned and replaced.
The distinction matters because ordinary secondary socialization layers new role-specific behaviors onto an existing identity, whereas resocialization challenges or replaces core identity elements. Recognizing this reinforces that culture and self are dynamic rather than fixed.