Question

For your assignment, you are to write a reflection piece, evaluating what the case of Genie (and other feral children) means to what we understand about socialization. In your view, and informed by the following clips, one based on the NOVA documentary, "Secret of the Wild Child," respond to the following 3 inter-related questions:

1. What do agents of socialization provide us with, in human terms?

2. How do agents of socialization help us grow and develop?

3. Which agents of socialization are most powerful, in your view, after reviewing this documentary?

Answer 1

1. There have been a number of cases of feral children raised in social isolation with little or no human contact. As shown in the documentary ‘NOVA: Secret of the Wild Child’, a life of stark deprivation includes isolation from the crucial process of socialisation. Devoid of any social contact, warm and prolonged interpersonal interaction with any social agent, institution, Genie lived a life of utter understimulation. She tragically presents a case of the multilayered influence of the agents of socialisation on one’s quality of life. Parents and other family members like her elder brother were the Primary socialisation agents who had an adverse impact on her emotional, cognitive, interpersonal development. Their own cold and apthic behaviour towards Genie’s need for love and emotional security shows that as a primary agent of socialisation, family favcilitates emotional growth as we’ll a strong development of language, the ability and the comfort in engaging in social interactions with others. Moreover, the absence of any formal schooling in her life shows that School teachers, counselors, class pupils constitute important agents of socialisation who impart explicit knowledge about the world and often teach effective Andy adaptive behaviours. Peer groups is yet another’s crucial agent of socialisation which can foster a collaborative orientation over competitive or aggressive orientation and offer situations for practising models of care towards others. Moroever, community religious centres and neighbourhood are a crucial agent of socialisation which were however starkly absent in her life as Genie remained non-existent to the outside world. As a result of any contact with her immediate neighbourhood and community groups, she grew up without a sense of group identity which is necessary to learn about social beliefs, cultural norms and judicial laws all of which prepare a young individual to be a morally responsible member of society.