20.2: Socialization and Enculturation Agents

The Girl in the Window

In the summer of 2005, police detective Mark Holste followed an investigator from the Department of Children and Families to a home in Plant City, Florida to investigate a neighbor’s statement concerning a shabby house on Old Sydney Road. A small girl was observed peering from one of its broken windows. The report seemed odd because no one in the neighborhood had seen a young child in or around the home, which had been inhabited by a woman, her boyfriend, and two adult sons for the past three years.

Who was the mystery girl in the window?

Upon entering the house, Detective Holste and his team were shocked. It was the worst mess they'd ever seen, infested with cockroaches, smeared with feces and urine from both people and pets, and filled with dilapidated furniture and ragged window coverings.

Detective Holste headed down a hallway and entered a small room. He found a little girl staring into the darkness with big, vacant eyes. A newspaper report later described the detective's first encounter with the child: "She lay on a torn, moldy mattress on the floor. She was curled on her side . . . her ribs and collarbone jutted out . . . her black hair was matted, crawling with lice. Insect bites, rashes, and sores pocked her skin . . . She was naked—except for a swollen diaper. … Her name, her mother said, was Danielle. She was almost seven years old" (DeGregory 2008).

Detective Holste immediately carried Danielle out of the home, and she was taken to a hospital for medical treatment and evaluation. Through extensive testing, doctors determined that, although she was severely malnourished, Danielle could see, hear, and vocalize normally. Yet she wouldn't look anyone in the eyes, didn't know how to chew or swallow solid food, didn't cry, didn't respond to stimuli that would typically cause pain, and didn't know how to communicate either with words or simple gestures such as nodding "yes" or "no." Likewise, although tests showed she had no chronic diseases or genetic abnormalities, the only way she could stand was with someone holding onto her hands, and she "walked sideways on her toes, like a crab" (DeGregory 2008).

What had happened to Danielle? Simply put, neglect. Only the basic requirements for survival were fulfilled in Danielle's care. Based on their investigation, social workers concluded that she had been left almost entirely alone in rooms like the one in which she was found. Without regular interaction—the holding, hugging, talking, explanations, and demonstrations given to most young children—she had not learned to walk or speak, eat or interact, play, or even understand the world around her. From a sociological point of view, Danielle had not been socialized.

Socialization is the process through which people are taught to be proficient members of society. It describes how people come to understand societal norms and expectations, accept society's beliefs, and be aware of societal values. Socialization is not the same as socializing (interacting with others, like family, friends, and coworkers); it is a sociological process that occurs through socializing. As Danielle's story illustrates, even the most basic human activities are learned. Physical tasks like sitting, standing, and walking had not automatically developed for Danielle, and without socialization, Danielle hadn't learned about some material cultural norms of her society: for example, she couldn't hold a spoon, bounce a ball, or use a chair for sitting. She also hadn't learned about her nonmaterial culture, such as its beliefs, values, and norms. Danielle didn't understand the concept of family and didn't know cultural expectations for using a bathroom for elimination. Most importantly, she hadn't learned to use the symbols that make up language, through which we learn about who we are, how we fit with other people, and the natural and social worlds in which we live.

Sociologists have long been fascinated by circumstances like Danielle's—in which a child receives sufficient human support to survive but virtually no social interaction—because they highlight how much we depend on social interaction to provide the information and skills needed to be part of society or develop a "self."[1]

Socialization occurs in societies big and small, complex and straightforward, preindustrial and industrial. It happens in the United States, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.[2] Families teach children, both directly and by example, how to behave and how the world works. Eurocentric cultures encourage children to use socially expected norms such as "thank you." They teach kids how to dress appropriately for the culture in which their family is living. They introduce children to religious beliefs and the rituals that go with them. They even teach children how to think and feel. This uniquely human form of learning, where the cultural tools for success are passed from one generation to another, is called enculturation. Enculturation agents are individuals and institutions that shape individual adaptions to a specific culture to ensure growth and effectiveness.[3]

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[1] Little and McGivern (nd) Introduction to Sociology - 1st Canadian Edition is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

[2] Kuppens, S and Ceulemans, E. Parenting Styles: A Closer Look at a Well-Known Concept. Is licensed CC: BY

[3] Culture and Psychology by L D Worthy; T Lavigne; and F Romero is licensed CC BY-NC-SA