Pre-Reading
This reading introduces socialization. It defines it in the following way:
“Socialization is the process through which people are taught to be proficient members of a society. It describes the ways that people come to understand societal norms and expectations, to accept society’s beliefs, and to be aware of societal values.”
Pre-Reading Activity
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
- Who teaches children to be proficient members of a society?
- What are some societal beliefs and values that you have been taught?
- What would happen if a child was never socialized? How might they struggle?
- Look at Figure 1 below. How does the picture relate to socialization?
Reading 1: Introduction to Socialization [1]
In the summer of 2005, police detective Mark Holste followed an employee from the Department of Children and Families to a home in Plant City, Florida. They were there to investigate a statement from the neighbor concerning an old run-down house. A small girl was reported peering from one of its broken windows. This seemed odd because no one in the neighborhood had seen a young child in or around the home.
Who was the mystery girl in the window?
Entering the house, Detective Holste and his team were shocked. It was the worst mess they had ever seen, infested with cockroaches, covered with feces and urine from both people and pets, and filled with old furniture and ripped window coverings.
That is where he found the little girl, with big, vacant eyes, staring into the darkness. A newspaper report later described the detective’s first encounter with the child: “She lay on a torn, moldy mattress on the floor. Insect bites, rashes and sores marked 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. She was taken to a hospital for medical treatment and evaluation. Through extensive testing, doctors determined that, although she was severely malnourished, Danielle was able to see, hear, and vocalize normally. Still, 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? Put simply: beyond the basic requirements for survival, she had been ignored and not looked after. Based on their investigation, social workers concluded that she had been left almost entirely alone in rooms like the one where she was found. Without regular interaction—the holding, hugging, talking, the explanations and demonstrations given to most you