The socialization process can be understood from the following characteristics.
- The socialization process starts from birth and continues till death. It never stops however, the speed and nature of socialization is different at different stages of life.
- The socialization process converts “human being” into a “social being” so that he might be able to play his role more effectively as a member of an organized group.
- Healthy growth of personality is possible only due to proper socialization.
- The socialization of an individual belonging to one and the same society may be different from one another.
- The process of socialization is different in different societies and groups and that’s why the ways of life of the people belonging to different group are different from one another.
- With the help of socialization, the culture is transmitted to the next generation.
- With the passage of time, the individual leaders the old roles, responsibilities and interests and adopts the new ones. This process is called re-socialization.
- When the child is made involved in the process of his own socialization, he is given the freedom and is encouraged to bring to the front his hidden qualities, this is called participant socialization.
- When a child (or an adult) is given a limited freedom, he is made obedient and is forced and compelled to know the social values and norms is called repressive socialization
- The examples of repressive socialization are commonly found in socialistic societies.
Socialization process is a two-way process i.e. not only adults socialize the children, but sometimes adults can also be socialized by children. e.g. his educated child may socialize an uneducated father.