How do people learn the behaviour, values and norms of society?
Socialisation as the process by which people learn the norms, values and behaviour of their society, including primary and secondary socialisation.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on socialisation, the process by which people learn the norms, values and behaviour of their society, covering primary and secondary socialisation and why this matters in care.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain socialisation: the process by which people learn the norms, values and behaviour of their society. You should know the difference between primary and secondary socialisation and understand that this learning shapes who a person becomes.
What socialisation means
We are not born knowing how to behave in society; we learn it. Through socialisation a person picks up language, manners, beliefs and the rules of how to act. This learning starts at birth and continues throughout life.
Norms and values
Two key terms run through this unit.
Values are the broad beliefs; norms are the specific behaviours. For example, a society that values respect for others will have a norm of not pushing in. Socialisation is how both are passed from one generation and one group to the next.
Primary socialisation
Primary socialisation is the first and most important stage of socialisation. It happens in early childhood, mainly within the family.
During primary socialisation a young child learns the most basic things: how to speak their language, basic manners, the difference between right and wrong, and how to relate to other people. Because it happens first and is led by close, trusted people, primary socialisation has a deep and lasting effect on the person.
Secondary socialisation
Secondary socialisation happens later and beyond the family. It takes place through wider agencies of socialisation such as school, friends (the peer group), the media, religion and the workplace.
Through secondary socialisation a person learns to follow rules set by people outside the family, to get on with a much wider range of people, and to take on the norms and values of the wider society and of particular groups they join. Secondary socialisation continues throughout life as people meet new situations, such as starting a new job.
Why socialisation matters in care
Socialisation explains why people from different families, groups or cultures may hold different norms and values. A good care worker recognises this and does not assume their own way is the only right way. Understanding socialisation also helps a worker support people whose socialisation has been disrupted, and links directly to the care value of respecting each person's background and choices.
Try this
Q1. Name the agency through which most primary socialisation takes place. [1 mark]
- Cue. The family.
Q2. Give one example of a norm. [1 mark]
- Cue. Queuing, saying please and thank you, or being quiet in a library (any accepted way of behaving).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA N5 style4 marksExplain the difference between primary and secondary socialisation. Use examples.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark explain question wants both terms explained and contrasted, with examples, so plan two developed halves.
Primary socialisation. This is the first and most important learning, which happens in early childhood mainly through the family. For example, a young child learns to speak, learns basic manners such as saying please, and learns right from wrong from their parents.
Secondary socialisation. This happens later and beyond the family, through agencies such as school, friends, the media and work. For example, at school a child learns to follow rules set by people other than their family and to work with a wider group of people.
Markers reward each type explained with an example and a clear contrast (family and early childhood for primary; wider society and later life for secondary). Defining only one type, or giving no examples, would not gain full marks.
SQA N5 style3 marksDescribe what is meant by norms and values, and how they are learned through socialisation.Show worked answer →
This is a describe question worth 3 marks, so define both terms and link them to socialisation.
Point 1. Values are the beliefs and ideas that a society sees as important, such as honesty, respect or fairness.
Point 2. Norms are the expected, accepted ways of behaving in a situation, such as queuing, saying please, or being quiet in a library.
Point 3. People learn these norms and values through socialisation: they are passed on by the family, school, friends, the media and others, so the person comes to behave in ways their society expects.
Markers reward correct definitions of both terms and the link to socialisation. Defining only one, or giving no link to how they are learned, would limit the marks.
Related dot points
- The agencies of socialisation - family, school, peer group, media, religion and the workplace - and how each influences a person's norms, values and behaviour.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on the agencies of socialisation - family, school, peer group, media, religion and the workplace - and how each one shapes a person's norms, values and behaviour.
- Types of social group - primary and secondary, formal and informal - and how group membership and pressures such as peer pressure and conformity influence an individual.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on types of social group - primary and secondary, formal and informal - and how group membership, peer pressure and conformity influence an individual's behaviour and identity.
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An SQA National 5 Care answer on prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination, the forms discrimination can take, and the effects of discrimination on individuals and groups in society.
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Sources & how we know this
- National 5 Care Course Specification — SQA (2017)