WHAT IS SOCIALIZATION Socialization is important for survival of society. It is a process of learning by which a biological man is transformed into a social animal. A process by which a human infant learns the norms, rules and skills of the society. Socialization is the process by which the individual develops into a functioning member of a group, acting according to the standards, conforming to its mores, observing its traditions and adjusting, himself to the social situation he meets sufficiently well to commend the tolerance is not the admiration of his fellows. It is a continuous process which goes on even when a person becomes an adult and even when he becomes old. Through this process social being establish wider and profounder relationship with one another, in which they become more bound up with and more dependent on, one another in which they develop the sense of their obligation to and responsibility for others, in which they grow more perceptive of the personality of themselves and of less and build up the complex structure of nearer and wider association. Socialization is a learning that enables the learner to perform social roles and through which one adopts as one's own norms, values, beliefs, culture and roles appropriate to one's social position. ADULT SOCIALIZATION The socialization of adults is easier than the socialization of children; firstly because the adult ordinarily is motivated to work towards a goal that he already envisioned; secondly, because the new role that he is trying to internalize has many similarities ti roles already existing in his personality, and thirdly because the socializing agent can communicate with him easily through speech. DIFFICULTIES IN ADULT SOCIALIZATION The socialization of adults can be a difficult process especially so when the roles to be learnt are difficult and the responsibilities of the role are heavy. Further, the norms and attitudes have already become deeply internalized in adults and so when the norms ans attitudes to be learnt run counter to norms already established in the personality, socialization of adults becomes a difficult process. IMPORTANCE OF ADULT SOCIALIZATION The importance of socialized attitudes cannot be minimized in a society. A person with socialized attitudes would not do any work which is social harmful. He would not engage in any bisuness whihc is socially non-productive or whdihc depends for its maintenance upon unhealthy competition. A socialized citizen would place human values above all else. Socialization reduces social distance and produces nearness. Modern society has still to solve some basic problems of socialization at all stages of childhood and youth. It can hardly be said that any society makes full use of the individual's capacities. "The improvement of socialization offers one of the greatest possibilities for the future alteration of human nature and human society".
