Travis Taylor
Dr. Hill
Soc 204
11 December 2008
Response Paper #3
In Gerald Handel’s book Children and Society, Handel spends a great deal of time focusing on peer groups. Peer groups can have just as much of an impact on on individual as the family unit. This is because as human beings we long for intimacy and connection with others we are wired so that we strive to connection with others, we must fit in with some group. Groups are a natural occurrence almost every person considers them-self to be part of one group or another.
Within peer groups socialization takes place. Through peer groups is where an individual learns about the world around them, this is where the learn and are made aware about things through others their own age. It is a place where most feel as if they are on common ground with all of them. In no other place other than peer groups is where everyone makes an attempt to fit in.
Friendships are one of the most important things that one needs to develop properly. I know personally I have no idea where I would be today with out some of the friendships that I have. Most people are willing to go out of their way for a friend, for the most part friends are a positive experience. However friends can have a negative influence on an individual. Friends often influence each other to do bad things such as try drugs or to cheat on their homework or something negative. But the bennifits of friends deffinatly out ways the bad.
Cliques from what I have experienced throughout my life, can do a lot of damage. It is easy for groups of people who all have similar things in common to all hang out together. A problem with cliques is that it causes some to be in them and some to be out of them, but they are considered to be vital in the socialization process.
Bulling is one of the worst parts of the socialization process. Every year thousands of kids in playgrounds and hallways across America are bullied. Bulling can have some major psychological damage. It is proven that student who grow up being bullied often have a low self-esteem and a low self-efficacy. When bullied students often feel belittled and worthless, often their is little a parent can do to help their child and prevent them from being bullied. Often if a parent intervenes it makes it much worse for the victim. Many times when an individual is bullied they themselves end up being bullies to others to help them try and improve their own self esteem.
Peer groups play a huge role in the socialization process. It is where friendships, cliques, and bulling comes from. It is also where one learns to work along side and socialize with people of their own age and status. Peer groups play a key role in how one develops, and how one interacts with others. They can have just as much of an impact on on individual as the family unit. This is because as human beings we long for intimacy and connection with others we are wired so that we strive to connection with others, we must fit in with some group. Groups are a natural occurrence almost every person considers them-self to be part of one group or another. For many of individuals one finds them selves on an equal playing field with their peer groups. This is the area where we practice with each other on how to act it is considered to be a trial and error process.
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