Socialization and Social Isolation

When someone speaks of “socializing,” one’s thought may automatically reminisce of a memory of bonding or connecting with his friends or family. This thought is not incorrect, but it is only half of what sociologists mean by the term “socialization.” Socialization has two goals that relate to a member of society on a social and individual level, which helps shape who a person is and how they think. There are rare cases and myths where an individual lacks social and learned behaviors by social isolation. Sometimes instances of these happenings involve feral children, which is a child that has had little human connection and may have lived in the wild or in isolation since a young age. Most often, a case of a feral child is a myth, and an actual incident of it is rare. In these rare events, the parents have neglected or abused the child. Once children are out of the social isolation, it is possible to “retrain” them to be “normal,” like the rest of the society. As a child, the development of socialization is not complete. They have a lifetime to experience the things that will form their minds and personalities (Ferris 98-99). I have experienced social isolation to a lesser extent, and I have witnessed the effects that it can have on others and myself, and I realize that social isolation may not always be to the exact intense definition that it is mostly commonly thought of. While seeing how important the development in people of societies and what happens when someone lives in a pure social isolation, I appreciate the process of socialization more and value the goals and achievements it accomplishes.
There are two main goals that socialization achieves. One of the main goals is very important in regards to basic survival skills. M...

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...lation and self-detriment, I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. I was put on medication and into counseling. One year later, I still struggle with depression, and I still isolate myself from others, but I am better. It took time, but I am back in school. I have a few friends. I talk to my family regularly. I am happy most days. I feel “normal.” I feel like social isolation happens in more instances than the extreme definition that the book describes. I think it is less rare than the cases of feral children. I think that the difficult truths that the social isolation stories give us, challenges us. It challenges us to come to terms with how we treat people who are different or not “normal,” or it challenges us to be kindhearted or considerate (Ochota). Even how we choose to view them depends on the events that occurred during our socialization process.