This part deals with the process of internalization of reality, internalization and social structure, theories about identity and organism and identity. It is argued that internalization of reality involves primary socialization, secondary socialization and maintenance and transformation of subjective reality. In society individual is born with a predisposition toward sociality, but he becomes a member of society. New members begin by apprehend the world. They take over others’ objectified subjective behaviour and their definitions of shared situations, and defines them reciprocally. This becomes the objective reality for the new member. The foregoing process describes primary socialization. It describes the objective world of child which he develops through the mediation of significant others.
Primary socialization thus can be very different to different children. It includes emotional learning. This process leads to development of an identity by the child. Through primary socialization, the individual moves from internalizing concrete roles to more generalized roles. This process of attaining the generalized other marks the internalization of society.
The stage of primary socialisation ends when the individual has acquired all characteristics of member of society. In this stage individual is recognised by others to display forms of behaviour and understanding which are recognised by those in authority to express a stable and continuous understanding of the identity and society. Here language plays an important role in providing a shared symbolic universe through which experience is objectified
Secondary socialization is subsequent process on an already socialized individual. Society identity and reality are all crystallized at the same time with the learning of language. Generalized other represents a correlation of externalization of internal reality. Language is considered important piece of primary socialization. It is seen as programs for life and enables structure for understanding life. In Secondary Socialization the detachment from the identity and emotionality becomes important. The concept of objective reality as home is very useful. Any secondary socialization process must be guided towards that home for the purpose of maintenance and transformation of Subjective Reality. It is observed that everyday subjective reality is threaded in marginal situations that are difficult to bracket into objective reality. The book describes two general types of reality maintenance, (1) Routine maintenance and (2) crisis maintenance.
Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1967). The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Anchor Books.
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