What is Conscious and Unconscious Socialization?

Socialization process can be conscious as well unconscious. Within a family and school, much socialization occurs consciously. That is parents consciously tell the children the right and the desirable form of behaviour, often there are rewards and punishment for the right and the wrong behaviour respectively, which reinforces the process of conscious socialization. Apart from this process of conscious socialization a major part of socialization occurs through observation which is termed as unconscious socialization.

Similarly school has, the explicit aim to teach students, help them fare well in the examination, but there are implicit lemmings as well. The classmates, the peer groups are important influences on children. Sometimes they may learn norms and behavior which are contrary to their family or school e.g. smoking, telling lies.

There is a qualitative difference between the conscious socialization process which takes place in the family and the school. While the aim of the process is deliberate and explicit in the school, in that it trains the child to study, pass examination, it is not so within the families. However, both the processes take place simultaneously.The unconscious process of socialization takes place through the mass media influences: T.V., cinema, novels, emulation of the hero.