The Importance of Socialization Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Socialization Essay The Importance of Socialization In my research I used Down to Earth Sociology as well as the video on Genie. Socialization is important for children weather they are retarded or â€Å"normal†. These three stories of Genie, Anna, and Isabelle I think show just how important socialization is, and how a lack of socialization can affect a child. All three areas of language, intelligence, and emotion are affected when a child does not receive socialization. There are some similarities and differences in each of these three cases. Genie was in isolation until the age of ten, whereas Anna and Isabelle were in isolation until the age of six. All three girls were able to gain physical motions and learn to walk. Language however was different. Genie was only able to say words and associate their meanings, but never able to properly form sentences. Also, her progress was like the progress a normal child would have in a year, but she was behind ten years from her isolation. Anna could carry on a conversation through phrases, but not sentences. Isabelle was able to form sentences and ask complicated questions and even attended junior high. I do think that the age in which the girls were found was a factor in their language abilities. It is hard to say either way considering no tests can be done, but Anna came from a family with very low IQ’s and appears to have achieved more than Genie in a shorter time period. It appears to me that Genie may have been able to broaden her vocabulary, had she been found at six rather than ten. It is suggested in the text and movie that all three girls may have had some retardation even without their extreme isolation. This of course is next to impossible to state for a fact for any of the girls, but from my readings I would conclude that Genie and especially Anna may have had some retardation and Isabelle most likely would not have. The reason I believe Genie may have had some retardation is because of the readings they found on her when she was sleeping. Even if a child was in extreme isolation, I don’t think those readings would have been found, unless she was predisposed to retardation. The one psychologist that tried to say that Genie was not retarded said so because Genie was improving every year. While she was improving every year she did hit a point where she no longer achieved any higher forms of intelligence. Also, she reached these levels at a much slower rate than both Anna and Isabelle. Anna I believe to be predisposed to retardation because both her mother and her father had very low IQ’s. The age old dispute between nature vs. nurture has been concluded that both are important for a child’s development. In Anna’s case, both were poor to say the least. In Isabelle’s case she only had a poor nurture setting and considering Isabelle achieved more than Anna in the same time period at the same age is why I believe Anna was most likely predisposed to retardation. Another factor is the girl’s emotional states. Genie was abused when she made noise and was in a lot of different homes and settings after she was found. Anna was left in dirty clothes and was also put in many homes, before and after she was discovered. Isabelle was left in a dark room with her mother who was both deaf and mute. People that are put in consolatory confinement as punishment as adults suffer many psychological issues, so it is no surprise that these girls would suffer even more as children. Also, children that are in many different foster homes, or abused also have many emotional difficulties. Then you add to that Genie and Anna’s isolation and I am sure that affected their emotional state in who they became. Another area that may have affected Genie is all the tests that were done and how hard she was pushed. Any child in a home where the parents push them to be something are stressed out and I think Genie may have been from the way she reacted in tantrums. I believe these stories prove the importance of socialization. In all three cases the girls never reached the capacity to communicate on a level past junior high. Although it is questioned why some of the girls reached a further level then the others, there is no doubt that had the girls been socialized to begin with, they would have reached a higher level of intelligence regardless of any predisposed retardation. The emotional struggles these girls had to go through most adults would struggle with, so it is no shock to me that all three girls died before their time. Something that I think could have been done differently is for a child that is found in this type of situation should be given a loving environment and not foster homes. If a child has an environment that is like a home, but is monitored by a therapist I think the child can thrive more. Isabelle had a therapist who worked with her one on one and was not tossed from home to home and she turned out the best of the three girls. If one person had genuinely cared for Anna or Genie their situations may have had a happier ending. How can you be that one person that makes a difference in someone’s life to give them a happier ending?