The communities people live in play a critical role in the socialisation process. The character and world-view of individuals are shaped by the interactions at the family and community level. People observe their close relatives, neighbours, religious followers, and even country mates to learn about life in general. The community socialisation process is symbiotic where an individual contributes to the society and also gains directly or indirectly from other members and institutions. Therefore, it may not easy to restrict the role of the community to a few functions because it varies extensively based on the context. There are individuals, groups, institutions, and states that play diverse roles within a given community. The dynamics of socialization also differs depending on the nature of the community. In as such, this paper argues that the immediate family and social groups of an individual plays the most critical role in the socialization process. The paper will draw meaning from the film titled Jesus Camp (2006) by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing and Joan Didion article titled “Where I was from.”
The family remains the core of community working process. It is from the family unit that individuals learn about their broader social and cultural identities. Didion explains that she grew up in California with her extended family where she developed a sense of identity as a Christian and an American. She describes in details the many activities they used to do as a family such as going out for meals, camping, and attending religious festivals, such as Christmas celebrations. Before she became engrossed with the life of California or the United States, Didion became socialised within her family. She narrates the many experiences she had with her family members several years after moving out of her home. The lessons she learned from them became engraved in her personality and character.
The social impartation of the family is also evident in the film Jesus Camp (2006). The three main characters in the movie, Levi, Rachael, and Victoria are children who grow up with an intense Christian foundation. The parents of the children lockout political interference of the socialisation process by homeschooling them. Therefore, the children do not attend school and learn from the other children, teachers, and society, as is the case with many children across the country. The result of the cocooned socialisation process is limited exposure to the local and global community. For example, Levi's father is a preacher, and he taught him not to believe the prevalent social norms such as the concept of global warming (Grady and Ewing). The result is that Levi grew up to be a devout Christian youth with little interactions with the secular world. He thought processes are entirely different from that of majority young people in the United States.
After going through family socialisation at a young age, individuals join social groups that further develop their character development. In the United States, and many other places in the world, the schooling system is an integral institution in the community. Young people attend a school where they interact with students from diverse backgrounds and gain formal knowledge from their teachers and books. In the film Jesus Camp (2006), the three young people, Levi, Rachael, and Victoria, do not attend school but they establish their social group based on religious beliefs. The Christian summer camp offers a different type of socialisation process that is based on religious doctrines. The attendants meet with other children and young people with a similar world-view about their country and the globe. Eventually, their characters and behaviours are further shaped by the unique socialisation environment where they spend their time.
The community plays an integral role in offering stability to an individual as evident in the writing of Didion. When her mother passed away, she reflected on the support offered by her community in California throughout her early years. The career she enjoys as an adult was because of the social stability offered by the people around her. Even from an extended perspective such as the nation, individuals feel a sense of belonging when they associate themselves with a given country. In the film Jesus Camp, the Christians disassociated with much of the secular world but still felt the need to pray for their country and the president (Grady and Ewing). The fact that they feel part of the United States is a crucial process of their socialisation process. The parents of the young people made them understand that the nation is part of their lives and they should seek necessary support from it.
It is also true that human beings depend on the community for their socialisation and developmental needs. When a person commits an offence, he or she is withdrawn from the community as a form of punishment. The fact that the people in prison cannot access the amenities and atmosphere provided by the community serves the individual needs. Didion explains that when growing up, they believed in a military community that provided them with basic needs. She also describes how the family had access to diverse basic needs such as housing, schooling, and healthcare within the community (Didion 159). It is clear that the individual benefits from the socialisation need to be offered by the community. To live in isolation is tortuous to any human being. Therefore, when people live in the same location, they can share the facilities and offer each other social support that is essential for human development. The family, the school, the religious groups, the government, and others, all serve the needs of the population within a given community.
A critical part of the socialisation process is the acceptance offered by both the immediate and broader society. Psychologically, human beings crave for approval within their social environment. An individual labelled as an outcast lacks direction and social standing in any given community. The extent of acceptance is relative and depends on the norms established within a specific community. For instance, in the movie Jesus Camp, the tightly knit Christian camp has set principles that determine those that qualify to be part of the group. People who do not meet the standards cannot be accepted to be part of the community. In the United States, the society is believed to be liberal such that it accommodates divergent views and cultural groups. However, in some cases, the vice of discrimination is rife and prevents widespread acceptance of a given social group. For example, it took many years for the African Americans to gain acceptance in the United States socio-economic spheres. The same case applies to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) who continue to seek acceptance in the global community. Therefore, the community does not allow all to socialize freely. There are some restrictions in any given society that limits the participation of members.
The community culture is dynamic and dictates the level and quality of socialisation. In her memoir, Didion describes in details how life in California changed from the early 1900s through to the 21sts century. She admits that approach taken by her parents or even grandparents to raise a family was entirely different from what people do today. Traditions have changed, and people have embraced the popular culture that has eroded the old cultural values and norms. Likewise, the Christian community depicted in the film Jesus Camp also reflects a unique cultural subset that determines the socialisation approach of its members. Unlike the general society, the group of young Christians have their set of norms that are different from the public values.
In conclusion, it is evident that the family and immediate social groups play a crucial role in the socialisation of individuals. The community functions in diverse ways to help and receive input from its members. The text by Joan Didion describes the life of the author in the California neighbourhood. Without a doubt, the family unit played a vital role in the upbringing of the author and the development of her character. The same applies to the film Jesus Camp where the main characters are socialised in a closed Christian group by their parents. The steps taken by the parents to ensure their children are not ‘spoilt' by the broader community through socialisation were worth noting in the analysis. It shows that individuals rely on the community for social support and acceptance.
Works Cited
Didion, Joan. "Where I Was From. New York: Alfred A." (2003). Print
Grady, Rachel and Heidi, Ewing. "Jesus Camp (2006)". Youtube, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YhiiMQvPOc. Accessed 7 July 2018.
