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Using as many agents of socialization that apply, describe how each agent socialized
Cristiano Ronaldo to become the person that he is today. Trace his personal socialization
from birth to present day.
To study the impact of different agents of socialization on the personality of Cristiano
Ronaldo, it is imperative to have a clear understanding of different agents of socialization.
Agents of socialization are different factors, people, institutions and other aspects which
facilitate acceptance or mingling of an individual's in society. Agents of socialization can be
people like parents, peers; institutions like schools, offices and media. There are four basic types
of agents of socialization in every society. These are: family, school, community culture and
peers or friends. Some other non-basic socialization agents are: media, work and gender. The
agents of socialization are usually classified into different social groups. This classification into
social groups include: Primary agents of socialization, secondary agents of socialization and
social classes. Primary agents of socialization contains people that are very near and dear to
someone. Such primary agents of socialization are primarily family members and close friends.
Family is the most significant agent of socialization which plays very crucial role in shaping
behaviour of an individual and setting the life course.
Institutions that help an individual achieve his/her role, place or goal in a social setting,
fall in the category of secondary agents of socialization. Such institutions can be paces of work,
religious and educational. Educational institutions like schools play a very important role in
preparing a child for finding his/her place in society and finally adjusting in it. Social classes are
a type of agents of socialization which exist in society to rank individuals into different classes.
These social classes mainly include: lower class, working middle class and higher elite class.
Sometimes a class can predetermine the life course of a child born into that class. Agents of

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socialization have numerous effects, not only on a person but, also on the entire population.
Effected by the different aspects of a socialization, a person can alter his/her life goals and
ideology. A case in point is that of political gatherings and culture. Impressed by a certain
political ideology, a person can alter his her believes. Another effect of socialization, known as
the period effect, does not effect a certain group of people, instead it leaves an impact on the
whole society. Particular examples for period effect includes: the Great Depression and the Black
Plague. Another effect of the agents of socialization is the cohort effect wherein only a particular
group of society is effected by a major social event. Relevant examples include: Hiroshima
Nagasaki bombings and the Vietnam War. Subsequent paragraphs will explain different social
agents in detail and the role which they played in the life of Cristiano Ronaldo (Handel, 2006).
The foremost and the first agent of socialization is the family. Family includes close
blood relatives like father, mother, siblings, grandparents and cousins. All of them contribute
towards teaching and training of the child in its early days. For a small child learning is a
constant process. These near relatives of a child help him in learning some basic tasks as use of
clothes, electronic equipment, utensils, and books and how to relate with other people. The
raising of children by a family is effected by a number of social factors. The norms associated
with child rearing continue to evolve. For instance, forty, fifty years ago it was considered to
normal to hit a child for mending child's behaviour. However, in present times, it is regarded as
child abuse. A number of other important factors like social class, religion, culture and race also
play an important role in socialization experience. For instance, a child born in a working middle
class family may experience strict checks imposed by the family. This is commonly because of
less education and strict working schedule of the parents. On the other hand, children born in
wealthy families experience a little more freedom and are encouraged to develop creative skills.

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This difference can be explained by the fact that wealthy parents usually have influential
managerial jobs or roles so, they are aware of the skills required for these roles. Hence, they try
to teach their children same skills.
Cristiano Ronaldo was brought up in a very modest household. He himself had admitted
that his childhood was devoid of luxuries. As his parents on had basic education so, it was
natural that Ronaldo had no interest in studies. Consequently, he was kicked out of school at the
age of fourteen because he had thrown chair on his teacher. It is probable that Ronaldo showed
such behaviour because he himself had witnessed violence during his early childhood. To further
verify effects of social class on child rearing, I can cite my own personal experience. I was born
in a middle class working family. Both of my parents had mediocre jobs. They worked hard and
tried to fulfil my basic needs. Born in a middle class family, it was natural that my parents
wanted me to perform extremely good in the school. As a result, I became too sensitive about my
grades. Moreover, due to this, my choice for future profession was more influenced by market
demand than my own personal preference - another typical characteristic of a middle class family
(Lewis, 1973).

People belonging to same age group, social class and who have shared goals and interests
form a peer group. It is usually during the earliest years of childhood that peer group
socialization takes its start. For instance, learning basic skills of a sport for peers or some older
children on the playground. Peer group act as an important agent of socialization during early
childhood of Cristiano Ronaldo. He used to go with his father to a boys football club where his
father worked as a ground man. The sight of children, almost his age, playing football impressed
him so much that he decided to try his luck in this game. Later, football became his passion, his
life and his everything. Similarly, during my early days of schooling, I was a mediocre student

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but, when I saw my peers getting good grades in similar conditions, I also started working hard
and performed good.
Children spent most part of their early childhood in schools. School is not only a place
for teaching academics but, also a place to teach good social behaviour. Here children learn some
important rules of social behaviour and techniques of social conduct. By engaging in group tasks
children are prepared for teamwork. Winning and losing in school race competition familiarize
students with the concept of victory and defeat. Cristiano Ronaldo was expelled from school at
the age of fourteen because he threw a chair on his teacher. Quite expectedly, the void created by
absence of good social skills due to absence of school education, continued to haunt him in his
later life. School played a crucial part in framing my social behaviour. It helped me to select my
future profession. I got necessary training in mannerisms and ethics.
Adults have to spend a large part of their life at the work place. Every work place has
certain norms and values. For instance, social norms related to combined use of office stationary
and daily meetings with the boss. Religious places and places of worship also provide an
opportunity for socialization. Religious places like mosques, churches and temples hold weekly
sermons where people coverage, learn and socialize. Governments around the world exert
considerable influence in social dealings of masses. For Instance, the specification of minimum
age for joining a government job and retirement age. These age restrictions imposed by the
government fix specific social roles. In recent years, Mass media has started swaying a
considerable influence in society. Ideas portrayed in shows, films and documentaries, shape
ideas and thoughts.

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There are some important terms related to the concept of agents of socialization which
need to be explained. Status is a position or place which a person possess in a particular society.
Role, on the other hand, is the characteristics, qualities, norms and values related and expected of
a status. Through gender roles, a society specifies some particular roles for males and females. A
norm is a type of a community role which is implemented by its members. Role strain occurs
when an individual faces difficulties in keeping up with the requirements and demands of a
particular role. Role conflict occurs when one role comes in conflict with another role. Folkways
are parameters of behaviour which are approved socially but, have no moral significance. In
socialization, value refers to the desirability of a particular thing by a group. Social control is the
idea of regulating and steering thoughts, concepts, ideals and beliefs of people in a society.
To enforce its norms, every society sets up some rewards and punishments which is
called sanctions. Subculture is a type of a mini culture or a branch culture which exists in a broad
culture and possesses its own values and norms. Cultural capital is different forms of learning
that hold importance in a society. Ethnocentrism is a concept which holds that cultural
differences don't exist. According to cultural relativism, the ideals, thought and norms of one
culture may not be held in high esteem in another culture. Psychologist Jean Piaget has specified
four stages of social development in an individual. These are: Sensorimotor Stage (birth to 24
months), Pre-Operational Stage (24 months to 7 years), Concrete Operational (7 years to 11 or
12 years) and Formal Operational (11 or 12 years to adulthood).

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Work Cited
Handel, Gerald, ed. Childhood socialization. Transaction Publishers, 2006.
Checkel, Jeffrey T., ed. International institutions and socialization in Europe. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Warleigh, Alex. "Europeanizingcivil society: NGOs as agents of political socialization."
JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies 39.4 (2001): 619-639.
Lewis, Robert A. "Parents and peers: Socialization agents in the coital behaviour of young
adults." Journal of Sex Research 9.2 (1973): 156-170.
Langlois, Judith H., and A. Chris Downs. "Mothers, fathers, and peers as socialization agents of
sex-typed play behaviours in young children." Child development (1980): 1237-1247.