We never think about it. We do our things and hang out with our friends and groups, but we never realize that those people and groups are the ones who mostly influence us in our lives. Every one of us is part of what we call “Agents of socialization.” Family, friends, school, religion, sports, etc. These are all groups we are part of and most influence us in our lives. Think about it. We dress the way we dress because of our friends. Then we go play our sports and have fun. They become your family. You are the same as your family and friends. Of course that, within the family you can be different things: cousin, son, husband, dad, etc. And those make you have different roles. So as you change your roles, you change over time. You are being influenced and influencing others throughout your whole life every single day. I love my friends and family. I would never change for anyone else because I am who I am and I’m in the groups I am for a reason. I love them. I do believe that some people don’t accept that. They don’t think they belong in a group or think they are completely different than anyone else. But chances are that if you are in a group for a long time, you are the same as they are.
I agree we are who we are because those around us. Family and friends make a bigger impact on our lives than we may realize.
ReplyDeleteNot sure Raffi, but sounds a little like you are contradicting yourself. You mention "as you change, your roles change" but then you say that you would never change. Not sure about that. The point is that all of these agents influence you. Sometimes you can choose your agents like friends but you can't choose whether they will influence you or not - they WILL influence you. Other times, you are part of a group that you did not get to choose such as an American, white, male, teenager etc...These are groups that influence you but you don't get a choice.
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