Humanity and Its Being as an Object of Philosophical Understanding

Consciousness as a Fundamental Property of Humanity

Socialization of the Personality: Stages, Mechanisms, Forms

The formation of personality occurs through socialization, a process in which the individual internalizes social experiences, norms, values, behavioral patterns, knowledge, and language characteristic of the society into which they are integrated. Socialization unfolds through both deliberate influences on the individual (for instance, during upbringing) and a wide array of social factors that spontaneously affect them. This process continues throughout one’s life, but certain critical stages can be distinguished: early childhood, the educational period, the phase of active participation in labor, and the post-labor stage. At each of these stages, specific social institutions play a leading role: family, preschool establishments, schools and other educational institutions, work collectives, mass media, and so forth.

When discussing the impact of the social environment on the individual, it is essential to consider its multilayered nature: the megastructure represents the vast cultural world around us, encompassing the spiritual and socio-psychological atmosphere of the era; the macrostructure refers to the larger society, the country to which we belong by birth, upbringing, and residence; and the microstructure denotes our immediate social environment (family, primary group, friends, acquaintances).

Key moments in the process of socialization include: social adaptation; identification; and interiorization. Social adaptation is the process by which an individual adjusts to the conditions of the social environment, during which they accept and internalize its norms, values, and roles. Identification is an emotionally-cognitive process whereby the individual equates themselves with a group—be it family, peer group, nation, or an individual who serves as their ideal, among others. Interiorization involves transforming external social demands (norms, values) into internal regulators of behavior—conscience, life attitudes, and the value orientations of the personality.

The subjective aspect of the socialization process encompasses the development of consciousness and self-awareness, particularly the formation of the “self” image as a relatively stable, conscious system of the individual’s perceptions about themselves (both real and ideal), intertwined with self-assessment (self-esteem). As early as the late 19th century, James proposed the formula: self-esteem is directly proportional to personal success and inversely proportional to the level of aspirations, indicating that the degree of self-esteem depends on the relationship between levels of success and aspirations. The higher the aspirations, the greater the achievements required for an individual to respect themselves. Recently, this formula has been significantly augmented: an individual determines their successes and aspirations through comparison with others. In this context, those deemed significant serve as the “mirror” or “point of reference.” Initially, this includes parents, whom the child does not choose; as they grow, their sphere of communication expands, and individuals seek approval and recognition from new “significant others,” whom they begin to select themselves. The group to which an individual psychologically belongs—whose norms and values they utilize as benchmarks in evaluating their actions—is referred to as the reference group.

It is important to note that while society plays a decisive role in shaping the individual as a personality, the individual's autonomous spiritual effort in the creation of their “self” also holds substantial significance. Kant notably asserted that a person becomes a personality only through self-knowledge, which allows them to freely subordinate their “self” to the moral law, thus granting them the ability to become the master of themselves. It is solely on a moral foundation that an individual’s personal independence can be established, enabling them to develop the capacity to manage their actions and construct their life in a meaningful and responsible manner. These defining moral principles of personality, without which it cannot exist, will be examined in greater detail in the section on “Foundations of Ethical Knowledge.”

The existence of each personality is characterized by openness, manifested through a continuous transcending of its qualitative boundaries. In this journey, the individual encounters a kindred existence—the being of another person. This interaction can lead to conflict or, conversely, result in a positive enrichment of meanings and mutual elevation. Thus, human existence unfolds as co-being and communication; the notion of “communication” has emerged as a central concept in social philosophy since the latter half of the 20th century. It is in coexistence, communication, and a solidary community that the human “self” and personality are realized, generating human values. Co-being, in its entirety, is multifaceted—it encompasses not only trust and understanding but also external contacts, alienation, indifference, subjugation, and dominance.

The personality engages in co-being with others as a unique existence. When the personality is “like everyone else,” it cannot participate in co-being. One must construct their inner world to “attract” and “radiate” meaningful values to others.