Identity can be considered relational and formative. Everyone has a sense of self or a sense of personal identity. Our sense of self includes those roles, attributes, behaviors, and associations that we consider most important about ourselves. They have a fundamental impact on individual occupations, careers, friendships and social relationships, future family roles and personal interests. Children slowly gain a sense of self and self-esteem as they mature into adolescents. Identities develop over time and can change from time to time and from place to place. Early in life, a sense of self is associated with the safety, security, and acceptance that children feel when cared for by adults to whom they feel attached. As a child matures, a sense of self develops in concert with the values observed in his or her parents. How we come to relate to our sense of self begins with our earliest experiences. As we mature, we eventually have to deal with the positives and negatives of peer pressure and role pressure. So that we can reflect on the individual we want to become based on deeply held values (Ylvisaker, Hibbard and Feeney, (2006) Socialization Socialization is the process of acquiring norms, customs and beliefs that can give an individual the skills and habits necessary to function adequately in society According to Pinker (2002) socialization can be considered a lifelong process.
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