The mental health of a person who doesn't socialize doesn't develop well either…

Üsküdar University's Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, addressed the topic of “The Importance of Socialization" in his Hürriyet Aile column this week.

Socialization, a concept unique to humans and learned through experience and observation, sees the family as its first step. When there is a healthy environment in the family, the child is influenced by it and socializes in a healthy way. The child learns problem-solving and communication styles by experiencing them within the family. The importance of family ties is understood even more during crisis situations. The importance of family ties was once again understood in the Russia-Ukraine war, which has been on the agenda for the past month. Those with family ties support each other much more. Those without family ties can find themselves in more difficult situations.

Humans come into the world prematurely in terms of socialization and learn over time. There is no such situation in the animal world. Animals socialize very easily and quickly when born because it is innate, hereditary, and genetic. They breed one generation, then distance the next. However, humans are born to learn socialization. Humankind carries the characteristics of the environment in which it grew up. There are even over 50 documented cases in the literature. There are cases of feral children who were lost in the forest or raised among animals after birth. They are influenced by the living beings in their environment. For example, in cases of children who lived with dogs, the child eats like dogs, bathes like dogs, puts their head in the water, jumps, and walks on all fours.

Humankind develops by learning

Even a human's ability to walk on two feet develops as a result of socialization and learning. Humankind develops by learning. This has also been proven in neuroscience. For example, the eyes of some newborn mice are immediately closed. Their eyes are opened after three months, or after six months. Mice whose eyes are opened before six months learn to see, but mice whose eyes are opened after six months no longer see. When they don't receive light stimulation, the visual areas in their brain atrophy and never develop again. Socialization is similar to this example.

Addiction stems from attachment disorder

Genetic codes are found in the socialization of animals. An addiction experiment conducted on animals reveals how important socialization is. Mice are made cocaine-addicted, and when they press a pedal, they drink water containing the drug. They drink until they die, and the animal dies. Another mouse, already addicted to cocaine, is taken and placed in its own social environment. The animal stops its addiction and normalizes. From this, it is understood that addiction is actually an attachment disorder. People who connect to a social environment and form healthy social relationships do not feel the need for substance addiction.

There is a global addiction epidemic

Behind addiction, there is also serious pathological socialization. There is loneliness and unhappiness. For this reason, there is currently a global addiction epidemic. It is particularly widespread in the USA and Northern European countries. An addiction pandemic is being discussed. Behind this is the change in social norms. Social norms in society are very important for a person to live a healthy life. Social norms are what make a society a society.

Social norms define behavioral boundaries

In social life, there are three important norms: legal, conscientious, and social. Legal norms are laws found as written texts, the Constitution. Here, a person's behavioral boundaries are defined. Social norms define the behavioral boundaries in humans. If you go out on the street in pajamas, everyone will laugh. This is a social norm. If you go to school in beachwear, you will not have adhered to social norms. A person who can adhere to these social norms gains skills and adapts. There are also conscientious norms. Not doing secret evil, respecting others' rights, not lying, and being able to draw one's own individual boundaries are moral norms. These are also called conscientious norms.

Healthy socialization occurs in a healthy family environment

Socialization primarily occurs in a safe environment, and this environment is the family. When the family is healthy, the child also socializes in a healthy way. In the Russia-Ukraine war, the importance of family ties was once again understood. Those with family ties support each other much more. Those without family ties are seen to experience more difficult situations. In these crisis situations, the importance of family ties is understood even more. That is why family is very important. It can be observed in war-related news: a child hugging their mother, hugging their father during wartime, these are very important for human development. Family ties are very important. A society that weakens family ties actually destroys its future. Therefore, the first fruitful area for socialization is the family. It is a warm family environment.

Children learn socialization through experiences

In a warm family environment, children learn socialization through experiences and stories. The child learns problem-solving methods by observing. A crisis occurs, the family solves a problem, and the child learns from it. The family's problem-solving style is observed. For instance, how family members manage a stressful situation; the child learns socialization by experiencing this. The other is communication style. The style of how to communicate with people is also learned within the family. There are areas related to socialization that we, mental health professionals, measure with tests. For example, does this person invest in social relationships? That is, do they put in effort and pay a price for it? If so, it is a positive contribution to that person's mental health. Or, does the person participate in collective thinking? Do they participate in society's cultural norms, standards, common tastes, and ideals? All these are the measures we assess and look for regarding socialization," he said.  

Curiosity triggers socialization, and role-modeling is very important in socialization. A child learns through imitation. They observe and socialize, which happens through close relationships. It happens with secure attachment. If there is a family environment where one can securely attach, it becomes the primary goal of socialization. If there is a social environment, their family supports them. At the same time, they can leave the house, express themselves, and a social environment forms.

The second step in socialization: peer environment

In socialization, the family forms the first step. Socialization cannot be limited to just the family. The second step is peer environments. There is a peer environment at school; children learn there. For example, we all experienced this during the pandemic. Socialization does not fully occur in online environments. We call it social media, but it's not social at all. There can be no true social interaction without physical contact. Socialization cannot happen in a physical environment without touching, running around, playing, or speaking face-to-face. That's why media is not social. Media is entirely virtual media. Social media is actually a misnomer; it's virtual media. Therefore, the true environment for socialization is one where there is physical contact. For a child, the most serious business is play. Freud defined child mental health as playing and loving, and adult mental health as working and loving. It is a very accurate definition. Therefore, the mental health of a person who doesn't socialize doesn't develop well either.

Socialization plays an important role not only in terms of mental health but also in the transmission of societal cultural heritage. Shared societal goals make significant contributions to establishing peace and tranquility in society.

Those who fail at socialization also fail to learn how to survive

Individuals who do not achieve healthy socialization may face problems such as depression, anxiety disorders, and suicide risk due to their search for meaning. Societies that have failed to socialize, individuals who cannot complete the socialization process, or who cannot operate their social networks healthily, also cannot learn to survive. However, an innate characteristic of humans is the genetic ability to learn how to survive. This must also be learned within social life.

Socialization is learning to be 'us' while remaining 'me'

Socialization is a person's learning to be 'us' while remaining 'me' in a society. The person will not refuse to be a part of the social legal structure. This is a method of socialization.

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