Revisión, análisis y clasificación de los estudios sobre desarrollo social

Resumen

Este artículo analiza las características de los trabajos sobre desarrollo social que se han producido en las últimas décadas e intenta clasificarlos siguiendo un doble criterio: el contenido temático de los estudios y el tipo de proceso de socialización implicado

Respecto a los procesos de socialización se distinguen cuatro tipos: a) aquellos procesos interactivos que dan lugar al conocimiento social, b) los que se orientan a la formación y desarrollo de los vínculos afectivos, c) los procesos interactivos que procuran la adquisición de la conducta socialmente aceptable así como la evitación y el control de la socialmente inaceptable, y d) los procesos de construcción de la identidad personal, de individuación, o de diferencias individuals en el cambio

Estos procesos de socialización tienen lugar en la interacción entre el sujeto activo (que posee determinadas características como individuo y como especie) y los agentes sociales del medio en el que el individuo se desarrolla. Por ello, la clasificación que proponemos contempla las siguientes categorías: a) Las características del sujeto, b) los factores socializadores del medio social, y c) los procesos de socialización (cognitivos, afectivos, conductuales y de identidad personal)

Abstract

The paper analyses the characteristics of studies on social development carried out during the past decade. It attempts to classify them according to the following double criteria: thematic content, and type of socialization processes involved. Four types of socialization processes are distinguished: a) interactive processes that give way to social knowledge; b) processes promoting the formation and development of affective links; c) interactive processes facilitating the acquisition of socially aceptable behaviour together with the avoidance and control of socially unaceptable behaviour; and d) processes promoting the construction of a personal identity, individuation, or individual difference towards change. These socialization processes take place within the interaction between the active subject (possessing specific characteristics as an individual and as a member of our species), and the social agents in the setting in which the individual develops. Thus, the proposed classification includes the following categories: a) subject characteristics; b) socializing factors from the social setting; and c) socializing processes (cognitive, affective, behavioural, and personal identity)

Extended Summary

This review article analyses the charateristics of studies on social development carried out during the last decade, and it proposes a classification and organization of the large quantity of studies in this field. After reviewing the pros and cons of the classification criteria, such as: studies' theoretical framework, methodology used, content, learning mechanisms that make socialization possible, age or stage of development, etc.; a double criteria is chosen: studies thematic content, and the primary type of socialization process involved.

Four types of socialization processes are proposed: a) interactive processes giving way to social knowledge; b) those promoting the construction and development of affective an social links between peoplo; c) interactive processes facilitating the acquisition of socially aceptable behaviour and the control of socially unaceptable behaviour; and d) processes promoting the construction of personal identity, individuation, or individual difference towards change.

To understand social development, in addition to these fundamental changes, it is necessary to bear in mind the following interacting elements:

a)	The child, who has his/her own characteristics and abilities, as a member of our species and as a specific individual (physical, motor, preceptual, temperamental characteristics, etc.). These differential characteristics are a crucial element in his/her social development.
b)	The socializing agents (mother, father, siblings, the extented family, peers, the media, the school, etc.) and the available mechanisms to achieve an individual's social integration.

Thus, in an interaction two active elements are involved mutally influencing each other, the child and the social setting.

As a result of the above rationale, the studies reviewed are classified according to the following categories: a) child caracteristics; b) socializing agents in the social setting; and c) socializing processes (cognitive, affective, behavioural, and interindividual differences in social development).

Palabras clave:

• Desarrollo social
• procesos de socialización
• características del niño
• agentes socializadores

Keywords:

• Social development
• socialization processes
• child characteristics
• socializing agents