Topic: Socialization: The Importance of Childhood
Case Study and Writing Outcomes
Consider the following case study, which was cataloged in Susan Curtiss’ (1977) study, Genie:

A girl named Genie was found in the United States in 1970. Genie’s father had kept her locked in a room from the age of 20 months until age 13. Genie was harnessed naked to an infant’s potty seat and left alone for hours and days through the years. When she was remembered at night, she was put to bed in a homemade straitjacket. There were no radios or televisions in the house, people spoke in hushed tones, and the only language Genie heard was an occasional obscenity from her father. He hated noise, and if Genie made any sound her father would growl at her like a dog or beat her with a stick. As a result of her confinement, Genie could not walk and her eyes could not focus beyond the boundaries of her room. She was malnourished, incontinent, and salivated constantly.

Although an extreme instance, the case study of Genie demonstrates the importance of childhood socialization. Further, this story reflects specific factors which are consistent with cases of poor (or even abusive instances of) socializationbiological, psychological, and social degeneration. In response to this case, prepare a written essay, which meets the following outcomes:

Define socialization and specifically childhood socialization.
Articulate the essential aspects of any childhood socialization process. (What is needed?)
Explain what happens when these aspects are nonexistent in an individual’s life.
Analyze whether these aspects were existent or nonexistent in your life.
Indicate the effect of having or not having these aspects in your life.
Cited: Curtiss, S. (1977). Genie. New York, NY: American Press.

Standard instructions

This week, you will compose a formal essay on the assigned topic. This write-to-learn activity will expect you to engage in an analysis of the topic as to promote assimilation and application of the major topics for this week. The essay must:

Be a minimum of 400500 words in length.
Exhibit college-level writing.
Include at least two references to external resources, i.e., textbook, course lectures, scholarly articles, or appropriate websites. (All references should follow proper citation rules in either APA or Turabian format.)
The essay should be submitted as a Word document, using 12-point Times New Roman font.